Two of the most expensive private schools in the UK are in London

London has lots of excellent free-to-attend schools. But for some parents – particularly very wealthy ones – sending their kids to a good state school is not enough. 

A new ranking has revealed the 10 most expensive private schools in the UK for 2025/26, and two of them are in the capital. London is one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in, so it’s not surprising that the capital is home to two of the UK’s highest costing private schools. 

In Britain the average fee for boarding students is between £9,000 to £15,000 for the whole year. However these elite schools represent even richer class of society. We’re talking the children of plutocrats, oligarchs and royalty. The kind of students who take Ubers to class on particularly cold days, and don’t get drunk in field like most young Brits, but spend their rebellious years partying in ultra swish hotel rooms.

Westminster School was revealed as the third most pricey school in the UK. The central London college costs up to £21,992 per term – that’s £65,976 for the whole year. Some of Westminster’s famous alumni include Helena Bonham Carter, Louis Theroux and former leader of the Lib Dems Nick Clegg. 

Also making the top 10 was northwest London’s Harrow School in sixth place, costing up £21,245 per term (£63,735 for the year). This very posh all boys’ school is known for producing PMs (including Winston Churchill), and was also attended by Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Curtis and James Blunt. 

From January 2025 many fee-paying schools in Britain became even pricier after their exemption from paying VAT was officially scrapped. It’s the first time independent schools have had to pay 20 percent VAT on fees. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said ‘every single penny’ from the new levy would go towards funding state schools.

Read more about the top 10 most expensive private schools in the UK right now here. 

ICYMI: 35 British private schools are in the world’s top 100 in 2025.

London’s 17 best schools have been revealed by the Fairer Schools Index 2025. 

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