Private school fees by London borough, 2026–27.
The median private day school in Kensington & Chelsea charges £32,250 a year, £27,030 more than in Newham (£5,220). London median: £25,152.
Last updated 11 November 2026 · Download the data (CSV)
- £32,250
- Highest borough median (Kensington & Chelsea)
- £5,220
- Lowest borough median (Newham)
- £25,152
- London-wide median day fee
- 354 / 541
- Schools with a published fee
Annual day fees by borough
Highest median first. A dash means fewer than 3 schools publish a fee.
| Borough | Schools | With published fees | Median day fee | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kensington & Chelsea | 34 | 28 | £32,250 | £13,500 | £51,633 |
| Westminster | 31 | 26 | £32,028 | £15,105 | £50,268 |
| City of London | 5 | 5 | £28,728 | £23,310 | £37,500 |
| Camden | 33 | 29 | £28,674 | £12,750 | £48,099 |
| Hammersmith & Fulham | 21 | 18 | £28,290 | £12,830 | £47,733 |
| Southwark | 18 | 13 | £27,000 | £13,110 | £32,118 |
| Lambeth | 10 | 6 | £26,336 | £14,170 | £47,733 |
| Bromley | 17 | 10 | £26,313 | £15,345 | £38,040 |
| Lewisham | 8 | 4 | £25,877 | £21,651 | £29,169 |
| Barnet | 36 | 18 | £25,587 | £9,195 | £37,470 |
| Wandsworth | 37 | 29 | £25,227 | £5,820 | £33,900 |
| Hillingdon | 8 | 6 | £24,266 | £5,964 | £36,000 |
| Richmond upon Thames | 25 | 24 | £23,969 | £13,500 | £37,998 |
| Kingston upon Thames | 10 | 10 | £23,856 | £9,677 | £39,540 |
| Haringey | 13 | 8 | £23,790 | £8,055 | £40,311 |
| Croydon | 25 | 14 | £23,209 | £5,557 | £51,633 |
| Greenwich | 15 | 8 | £22,991 | £12,900 | £40,000 |
| Merton | 18 | 12 | £22,934 | £10,789 | £34,212 |
| Enfield | 10 | 6 | £21,495 | £12,291 | £26,648 |
| Islington | 7 | 6 | £21,389 | £8,310 | £32,880 |
| Waltham Forest | 6 | 3 | £20,574 | £6,276 | £27,420 |
| Harrow | 13 | 9 | £20,370 | £5,115 | £47,310 |
| Hounslow | 12 | 9 | £18,085 | £4,235 | £39,640 |
| Redbridge | 14 | 7 | £18,036 | £10,134 | £27,840 |
| Sutton | 8 | 4 | £17,999 | £13,800 | £26,187 |
| Ealing | 20 | 13 | £17,370 | £4,560 | £29,424 |
| Brent | 14 | 6 | £16,916 | £6,990 | £32,310 |
| Havering | 8 | 3 | £15,171 | £10,950 | £18,000 |
| Bexley | 6 | 3 | £14,728 | £12,420 | £18,150 |
| Hackney | 32 | 4 | £14,010 | £3,840 | £24,630 |
| Tower Hamlets | 15 | 9 | £5,400 | £3,750 | £18,756 |
| Newham | 7 | 3 | £5,220 | £4,650 | £7,426 |
| Barking & Dagenham | 5 | 1 | — | — | — |
Methodology
354 of the 541 independent schools we list in 33 London boroughs. One day fee per school, excluding boarding, extras and bursaries.
Full methodology
- Schools: every live independent school we list in the 33 London boroughs with a Houseroom borough guide, matched on local authority. Closed or merged schools are excluded.
- Fee per school: the highest annual day fee in the latest year the school publishes (usually the senior school fee). Nursery session prices, termly or monthly amounts entered as annual, and implausible figures are dropped. Only fees for 2025–26 or later are used; 296 of the 354 are for 2026–27. For 30 schools with no itemised fee we use the headline day fee on their profile.
- VAT: fees are used as published. Most now include 20% VAT, charged since 1 January 2025. Where a school quotes its fee before VAT we add 20% (9 schools).
- Borough figures: the median, lowest and highest of those fees. A borough needs at least 3 schools with a fee. The London median is taken across all schools, not averaged from borough medians. Boroughs with more prep schools show lower medians. SEN specialist schools account for most of the highest fees; small faith schools for most of the lowest.
- Not included: boarding fees, extras (lunch, uniform, trips) and bursaries or scholarships. Boarding-only schools are left out.
How to cite and use this data
Free to use under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Credit Houseroom and link to this page.
Source: Houseroom, “Private School Fees by London Borough 2026–27”, houseroom.uk/research/private-school-fees-by-borough, updated 11 November 2026.
Download the full table as CSV. Quote the date you accessed it.
For one school's fees with extras, use the school fees calculator.
Questions about London school fees
Which London borough has the most expensive private schools?
Kensington & Chelsea, where the median annual day fee across 28 independent schools is £32,250. The least expensive borough we can measure is Newham, at £5,220 a year.
How much does a private day school in London cost?
The median annual day fee across the 354 London independent schools with a published fee is £25,152. Senior schools usually charge more than prep schools.
Do these fees include VAT?
Independent schools have charged 20% VAT on fees since 1 January 2025. Where a school quotes its fee before VAT, we add 20% so every figure is what a parent pays.
Can I use this data?
Yes, under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Credit Houseroom and link to this page. The full table is available as a CSV.
How often is this updated?
Daily, as schools publish new fees. Last updated 11 November 2026.