Private school fees calculator

Across the 509 independent schools with fee data on Houseroom, the average day fee in 2026 is £25,030 a year, roughly £8,343 a term. The median is £25,056, and half of schools charge between £18,297 and £31,410 a year. That is tuition only: uniform, lunch, transport and trips come on top.

Yes. Since 1 January 2025 UK private school fees carry 20% VAT, and most schools now publish fees including it. One sixth of a VAT-inclusive fee is VAT: about £4,176 of a typical £25,056 annual fee.

Across 358 Greater London independent schools with fee data, the median day fee is £24,293 a year (average £23,740), with most London schools between £17,344 and £30,452. The stage matters more than the postcode: London senior day schools have a median of £27,045 a year, while prep and pre-prep schools sit around £22,332.

Day fees are far cheaper than boarding, and prep years are usually cheaper than senior years. Among the schools we track, day fees start from around £3,000 a year at small low-cost independents, and a quarter of schools charge under £18,297. Means-tested bursaries can reduce fees a great deal, sometimes to nothing, and many schools offer scholarships.

Reception to Year 13 (14 school years) costs about £350,784 at today's median day fee of £25,056 a year. With fees rising 4% a year, it is closer to £458,322, before uniform, lunch, transport, trips and deposits.

Across the 111 schools with boarding fees on file, the median is £54,774 a year (average £52,434), with most boarding fees between £46,453 and £60,174. Boarding fees typically cover accommodation and meals as well as tuition.