{
  "slug": "private-school-vs-public-cost-delta",
  "title": "Private School vs Public School Cost Delta Calculator",
  "heading": "Private vs Public School Cost Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/private-school-vs-public-cost-delta",
  "summary": "The real dollar gap between private tuition and 'free' public school over K-12.",
  "description": "Public school isn't actually free — you still pay through property taxes and out-of-pocket extras — and private school costs more than sticker tuition once fees, uniforms, and transportation are added. This calculator nets both paths across the remaining school years and shows the total delta, plus what that delta would be worth if invested instead, since money not spent on tuition can compound.",
  "formula": "Private annual cost = tuition + fees + extras. Public annual cost = extras only. Delta = (private − public) × years. Opportunity cost compounds delta annually at the given return.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=private-school-vs-public-cost-delta",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "tuition",
      "label": "Private tuition per year",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 18000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "privateFees",
      "label": "Private fees, uniforms, activities",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 2500,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "publicExtras",
      "label": "Public school extras per year",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1200,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "years",
      "label": "Remaining school years",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 9,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": 13
    },
    {
      "id": "tuitionInflation",
      "label": "Annual tuition inflation",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 4,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 15
    },
    {
      "id": "investReturn",
      "label": "Return if invested instead",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 15
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "totalDelta",
      "label": "Total extra cost of private school",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "futureValue",
      "label": "Value if difference were invested",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "avgAnnualDelta",
      "label": "Average annual extra cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Private tuition per year: 18000 $",
      "Private fees, uniforms, activities: 2500 $",
      "Public school extras per year: 1200 $",
      "Remaining school years: 9",
      "Annual tuition inflation: 4 %",
      "Return if invested instead: 6 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Total extra cost of private school: $202,190",
      "Value if difference were invested: $269,758",
      "Average annual extra cost: $22,466"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter private tuition per year ($).",
      "Enter private fees, uniforms, activities ($).",
      "Enter public school extras per year ($).",
      "Enter remaining school years.",
      "Enter annual tuition inflation (%).",
      "Enter return if invested instead (%).",
      "Read your total extra cost of private school on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "tuition": 11000,
        "privateFees": 1500,
        "publicExtras": 700,
        "years": 5,
        "tuitionInflation": 2.4,
        "investReturn": 3.5999999999999996
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "tuition": 18000,
        "privateFees": 2500,
        "publicExtras": 1200,
        "years": 9,
        "tuitionInflation": 4,
        "investReturn": 6
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "tuition": 29000,
        "privateFees": 4000,
        "publicExtras": 1900,
        "years": 13,
        "tuitionInflation": 6.4,
        "investReturn": 9.600000000000001
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Why include tuition inflation?",
      "a": "Private school tuition has historically risen 3–5% a year, often faster than general inflation, because staffing is the dominant cost and schools are labor-intensive. Ignoring this understates the total delta by years 5–13 by a wide margin."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is the invested future value a realistic comparison?",
      "a": "It's a useful upper bound, not a guarantee. It assumes you'd actually save the difference every year rather than spend it on other things, and that markets deliver the assumed return, which varies year to year even if the long-run average holds."
    },
    {
      "q": "What public school costs are people missing?",
      "a": "Extracurricular fees, school supplies, technology fees, field trips, and increasingly 'pay to play' sports fees. In many districts these add $800–$2,000 per student per year even though tuition itself is $0."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does this account for financial aid or vouchers?",
      "a": "No — enter your net tuition after any aid, scholarship, or voucher amount you expect to receive, since that's the actual cash outlay that matters for the comparison."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/529-drawdown",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/homeschool-annual-budget"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Private School vs Public School Cost Delta Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/private-school-vs-public-cost-delta)"
}