Best Independent (non-religious) Elementary Schools in NYC

61 schools match. Top 10 ranked by size, tuition fit, and freshness of our data.

AdmitCompass tracks 61 independent (non-religious) elementary-level schools in NYC. Annual tuition ranges from $22.5K/yr to $145K/yr, with a median of $62.5K/yr across schools that publish a number. New York has the highest concentration with 43 schools, followed by Brooklyn (13).

Elementary admissions decisions tend to weigh family fit and developmental readiness more than test scores. Most schools assess via a play-based visit at age 4-5 and rolling interviews for K-5 transfers. Every school is re-verified through direct outreach to admissions teams; data is refreshed on a 180-day cadence and timestamped on each profile.

See also: Private, Charter, Catholic.

  1. 1

    The Dalton School

    New York, New York County · Grades K-12

    Tuition
    $65.8K/yr
    Type
    private
    • Verified by director
    • ~1,350 students
  2. 2

    The Spence School

    New York, New York County · Grades K-12

    Tuition
    $64.6K/yr
    Type
    private
    • Verified by director
    • ~750 students
  3. 3

    City and Country School

    New York, New York County · Grades PK-8

    Tuition
    $60.5K/yr
    Type
    private
    • Verified by director
    • ~200 students
  4. 4

    The IDEAL School of Manhattan

    New York, New York County · Grades K-12

    Tuition
    $71.5K/yr
    Type
    private
    • Verified by director
    • ~200 students
  5. 5

    The Churchill School and Center

    New York, New York County · Grades K-12

    Tuition
    $82.5K/yr
    Type
    private
    • Verified by director
    • ~450 students
  6. 6

    Stephen Gaynor School

    New York, New York County · Grades PK-8

    Tuition
    $85K/yr
    Type
    private
    • Verified by director
    • ~350 students
  7. 7

    Winston Preparatory School

    New York, New York County · Grades 5-12

    Tuition
    $86K/yr
    Type
    private
    • Verified by director
    • ~300 students
  8. 8

    Bay Ridge Preparatory School

    Brooklyn, Kings County · Grades PK-12

    Tuition
    $38.5K/yr
    Type
    private
    • ~550 students
  9. 9

    Cooke School and Institute

    New York, New York County · Grades PK-12

    Tuition
    $110K/yr
    Type
    private
    • Verified by director
    • ~250 students
  10. 10

    The Aaron School

    New York, New York County · Grades K-12

    Tuition
    $78.5K/yr
    Type
    private
    • Verified by director
    • ~180 students
How we rank these schools

Built relationships, not scrapers. AdmitCompass ranks schools using a composite score that blends four signals: enrollment size (a proxy for stability and program breadth), tuition reasonableness within the local market, freshness of our most recent verification, and a small bonus for schools with full admissions detail published on their profile.

Public data comes from the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE), the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and each school's own admissions pages. The information that actually matters to most families — acceptance rates, deadlines, what a director cares about — comes from direct interviews with school directors and admissions coaches across our active markets.

We do not publish scoring weights or per-axis thresholds. That keeps the moat intact: the rankings reflect actual conversations with people inside schools, not a formula anyone with a crawler could clone. Every profile is re-verified on a 180-day cadence, and the "last updated" date is timestamped on every school page.

Read the full methodology.

Frequently asked questions

What's the average tuition for elementary schools in NYC?
Across the 61 schools on this list, annual tuition ranges from $22.5K/yr to $145K/yr, with a median of $62.5K/yr. Many schools offer financial aid, sibling discounts, or accept Florida Step Up / FES scholarships — check each school's detail page for current aid policy.
How competitive is admission in NYC?
Admissions selectivity ranges from open-enrollment (most charters and parish schools) to highly selective (top independent K-12 programs). Each school's profile page lists deadlines, test requirements, and any published acceptance rate.
What's the smallest and largest school on this list?
Brooklyn Free School is the smallest with 70 students; Horace Mann School is the largest at 1800. Smaller schools tend to offer more direct teacher contact and tighter community; larger schools usually have more elective and extracurricular breadth.
Is this list updated?
Yes. We re-verify school data on a 180-day cadence through direct contact with admissions teams, plus cross-checks against FLDOE, NCES, and published school sources. Each school profile shows the date of its most recent verification.

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