Know what prep school really costs — and whether it fits your kid.
Tuition and financial aid data on 142 schools across 29 states — 86 link directly to the school's own published figures. Browse free, no account needed.
Not sure where to start? Talk to Claire →
Built by Ryan, 18 — a current New England boarding student. Read why →
$0
Median boarding tuition
0%
Average aid
A conversation, not a form.
Tell Claire about your family once. Watch it turn into a shortlist.
Claire
Admissions advisor
What nobody puts in the brochure.
Three things I learned that no ranking or tuition figure could have told my family.
The people you least expect become the ones who matter most
My first night on campus, I genuinely questioned whether I'd made the right call. By the end of that first week, I'd met people I already knew I'd keep for life. My roommate was randomly assigned — from a completely different country, a completely different world. We had every reason not to connect. We became inseparable. That's the thing about boarding school nobody puts in the brochure: the randomness becomes the magic.
It will show you what you're made of
Two in the morning. Hockey tournament at noon the next day. Eight hours into a chemistry lab that still wasn't finished. I was running on nothing. That night was brutal — and it was one of the most important nights of my life. Not because I got the grade. Because I figured out what I was made of. Prep school doesn't just challenge you academically. It shows you who you actually are when things get hard.
You will find parts of yourself you didn't know existed
I arrived thinking I was a hockey player first and everything else second. Boarding school quietly dismantled that. I started coding between practices. I built an AI. I found something I never would have found if I'd stayed comfortable. The person who shows up on day one and the person who leaves are not the same person — and that gap is the whole point.
Curious about specific schools?
Browse schools →That said — loving prep school and choosing the right one are two completely different things.
Here's what my family wishes we'd known before we started.
The real cost is never the tuition figure
Families consistently spend $15,000–$25,000 more per year than the published tuition. Travel home, gear, sports fees, spending money, and summer programs add up fast — and financial aid rarely covers them.
See the full cost picture →Prep school isn't right for every high-achieving kid
Academic strength alone doesn't predict a good fit. The kids who thrive are self-directed, socially confident, and genuinely excited about the experience — not just going along with their parents.
Read the honest guide →Nobody asks the right first question
Every family jumps straight to 'which school' before answering 'should we even do this.' The families who get this right start with an honest conversation — before they tour a single campus.
Start that conversation →Ready to talk through whether this is right for your family?
Talk to Claire →How it works
Qualify
Tell Claire about your family — budget, priorities, what your kid actually needs. Two minutes, no account required.
Explore
See verified tuition and aid figures for 142 schools across 29 states, ranked against what you told us.
Prepare
Financial aid timelines, interview prep, and the true cost of attendance — before you apply, not after.
A recap packet,
made for your family.
When you've built a shortlist you like, we generate a downloadable PDF with the things worth keeping — a family profile, verified numbers, and a clear checklist.
- Your family profile — what we heard in plain language
- Your shortlist with verified tuition and aid
- An interview & visit-day prep checklist
- A clear disclaimer (we're not affiliated with any school)
The AI doesn't disappear after you choose.
Once you've downloaded your recap, PrepPath flips into prep mode. Real preparation for the parts of the application that matter:
- Mock admissions interviews
- Visit-day questions that aren't on the website
- Financial aid timeline (SSS, deadlines)
- Essay brainstorming (we won't write it)
- Thank-you note templates
- SSAT / ISEE study plan starters
Family experiences
We're brand new — you'd be one of our first families.
PrepPath just launched, so there's no roundup of reviews to show you yet, and we'd rather tell you that plainly than fake one. What you get instead: a founder who went through this exact decision a year ago, and an honest conversation with Claire today. If PrepPath helps your family, we'd love for you to be one of the first reviews here.
I built Claire to have the conversation my family needed before any of this started.
Not to sell you on prep school — I'll let the experience do that. Just to help you think clearly, ask the right questions, and walk into this process better prepared than we were.