For the 2026-2027 school year, Houston private school tuition costs $29,087 a year on average per child, which amounts to a nearly 4% increase in tuition as compared to the 2025-2026 academic year. The cost of a private education in Houston has increased 31.2% since before 2020.
The price of admission varies by grade, but there are consistent increases across the board:
- Kindergarten — $24,528 (up from $23,440)
- Sixth Grade — $27,792 (up from $26,702)
- Twelfth Grade — $31,687 (up from $30,287)
For the youngest students starting this fall, if you plan to keep them in private school through high school graduation, you can expect to pay in excess of $500,000 for all 13 years of education—or more than half a million dollars when annual fees are also factored in.
General Academic currently tracks tuition for approximately 50 of the most popular Houston-area private schools. The year-over-year tuition increases ranged from as low as 2.0% for The Tenney School, to as high as 8.33% for Trafton.
When we compare tuition rates of Catholic schools to the rest of Houston private schools, we continue to see huge potential for savings. The average cost of a Catholic school education in Houston for the 2026-2027 school year is $22,673, which is about 22% more affordable than the average across all private schools.
If you are a parent of a current kindergarten student and assume an annual tuition increase rate of 5%, you can expect to be paying over $56,000 for your child’s 12th grade education — that is over double what you are currently paying for your child’s kindergarten education.
Big Fees Are in Addition to Tuition
When budgeting for a private school education, the costs don’t stop at tuition. Private school fees often add up to thousands of dollars on top of the tuition and can include items like new student enrollment, computers/tablets, class trips, and even new building construction.
For example, Episcopal High School charges $1,625 for food services and $2,500 for a laptop; St. John’s charges a $2,000 new student fee and up to $1,200 for textbooks/supplies; Awty charges $2,950 for a Washington, D.C. trip and $3,500 for bus service. Not all schools, however, take this approach to adding on or separating their fees: at The Emery/Weiner School, tuition includes meals, trips, and activities.
Don’t Count on Financial Aid
Unlike elite private colleges which are able to subsidize their educations with their multi-billion dollar endowments, most Houston private schools are tuition driven. However, some of the city’s most well-known private schools, like Kinkaid and St. John’s, do have relatively large endowments that exceed $80 million allowing them to offer more financial aid. Otherwise Catholic schools also remain relatively accessible due to both lower tuition and more aid from the church.
Tuition must usually be paid in one lump sum at the beginning of the year or via monthly direct withdrawals from a linked bank account, with the former usually giving a significant discount over the latter.
TEFA School Vouchers
The Texas School Voucher Program “Education Freedom Account (TEFA)” launched in February 2026 to offer qualifying Houston families up to $10,474 for private school tuition and up to $30,000 for students with qualifying disabilities. The application deadline for the 2026-2027 school cycle closed in March 2026, but you can prepare for the next year application and learn more about the Texas School Voucher Program from our in-depth article.
This upcoming school year, you can expect over 500 Houston area private schools to participate in the Texas School Voucher Program. Competitive schools, including Strake Jesuit Preparatory College, British International School, and the Village School, are accepting the voucher, as well as many other Catholic private schools like St. Anne and Saint Thomas High School. To find out whether your schools are accepting the TEFA Fund in the 2026-2027, you can utilize the Texas Education TEFA Vendor Finder.
