Schools & education in the United States

Public school is free but funded by local property taxes, meaning quality tracks your zip code closely — and higher education and childcare are both genuinely expensive by global standards.

Public K-12: free, but uneven

Public school in the U.S. is free from kindergarten through 12th grade and enrollment is a matter of your residential address — you’re assigned to the public school (or district) that covers where you live, and typically need proof of address (a lease or utility bill) plus immunization records to register. The critical thing to understand: American public schools are funded heavily by local property taxes, which means school quality, resources and outcomes can vary enormously between two towns 10 minutes apart, or even between school zones within the same city. Researching the specific school district — not just the city — before signing a lease or buying a home is one of the most consequential things a relocating family with kids can do; school-rating sites (like GreatSchools) are commonly used for this.

Private school

Private K-12 tuition varies from roughly $8,000/year at parish or community schools to $30,000–$60,000+/year at elite independent day schools, with boarding schools higher still. Families sometimes choose private school specifically to opt out of a weak local public district without having to move.

University: in-state, out-of-state, international — three different price tags

U.S. public universities charge dramatically different tuition depending on residency: roughly $11,950/year for in-state students at a public university, versus $31,880/year or more for out-of-state students — and international students are generally charged at or above the out-of-state rate, often with no financial aid eligibility, since most U.S. federal and state aid programs are restricted to citizens and permanent residents. Add room and board (typically $13,000–$15,000/year) and a public out-of-state or international student is realistically looking at $45,000–$50,000/year. Private universities average roughly $45,000/year in tuition alone, pushing total cost with room and board toward $60,000+/year at many schools. This is genuinely one of the most expensive higher-education systems among wealthy countries — budget for it years in advance if you’re relocating with kids who’ll eventually attend a U.S. university, or research need-blind aid and merit scholarships specifically for international applicants at your target schools.

Childcare: notably expensive

Childcare is one of the costs that catches newly arrived parents most off guard. The 2026 national average for full-time infant daycare is about $332/week, or roughly $17,264/year — in high-cost metros (San Francisco, Boston, New York) this routinely runs $25,000–$30,000+/year, on par with private-school tuition, and there is no federal universal childcare subsidy. A small dependent-care tax credit and some employer benefits (dependent-care FSAs) help at the margins, but they don’t come close to covering the gap that public childcare systems close in many other countries.