Forget college tuition: Some Los Angeles parents are paying nearly $90,000 a year for their children to attend high school.
At the city’s most exclusive private schools, an elite education may include fossil-hunting expeditions, celebrity classmates and investment portfolios managed by students.
The Webb Schools in Claremont top the list, charging boarding students $87,430 per year. Tuition for day students is $62,180.
Students can work with professional paleontologists, help co-author scientific papers and use the 150-acre campus, which includes an Olympic-size pool and miles of running trails.
A review by The Post of 20 of Los Angeles County’s most expensive private schools found that 16 charge more than $53,000 a year for upper-grade tuition. Those figures often exclude additional costs for technology, security and transportation.
At Webb, tuition includes meals, boarding and most school expenses, according to the school. The campus is also home to the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology, which the school describes as the only accredited paleontology museum located on a high school campus.
Admission is highly competitive. Webb accepts just 14% of applicants and enrolls 405 students.
Around 28% of families receive financial aid, funded by an annual budget of approximately $7 million, a spokesperson said.
Westmark School in Encino charges $69,928 annually for grades 2 through 12. Families must also pay a $4,200 deposit and a one-time fee of $2,125.
The school specializes in serving students with learning differences. Its net-zero-carbon lower-school campus includes rooftop gardens, an amphitheater and quiet areas intended to minimize cognitive overload.
Westmark provides each student with an iPad, and fifth graders produce their own television program. Classes average eight students, while reading groups generally have five or fewer.
Bus service, hot lunches and international trips cost extra.
Milken Community School charges $57,450 in annual tuition, along with a $2,700 security fee and a $2,500 first-year fee.
Through its finance program, students manage an investment portfolio with guidance from industry professionals, according to the school’s brochure. Students also take trips to Israel in eighth, 10th and 12th grades, at an additional cost.
This year, Hollywood director Jon Avnet is mentoring students in the school’s writing and film program, which includes a course titled “Art of Comedy.”
Other Los Angeles private schools command similarly steep prices.
New Roads School in Santa Monica charges $55,014 for grades 6 through 12, while tuition for its specialized Spectrum Program is $69,400. Families also pay a one-time enrollment fee of $3,000 and annual activity fees ranging from $3,490 to $3,898.
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The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks charges $58,788 for grades 6 through 12.
Its sample financial-aid chart indicates that a family of five earning $678,000 a year would not qualify for assistance.
Tuition at the Archer School for Girls in Brentwood is $54,800. Required laptop, technology and transportation fees bring the total to $59,600.
For comparison, a year at UCLA costs a California student living on campus approximately $45,500, including tuition, housing and food.
For some families, however, the draw extends well beyond academics.
Several of these schools have long been linked to Hollywood’s wealthiest and most recognizable families.
Buckley alumni include Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and Paris Jackson. Crossroads School in Santa Monica counts Kate Hudson, Jonah Hill, Jack Black, Gwyneth Paltrow and Maya Rudolph among its former students.
Crossroads, which charges $58,541 a year, has been described by Vanity Fair as a leading choice for affluent Hollywood families.
LeBron James’ sons, Bronny and Bryce, attended Crossroads before transferring to Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth in 2019, according to ESPN.
Sierra Canyon, where Bronny later played alongside Dwyane Wade’s son Zaire on a nationally televised basketball team, charges $48,600 for grades 7 through 12. Bronny now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Harvard-Westlake, with annual tuition of $54,900, counts astronaut Sally Ride and actress Carrie Fisher among its alumni. NBA star Jrue Holiday graduated from Campbell Hall, where tuition is $57,080.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and developer Rick Caruso also sent their children to Brentwood School, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The school charges $58,207 per year.
These hefty tuition bills do not mean every family pays the full sticker price. Several schools provide significant financial aid.
Chadwick School in Palos Verdes, for example, says 23% of its students receive financial aid, with the average award totaling $35,800. Milken says nearly 40% of its students receive tuition assistance.
Even so, families paying full tuition can face private-school costs in Los Angeles that rival — and sometimes surpass — the price of a college degree.
The 20 most expensive private schools:
- The Webb Schools (Claremont): $87,430 for boarding students; $62,180 for day students. The school is home to the only accredited paleontology museum on a high school campus.
- Westmark School (Encino): $69,928. Its lower-school campus features rooftop gardens and net-zero-carbon design.
- New Roads School (Santa Monica): $69,400 for the Spectrum Program; $55,014 for grades 6–12.
- The Buckley School (Sherman Oaks): $58,788. Alumni include Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian.
- Crossroads School (Santa Monica): $58,541. Alumni include Kate Hudson, Jonah Hill and Gwyneth Paltrow.
- Brentwood School: $58,207. Its former students include the children of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Rick Caruso.
- Oakwood School (North Hollywood): $57,550.
- Milken Community School: $57,450, plus a $2,700 annual security fee. Students manage an investment portfolio.
- Campbell Hall (Studio City): $57,080. NBA star Jrue Holiday is an alumnus.
- Harvard-Westlake: $54,900. Alumni include astronaut Sally Ride and actress Carrie Fisher.
- The Archer School for Girls (Brentwood): $54,800 in tuition; $59,600 including required technology and transportation charges.
- Westridge School (Pasadena): $54,350.
- Chadwick School (Palos Verdes): $53,760. Tuition includes a three-week senior outdoor education course.
- Flintridge Preparatory School (La Cañada Flintridge): $53,750.
- Windward School: $53,718, plus $1,881 in fees (2025–26).
- Wildwood School: $53,385 (2025–26).
- Viewpoint School (Calabasas): $51,925 (2024–25).
- Marlborough School: $49,950 (2023–24).
- Polytechnic School (Pasadena): $48,900 (2025–26).
- Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth): $48,600. Former student Bronny James went on to play basketball for the Lakers.