Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Total extra cost of private school
$202,190
Value if difference were invested
$269,758
Average annual extra cost
$22,466
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How to use this
- 1Enter private tuition per year ($).
- 2Enter private fees, uniforms, activities ($).
- 3Enter public school extras per year ($).
- 4Enter remaining school years.
- 5Enter annual tuition inflation (%).
- 6Enter return if invested instead (%).
- 7Read your total extra cost of private school on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
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.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
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 %
Results
- Total extra cost of private school: $202,190
- Value if difference were invested: $269,758
- Average annual extra cost: $22,466
What each field means
Inputs
- Private tuition per year ($)
- The private tuition per year used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 18000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Private fees, uniforms, activities ($)
- The private fees, uniforms, activities used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 2500 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Public school extras per year ($)
- The public school extras per year used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 1200 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Remaining school years
- The remaining school years used in the calculation. Starts at 9 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–13.
- Annual tuition inflation (%)
- The annual tuition inflation used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 4 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–15 %.
- Return if invested instead (%)
- The return if invested instead used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 6 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–15 %.
Results
- Total extra cost of private school
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Value if difference were invested
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Average annual extra cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Why include tuition inflation?
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.
Is the invested future value a realistic comparison?
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.
What public school costs are people missing?
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.
Does this account for financial aid or vouchers?
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.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Private School vs Public School Cost Delta Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/private-school-vs-public-cost-delta
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/private-school-vs-public-cost-delta" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Private School vs Public School Cost Delta Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Private School vs Public School Cost Delta Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/private-school-vs-public-cost-delta) (2026).