Online private school tuition compared, 2026-27
Online private school tuition in the United States now runs from under $2,000 a year to more than $30,000 a year, and the published price is rarely the whole bill. Some schools price by grade band, some by course, some by the month, and some add materials, lab kits or graduation fees on top. We read the tuition page of every school below on its own website on 4 October 2026 and put the figures side by side with the two things a price list never tells you: who accredits the school, and which state education savings account (ESA) programmes the school itself says it accepts.
- Lowest published full-time high school price: Excel High School's Silver plan at $1,950 a year, and The Keystone School, which estimates full-time enrolment at $1,800 to $2,900 depending on grade and courses.
- Middle of the market: Forest Trail Academy ($3,069 to $4,269 per grade level), K12 Private Academy ($4,495 to $7,995 for 2026-27), Bridgeway Academy ($8,245 for Academy Select) and Oak Meadow (about $3,500 to $5,100 for grades K to 8, per course in high school).
- Premium tier: Laurel Springs ($7,200 to $17,250), Sora Schools ($17,900 full tuition, with a need-based range of $7,500 to $16,000) and Stanford Online High School ($31,900 full-time for 2026-27).
- Free option: Connections Academy and other state-funded online public schools charge no tuition, but they are public schools with state rules, not private schools.
- Before you pay: check the accreditor yourself (every body is linked below) and, if you plan to use an ESA, confirm the school is approved in your state's programme for the current year.
2026-27 tuition, accreditation and ESA acceptance, side by side
Every figure in this table was read on the school's own tuition page on 4 October 2026. "Accrediting body" is the body each school names on its own website; follow the accreditor link to check its directory. The ESA column lists only the states each school names on its own pages. It is a vendor statement, not a guarantee: approval is granted by each state programme, and it can change between school years.
| School | Grades | Full-time tuition (per year) | Single course | Accrediting body (as the school states) | ESA states the school lists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel Springs School | K-12 | Elementary $7,200; Middle $8,300; High $11,700; Academy Middle $12,650; Academy High $17,250 (source) | $600 to $2,200 per year (AP $2,200) | WASC (ACS WASC) and Cognia | Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, New Hampshire |
| Oak Meadow School | K-12 | K-4: $3,509 to $3,644; 5-8: $4,710 to $5,110 (tuition plus materials). High school is priced per course (source) | High school: $2,150 tuition plus up to $759 materials per full-year course | NEASC | Not stated on the pages we read |
| Forest Trail Academy | K-12 | K-5 $3,069; 6-8 $3,669; 9-12 $4,269 per grade level (source) | $750 per class | MSA-CESS and Accreditation International (Ai) | Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee |
| Excel High School | 6-12 and adult | High school: Silver $1,950; Gold $2,500; Platinum $4,900; Future Ready $9,750. Middle school Future Ready $7,750 (source) | $325 standard, $370 honors; Future Ready courses $625 to $999 | Cognia and MSA-CESS | Plans marked "Tuition Free With State Voucher"; the states are not listed on the tuition page |
| Sora Schools | 6-12 | $17,900 full tuition; need-based Flexible Tuition $7,500 to $16,000 (source) | Not published | Cognia and WASC (ACS WASC) | Arizona, Utah, West Virginia, New Hampshire |
| Stanford Online High School | 7-12 | $31,900 full-time (4 or more courses); $19,140 part-time (2 to 3 courses), 2026-27 (source) | $6,380 | WASC (ACS WASC); also the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) | Not stated on the pages we read |
| Bridgeway Academy | PreK-12 (homeschool) | Academy Select $8,245; Academy Premium $10,185; Academy Nobilis $12,125 (source) | Accreditation-only service $2,500 a year | Cognia (seal displayed on Bridgeway's accreditation page) | Not stated on the pages we read |
| K12 Private Academy | PreK-12 | PreK $4,495; Elementary $5,995; Middle $6,995; High $7,995; Shine Pathway (grades 6-9) $10,000, all 2026-27 (source) | Part-time $1,150 to $1,350 per course per year | Cognia (SACS CASI) | Arizona, Arkansas, Alabama, New Hampshire, South Carolina |
| The Keystone School | PreK-12 and adult | School estimate: $1,800 to $2,900 full-time, by grade and courses (source) | From $289 a semester, from $400 full-year | Cognia and MSA-CESS | Arizona, New Hampshire, West Virginia |
| Connections Academy | K-12 (public) | Tuition-free; publicly funded where a state partner school exists (source) | n/a | Cognia (Connections Education LLC) | n/a (public school, not an ESA purchase) |
Prices checked 4 October 2026 on each school's own site. Where a school publishes a figure only after an admissions call, the cell says "Not published". A school's ESA list is quoted from its own pages; it does not tell you whether your child is eligible, or how much your state's programme pays.
What a full-time high school year costs, plotted
The table mixes grade bands, so here is one like-for-like slice: the lowest published price for a full-time high school year at each school that prices by the year. Oak Meadow is shown at the low end of its own estimate for four full-year courses ($8,250 to $9,620). The Keystone School is left off because it publishes a single estimate for all grades rather than a high school price.
The spread is the headline: the most expensive school on this chart costs more than sixteen times the least expensive. That gap is not explained by accreditation, because every school on the chart names at least one recognised accreditor. What differs, on the schools' own pages, is what the tuition buys: how much live teaching there is, how many courses are included, how much college counselling is bundled, and whether materials are inside or outside the price.
Four pricing models, and why the sticker price misleads
Comparing online schools by headline tuition alone is the most common way parents end up surprised. The schools in this comparison use four different models, and the same child can cost very different amounts depending on which model applies.
1. Flat annual tuition by grade band. Laurel Springs, K12 Private Academy, Forest Trail Academy, Sora Schools and Stanford Online High School publish one price for a full-time year at a given level. This is the easiest model to budget for. The catch is what "full-time" means: Stanford OHS defines it as four or more courses; Laurel Springs describes a typical full-time high school load as five to seven courses per term; K12 Private Academy allows up to six classes per semester.
2. Tuition plus materials. Oak Meadow prices tuition and materials separately and says so plainly: the enrolment price is fixed tuition plus a variable materials cost. For grades K to 4 the tuition is $2,870 and materials add $639 to $774; for grades 5 to 8 tuition is $3,860 and materials add $850 to $1,250. Oak Meadow also notes that shipping and tax are not included.
3. Per-course pricing. Oak Meadow's high school and every school's single-course option are priced per course. Oak Meadow states that a typical full-time high school student takes four to five courses a year and that four full-year courses could cost $8,250 to $9,620. Per-course pricing is the friendliest model for homeschool families who only want one or two accredited credits a year, and the most expensive model for a full load.
4. Tiered plans. Excel High School and Bridgeway Academy sell tiers. At Excel, the Silver plan ($1,950) includes six credits a year, Gold ($2,500) up to eight credits plus a 24-credit graduation track and honors or California A-G access, Platinum ($4,900) up to ten credits plus AP access, and Future Ready ($9,750) up to twelve credits with live counselling. Bridgeway's tiers run from Academy Select ($8,245) to Academy Premium ($10,185, adding a success coach and college-readiness tracks) to Academy Nobilis.
Bridgeway Academy's Academy Nobilis page lists the programme at $12,125 a year in its price block, while the FAQ on the same page says Academy Nobilis starts at $12,500 per year (both read 4 October 2026). We report both rather than pick one. Ask admissions for the figure in writing before you sign.
Costs that sit outside tuition
Every school in this comparison lists at least one cost that is not inside the headline number. The ones we found on the schools' own pages:
- Books and lab kits. Stanford OHS says tuition does not cover books or course materials, and that books and materials for an individual student may cost between $30 and $1,300 a year.
- Programme add-ons. Laurel Springs charges a separate fee for its IMPACT support programme: $3,000, $5,000 or $7,500 for a 10-month enrolment depending on tier. K12 Private Academy lists a $25 Career and College Prep administrative fee and a $750 administrative fee for high school dual enrolment.
- Payment plans. Forest Trail Academy's K-5 plan is a $480 down payment plus $236 a month for 11 months, which totals $3,076 against the $3,069 pay-in-full price. Excel High School offers 10-payment and 5-payment plans at the same total.
- A computer. Stanford OHS requires students to attend from a computer rather than a phone or tablet, and some maths and science courses need a graphing calculator or a graphics tablet.
- Late and administrative fees. Excel High School notes that total tuition does not include possible late payment or administrative charges.
Is the cheapest online private school a worse school?
Not on the evidence a price list provides. Price tracks the amount of live instruction, counselling and course volume included. Compare what each tier includes, then check the accreditor yourself.
Paying with an ESA: what the school lists, and what you still have to check
Several schools now advertise that state education savings accounts can reduce or cover their tuition. That is a real development for families, and it is also the part of this market where a parent is most likely to be misled by a single sentence on a vendor page. Three things are worth knowing.
Approval runs in two directions. Laurel Springs states it plainly: "both your family and Laurel Springs must be approved through the relevant state program." A school being an approved vendor does not make your child eligible, and your child's award does not make every school approved.
State lists differ by school. On 4 October 2026, Laurel Springs listed Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas and New Hampshire; Forest Trail Academy listed Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Tennessee; K12 Private Academy listed Arizona, Arkansas, Alabama, New Hampshire and South Carolina; The Keystone School listed Arizona, New Hampshire and West Virginia; Sora Schools listed Arizona, Utah, West Virginia and New Hampshire in one line and Arizona, West Virginia and New Hampshire in another on the same page. We report each list exactly as the school states it.
Some programmes exclude out-of-state schools. Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA), the largest new programme, sets the 2026-27 amount at $10,474 for a child at a participating private school and $2,000 for a homeschooled child, and its official site says participating private schools must be in Texas and accredited by a recognised accreditor (read on educationfreedom.texas.gov, 4 October 2026). An online private school based in another state is therefore not a TEFA private school, and whether any of its single courses can be bought with the $2,000 homeschool allotment depends on the TEFA marketplace listing. Check the marketplace before you enrol.
This is general information about published programme rules, not legal advice. ESA rules, amounts and approved-vendor lists change each school year.
Accreditation: what the column means and how to check it
Accreditation is a review by an outside body of a school's governance, teaching and records. For a family, its practical effect is on transcripts: an accredited school's credits and diploma are generally easier to transfer into another school or present to a college admissions office, although every receiving institution sets its own policy. Penn Foster, one of the schools in our accredited homeschool diploma comparison, puts the limit honestly on its own site: acceptance of an online diploma "is always up to the individual college or institution."
The accreditors named by the schools on this page are:
- Cognia, a global non-profit accreditor and the parent organisation of the former regional bodies NCA CASI, NWAC and SACS CASI. Named by Laurel Springs, Excel High School, Sora Schools, Bridgeway Academy, K12 Private Academy, The Keystone School and Connections Academy.
- WASC (ACS WASC), the Accrediting Commission for Schools of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Named by Laurel Springs, Sora Schools and Stanford OHS.
- MSA-CESS, the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Named by Forest Trail Academy, Excel High School and The Keystone School.
- NEASC, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Named by Oak Meadow, which describes itself as the first distance-learning school in NEASC's history to earn accreditation.
Two practical checks take five minutes. First, search the accreditor's own directory for the school's exact legal name; Excel High School, for example, links straight to its Cognia and MSA-CESS directory entries from its accreditation page. Second, check whether the accreditation covers the programme you are buying. The Keystone School states that its Cognia and Middle States accreditation includes all of its programmes; not every school says that about every track.
Who each school is for
School selection guide (price, format and credential, not outcomes)
Choose Excel High School or The Keystone School if: the priority is an accredited high school transcript at the lowest published price, and your teenager can work largely independently. Both publish full-time options under $3,000 a year. Excel's tiers make the trade-off explicit: more credits, honors and AP access cost more.
Choose Forest Trail Academy if: you want self-paced, asynchronous courses at a fixed per-grade price with a published payment plan, and you live in one of the six ESA states the school lists. Its dual-diploma track ($6,500 a year) pairs a high school diploma with an associate degree.
Choose K12 Private Academy if: you want a full PreK-12 private school with published 2026-27 rates and a broad ESA list, including Arizona, where the school states the ESA fully covers its tuition.
Choose Oak Meadow if: you want a curriculum publisher that also runs a NEASC-accredited distance school, and the option to buy a single high school course rather than a full year.
Choose Bridgeway Academy if: you want to stay a homeschool family, choosing curriculum yourself, but want an accredited school to keep records and issue the transcript. Its $2,500 accreditation-only service is the cheapest route to that.
Choose Laurel Springs if: you want a large catalogue (the school cites 240+ college-prep courses and 60+ honors and AP courses) with college counselling and dual enrolment bundled into tuition.
Choose Sora Schools if: you want an online, project-based middle or high school (the school's own description) and qualify for need-based Flexible Tuition or an ESA in a state Sora lists. Sora says the median family in that programme pays about $8,700 a year.
Choose Stanford Online High School if: you want a university-affiliated school for grades 7-12 with a published single-course option and the budget supports $31,900 a year, or you can apply for its financial aid.
Choose Connections Academy or another online public school if: cost is the deciding factor and your state has a tuition-free virtual public school. You trade the flexibility of a private school for state rules on testing and attendance.
How we built this page
We started from the online-school segment of our K-12 vendor map, then opened each school's own tuition, pricing or admissions page on 4 October 2026 and copied the published figure. We did not use search-engine snippets, review sites or third-party "average cost" articles for any number in the table. Where a school's tuition page did not show a figure, we say so. Accreditation is taken from each school's own accreditation page or homepage, and every accreditor is linked to its own website so you can check the directory yourself. Two schools in our original list, Acellus Academy and Penn Foster High School, price by the month or by programme rather than by the year; they are compared on our accredited diploma programmes page, where that pricing model fits.
No school on this page paid to be included, this page contains no affiliate links, and the ranking of rows is by price structure, not by preference. Schools can change tuition each year, so the freshness pill at the top of this page gives the date of our last check.
If tuition is only one line in a wider education budget, our guides to employer tuition reimbursement and free online courses cover the adult side of the same question, and our college credit for homeschool high schoolers comparison covers the cheapest ways to earn transferable credit before graduation.
Frequently asked
How much does an accredited online private school cost in 2026-27?
On the schools' own tuition pages, read on 4 October 2026, full-time tuition ranges from about $1,800 to $2,900 at The Keystone School and $1,950 at Excel High School's Silver plan, to $31,900 at Stanford Online High School. Most schools in the middle of the market charge between $3,000 and $12,000 a year for a full-time student.
What is the cheapest accredited online high school?
Among the schools we checked, Excel High School's Silver plan at $1,950 a year and The Keystone School, which estimates full-time enrolment at $1,800 to $2,900, had the lowest published full-time prices. Both name Cognia and MSA-CESS as accreditors. Lower tiers include fewer credits and less live support, so compare what each plan includes.
Can I use an ESA to pay for online private school?
Sometimes. Several schools list the state ESA programmes they are approved in, for example Laurel Springs lists Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas and New Hampshire. Both the school and your family must be approved by the state programme, and some programmes, such as Texas Education Freedom Accounts, require participating private schools to be located in the state. Check your state's programme before enrolling. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is Stanford Online High School worth $31,900?
That depends on what your family needs. Stanford OHS publishes $31,900 for full-time enrolment in 2026-27, $19,140 part-time and $6,380 for a single course, plus books and materials that it estimates at $30 to $1,300 a year. It offers financial aid. We do not make claims about outcomes for any child; compare the format and what tuition includes.
Are online public schools like Connections Academy really free?
Connections Academy describes itself as a tuition-free, publicly funded online school in the states where it operates a partner school. It is a public school, so state rules on attendance and testing apply. Its own programme-cost page explains the associated costs that families may still meet.
Primary sources read for this page (4 October 2026)
- School tuition pages: Laurel Springs, Oak Meadow, Forest Trail Academy, Excel High School, Sora Schools, Stanford OHS, Bridgeway Academy (Nobilis), K12 Private Academy, The Keystone School, Connections Academy.
- Accreditation pages: Oak Meadow, Forest Trail, Excel High School, Stanford OHS, Bridgeway, K12 Private Academy, Keystone, Connections Academy.
- State programme: Texas Education Freedom Accounts (Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts).
Outcomes vary by student. This page compares published prices, formats and credentials only; it makes no prediction about any child's results.