31 Oct South Florida Private Schools: Tuition, Admissions and Deadlines

South Florida Private Schools: Tuition, Admissions and Deadlines

At the nine independent schools compared below, published top-grade day tuition runs from about $41,600 to $57,300 a year, mostly for 2026-27, and many of their application deadlines for fall 2027 fall between December 1, 2026 and late January 2027, so families moving here should start applying in the fall a year before they plan to enroll. This guide compares 11 schools within reach of Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, with tuition, deadlines, testing and Florida’s scholarship rules, as of October 31, 2026.

Facts come from each school’s own website and the Florida Department of Education, as dated below. Tuition, deadlines and requirements change every year; confirm with each school’s admission office. This is general information, not educational or financial advice.

At a Glance

Broward and Palm Beach Counties

Pine Crest School

Pine Crest, founded in 1934, has a pre-K to grade 12 campus in Fort Lauderdale and a pre-K to grade 8 campus in Boca Raton, with 2,694 students for 2026-27, according to the school. Its 2026-27 tuition runs from $39,010 for pre-K and kindergarten to $49,670 for grades 9 to 12, plus a one-time $1,500 matriculation fee, and includes lunch and textbooks. The school says it “does not accept scholarship funds or vouchers.” Its financial aid deadline is January 15.

Saint Andrew’s School

Saint Andrew’s School, at 3900 Jog Road in Boca Raton, is a pre-K to grade 12 school in the Episcopal tradition with day and Upper School boarding students, according to the school. Its 2026-27 tuition runs from $35,000 for pre-K to $46,750 for Upper School day students, and boarding for grades 9 to 12 is $79,500. Upper School applicants take admission testing and an interview; the school lists an early deadline of December 1 and a regular deadline of January 18. It does not accept state scholarships, according to the school.

American Heritage Schools

American Heritage, founded in 1965, has campuses in Plantation and Delray Beach, according to the school. It has already posted its 2027-28 tuition, from $37,900 for pre-K to $49,800 for grades 9 to 12, the same on both campuses. It admits students on a rolling basis after a school-scheduled assessment, and it accepts Florida’s state scholarships through Step Up For Students.

North Broward Preparatory School

North Broward Prep, 7600 Lyons Road in Coconut Creek, was founded in 1957 and joined Nord Anglia Education in 2015, according to the school. Its published day tuition, for a year the page does not state, runs from $32,050 for pre-K to $45,520 for grades 9 to 12; seven-day boarding for domestic students is $72,620. For fall 2027, its early action deadline is December 1, 2026 and its standard deadline is January 15, 2027, and grade 9 applicants need an SSAT score by January 15.

The Benjamin School and Palm Beach Day Academy

• The Benjamin School, founded in 1960, has a pre-K to grade 8 campus in North Palm Beach and an Upper School in Palm Beach Gardens. Its 2026-27 tuition “ranges from $19,991 to $41,600,” and its application deadline is December 1, then rolling as space allows, according to the school.
• Palm Beach Day Academy, founded in 1921, which calls itself “Florida’s first independent day school,” teaches from age 2 through grade 8 on campuses in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach. Its 2026-27 tuition runs from $26,500 for a half-day early program to $42,600 for grades 6 to 8, according to the school.

Two more Broward options: Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, which accepts Florida’s state scholarships and posts its 2026-27 tuition in a PDF on its website, and St. Thomas Aquinas High School, a Catholic high school of the Archdiocese of Miami, where tuition is $17,250 plus a $500 registration fee and applicants submit standardized test scores such as the HSPT, according to the school.

Miami-Dade Schools Worth the Drive

• Ransom Everglades, Coconut Grove, grades 6 to 12: 2026-27 tuition is $57,300 including lunch. For fall 2027 the application deadline is January 8, 2027, and applicants need the SSAT or ISEE and an interview. The school says 18% of students receive aid, with an average grant of $42,850, and that it does not accept vouchers.
• Miami Country Day, 601 NE 107th Street, Miami: 2026-27 tuition runs from $43,600 for early childhood to $56,400 for grades 9 to 12. Its regular decision deadline is January 22, with an earlier November 13 deadline for siblings, legacies and first-choice families in entry grades; the ISEE is preferred for grades 6 to 12, and the SSAT is accepted, according to the school.
• Gulliver Prep, Miami-Dade, founded in 1926: 2026-27 tuition is $56,100 for grades 5 to 12. For fall 2027, its application deadline is January 15, 2027, with decisions on February 26, 2027. It does not accept state or federal scholarship programs, according to the school.

Coconut Grove and Gulliver’s Miami-Dade campuses are well south of Fort Lauderdale, so families in Boca Raton or Deerfield Beach should test the morning drive before applying.

Florida’s State Scholarships

Since 2023, every Florida K-12 student can apply for a state scholarship to a participating private school, with priority for households at or below 185% of the federal poverty level and then up to 400%, the Florida Department of Education announced in 2023; see its scholarship page. Families apply each year through a scholarship funding organization such as Step Up For Students. Several of the schools above, including Pine Crest, Ransom Everglades, Gulliver and Saint Andrew’s, say they do not accept these scholarships, so ask each school before you plan around one.

Questions to Ask Before You Apply

1. When does the application open, and what is the deadline for the grade you want?
2. Which entrance test does the school require, SSAT, ISEE, HSPT or its own assessment, and by when?
3. Is there an interview, and can it be done remotely if you are still moving?
4. Which grades usually have the most openings?
5. What is included in tuition, and what fees come on top?
6. Does the school accept Florida’s state scholarships?
7. When is the financial aid deadline, and do families at your income level receive aid?
8. If you move mid-year, does the school take applications on a rolling basis?

The Bottom Line

If you are moving to South Florida with children, start applications in the fall a year ahead, register for the right entrance test early, and choose a home within an easy drive of the school, especially if you are looking at Miami-Dade campuses.

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Last updated October 31, 2026. Facts come from the sources listed above, checked on that date, and may change. Not legal, financial, tax or investment advice. Full disclaimer