HUGE Tuition Makes This Idaho High School One America’s Most Expensive

Growing up, what sort of school did you go to? Did your parents have the means to send you to a private high school or were a product of a public school education like we are?

Trust us when we say that we’re not dissing a public school education. We’ll joke forever that we learned nothing in our social studies classes like economics, government or history because that’s the department that most of the coaches “taught” in, but our public school opened so many doors for us. Those coaches were excellent. They didn’t just teach us how to excel on the field or track, they taught us life long lessons about teamwork and respect. 

This particular school system also required every student to be in music from fifth thru eighth grade. Whether we chose band, orchestra or chorus, most of us chose to continue those studies through senior year. Not only did we learn to play the cello, orchestra gave us the opportunity to compete in cities like Boston and Chicago, foster our love of musicals and build memories with our fellow musicians that we’ll never forget.

And the school industrial arts program…where do we even start? The television production courses there were so new that it was lumped with this department, but it gave us the one opportunity that changed our lives forever - an opportunity to intern at a local radio cluster during summer break. Without that opportunity, we wouldn’t be who we are today. 

Sure, our parents had to eventually pay for home cello, the travel associated with those orchestra trips, an endless supply of running shoes and at least two pairs of track/cross country spikes per school year. Still, we don’t think all of that added up to the tuition of just ONE year at some of the schools on a list put together by A Lot Education. 

Idaho Is Home to One of of America’s ‘Most Expensive’ High Schools

The list highlights the most expensive private high schools in each state. Before we tell you about the high school that has the most jaw dropping price-tag, we want to give you a frame of reference. In 2023, Private School Review says that the average tuition for private high school in the Gem State is about $8,985. Tuition at the state’s only Catholic high school, Bishop Kelly ranges from $9,410 with support from a parish to $10,210 per year. 

READ MORE: The 10 Worst School Districts in Idaho

Bishop Kelly is $29,415 cheaper than the most expensive high in Idaho. That title went to Sun Valley Community School. At the school, students are requested to take four years of English, three years, three years of science, three years of social science and three years of world language classes. Looking at the curriculum flow chart, these are similar to the same offerings we had at our public high school.

But the school also offers students with experiences like floating the Main Salmon River for a week, learning to build a snow cave so they can thrive during winter camping and a service learning trip to Salt Lake City during their freshman year.

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In 10th grade, they’ll get the opportunity to hike the wilderness and coastline of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula, go snow-camping and backcountry skiing for three days and get to enjoy a Shakespeare Festival in Oregon for four days.

Juniors get to do a week of climbing/hiking/working on forest service facilities in the Sawtooths in the fall. In the spring they go on a two-day solo backpacking trip in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park.

Seniors get to do a fall campout, winter yurt trips and a two-week senior quest. So…yeah, that’s a little more intense than what we went through in public school! 

What’s the price tag for this unique education? $39,625 per year! If parents want their kids to stay on campus, it’s a total of $69,500 for tuition, room and board.