Princeton Area Private Schools and College Admissions: 2026-27 Tuition, 2027-28 Deadlines and College Lists for Six Schools
By Rona Aydin
Which private schools in the Princeton area does this guide cover?
This guide covers six independent schools within a short drive of Princeton University. Princeton Day School, The Hun School of Princeton and Stuart Country Day School are in Princeton itself; The Lawrenceville School is in Lawrenceville, The Peddie School in Hightstown and The Pennington School in Pennington. Four of them take boarding students, Princeton Day School and Stuart are day schools, and Stuart is a girls school whose Early School is coed. Princeton Day School reports 994 students, including 447 in the Upper School, with no date given (Princeton Day School At A Glance).
| School | Town | Type | 2026-27 Upper School day tuition | 2026-27 boarding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lawrenceville School | Lawrenceville | Boarding and day, grades 9 to 12 and postgraduate | $68,060 | $82,710 |
| The Peddie School | Hightstown | Boarding and day, grades 9 to 12 and postgraduate | $69,300 | $81,000 |
| Princeton Day School | Princeton | Day, PreK to 12 | $55,500 | No boarding |
| The Hun School of Princeton | Princeton | Day, Middle and Upper School; boarding in the Upper School | $57,700 | $83,200 |
| The Pennington School | Pennington | Boarding and day, Middle and Upper School | $55,965 | $83,433 (day tuition plus $27,468 boarding fee, by our calculation) |
| Stuart Country Day School | Princeton | Girls school (coed Early School), Upper School grades 9 to 12 | $52,375 | No boarding |
None of the six schools publishes an admission rate on its admissions pages, so this guide does not give one. Our guides to getting into Lawrenceville, Peddie, Princeton Day School and Hun cover each school in more detail.
What does each school cost for 2026-27, and what financial aid does it publish?
Upper School day tuition for 2026-27 ranges from $52,375 at Stuart to $69,300 at Peddie, and boarding from $81,000 at Peddie to $83,433 at Pennington by our calculation. Stuart says its tuition includes lunch and academic and learning support for students who qualify (Stuart tuition). Hun lists an Academic Learning Skills Program at $22,100 full-time, and Pennington lists a Cervone Center Compensatory Skills class at $25,221, both on top of tuition (Hun tuition; Pennington tuition).
| School | What the school publishes about aid | Aid deadline for new families |
|---|---|---|
| Lawrenceville | “More than 30% of our current families receive need-based grants”; meets 100% of demonstrated need | January 15 (December 15 for returning families) |
| Peddie | 39% of students receive aid; $12 million awarded “this year”; average grant about 70% of tuition (about $57,000); merit awards from $30,000 a year to full tuition and boarding | January 15 |
| Princeton Day School | $7.6 million in aid to 25% of students (school-wide, no year given, from its At A Glance page); need-based | January 15 for incoming families |
| Hun | Need-based aid; admission decided “without consideration” of family finances; merit scholarships offered occasionally | January 15 |
| Pennington | Need-based aid “based on demonstrated financial need and the availability of funds”; a limited number of merit scholarships, with every applicant considered | January 15 |
| Stuart | “over $3 million in financial aid” a year; a $5,000 annual leadership scholarship for incoming and rising 9th graders, with every student considered | Not updated: the page still shows January 16, 2026 |
Lawrenceville also publishes average awards by income for 2026-27: families earning under $125,000 were offered an average aid award of $72,697, for an average cost to the family of $5,574 (Lawrenceville Tuition, Costs and Affordability). Peddie reviews applications “without regard for a family’s ability to pay” until the final phase of selection, when its committee becomes “need aware” (Peddie Tuition and Affordability). In our experience, families who expect to apply for aid should start the Clarity application in December so that tax documents are ready by January 15.
What are the 2027-28 application deadlines and testing rules?
All six schools list January 15 as the application deadline. Stuart prints January 15, 2027 and also has an Early Application deadline of December 4, 2026, with notification on December 18, 2026 (Stuart How to Apply); the other five print no year, so for students entering in fall 2027 their deadline is also January 15, 2027. Lawrenceville has an earlier step: day student interviews are available only until November 13, 2026 (Lawrenceville Application Process).
| School | Application deadline | Decisions | Testing | Interview |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrenceville | January 15 | March 10 | SSAT or ISEE for 9th grade; SSAT, ISEE, PSAT, SAT or ACT for 10th and 11th; PSAT, SAT or ACT for 12th grade and postgraduate | Day student interviews until November 13, 2026; boarding interviews any time before January 15 |
| Peddie | January 15 | Not published | Required: SSAT or ISEE (11th grade and postgraduate may also send ACT, PSAT or SAT) | Required |
| Princeton Day School | January 15 | March 10 | Required: SSAT or ISEE (10th and 11th grade may send the PSAT instead) | Required, completed by mid-January |
| Hun | January 15 | March 10 | Required but “Test Flexible”: SSAT, ERB, ISEE, SAT, PSAT, ACT, WISC or approved state tests | Scheduled through the applicant portal |
| Pennington | January 15 | Not published | Required but flexible: SSAT, ISEE, ERB, WISC, PSAT, SAT, ACT or state tests such as the NJSLA | In person or on Zoom |
| Stuart | January 15, 2027 (Early Application: December 4, 2026) | March 5, 2027 (Early Application: December 18, 2026) | Required: SSAT preferred; PSAT or SAT accepted | Required Preview Day with a student interview |
Princeton Day School and Hun also release financial aid decisions on March 10, and Hun and Lawrenceville ask admitted families to confirm enrollment by April 10; Stuart releases decisions on March 5, 2027 and asks for deposits by April 9, 2027. Lawrenceville uses the Gateway to Prep Schools application; Peddie accepts either Gateway or the Standard Application Online; Princeton Day School, Hun and Stuart use the Standard Application Online; and Pennington accepts its own online application or the Standard Application Online.
Where do graduates of these schools go to college?
Each school posts a college matriculation list, but the lists cover different periods and only some give counts, so they cannot be compared directly. Lawrenceville lists colleges where five or more graduates enrolled over the last five years, with counts; Princeton Day School, Peddie and Hun list the Class of 2026; Pennington adds a five-year list for 2022 to 2026; and Stuart lists the past five years.
| School | Period covered | Princeton | Harvard | Yale | Penn | Columbia | Cornell | Stanford | MIT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrenceville | Last five years, colleges with five or more | 32 | 25 | 13 | 36 | 28 | 42 | 14 | 7 |
| Princeton Day School | Class of 2026 | (3) | Listed | Listed | (2) | (3) | (5) | (2) | (2) |
| Peddie | Class of 2026 | (2) | (2) | Listed | (2) | (4) | (7) | (2) | Not listed |
| Hun | Class of 2026 (names only) | Listed | Not listed | Not listed | Listed | Not listed | Listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Pennington | 2022 to 2026 | More than one | More than one | Not listed | More than one | Listed | More than one | Not listed | Not listed |
| Stuart | Past five years | (4) | Not listed | Not listed | (2) | Listed | (5) | Listed | Not listed |
By our calculation from the Lawrenceville list, 210 graduates enrolled at Ivy League colleges over the five years, including 32 at Princeton; our guide to getting into Princeton University covers that admissions process. Pennington reports 746 acceptances from 269 institutions in 2026 and four college counselors (Pennington College Counseling), and Hun says counselors are assigned in the fall of eleventh grade and that it hosts about 200 individual visits from college admission counselors for twelfth graders (Hun College Counseling). Our list of the best feeder schools to the Ivy League and our guide to the Ten Schools compare these lists with other schools.
Does a more competitive school help or hurt college admissions?
The view of Oriel Admissions is that a student needs to stand out within their own high school as well as in the national pool, and that it is better to be a top student at a smaller school than an average student at a more competitive one, both for the opportunities that open up to top students and for grades. The matriculation lists above show that each of these schools sends graduates to selective colleges, but they do not show how many students applied to each college or what made the admitted students stand out. In our experience, families choosing among these schools should weigh where their child is likely to take on leadership, advanced coursework and recognition, not only the length of the college list. Our guide to New Jersey public high schools and college admissions covers the same question for public schools.
How should families plan the 2027-28 application season?
In our view, families applying for fall 2027 entry should work backward from January 15. Book any Lawrenceville day student interview before November 13, 2026, and schedule interviews at Princeton Day School before its mid-January cutoff. Register early for the SSAT or ISEE, since Princeton Day School, Peddie and Lawrenceville ask for those tests for 9th grade entry, while Hun and Pennington accept a wider range. Open the Clarity aid application by December, apply to Stuart by December 4, 2026 if you want its Early Application decision on December 18, plan a Stuart Preview Day if Stuart is on the list, and keep early March free to compare offers. For older students already at these schools, our guide to the summer before junior year covers the next step.
Frequently Asked Questions About Princeton Area Private Schools and College Admissions
Upper School day tuition for 2026-27 is $52,375 at Stuart, $55,500 at Princeton Day School, $55,965 at Pennington, $57,700 at Hun, $68,060 at Lawrenceville and $69,300 at Peddie. Boarding is $81,000 at Peddie, $82,710 at Lawrenceville, $83,200 at Hun and $83,433 at Pennington, by our calculation from its day tuition and boarding fee.
All six list January 15. Stuart prints January 15, 2027 and also has an Early Application deadline of December 4, 2026; the other five print no year, which means January 15, 2027 for fall 2027 entry. Lawrenceville day student interviews close November 13, 2026.
No. None of the six schools publishes an admission rate on the admissions pages we read on November 4 and 5, 2026.
Lawrenceville, Peddie, Hun and Pennington take boarding students. Princeton Day School and Stuart are day schools.
Peddie and Princeton Day School require the SSAT or ISEE, with other tests allowed in some upper grades, and Lawrenceville asks 9th grade applicants for the SSAT or ISEE. Hun and Pennington require testing but accept a wide range of tests, and Stuart prefers the SSAT but accepts the PSAT or SAT for grades 9 to 12.
Some do. Peddie awards merit scholarships from $30,000 a year to full tuition and boarding, Pennington offers a limited number with every applicant considered, Hun offers them occasionally, and Stuart offers a $5,000 annual leadership scholarship. Lawrenceville and Princeton Day School describe need-based aid.
Lawrenceville lists 32 graduates at Princeton over the last five years. By our calculation, 210 Lawrenceville graduates enrolled at Ivy League colleges in that period.
The view of Oriel Admissions is that it is better to be a top student at a smaller school than an average student at a more competitive one, for the opportunities that open up to top students as well as for grades, because a student needs to stand out within their own school as well as nationally.
Sources: Lawrenceville Tuition, Costs and Affordability, Lawrenceville Application Process, Lawrenceville College Counseling, Peddie Tuition and Affordability, Peddie How to Apply, Peddie College Matriculation List, Princeton Day School Tuition and Financial Aid, Princeton Day School Upper School Application Process, Princeton Day School At A Glance, Princeton Day School Matriculation, Hun School Tuition and Financial Aid, Hun School Application Process, Hun School College Counseling, Pennington Tuition and Financial Assistance, Pennington Apply Now, Pennington College Counseling, Stuart Tuition and Financial Aid, Stuart How to Apply, Stuart College Matriculation. All read November 5, 2026; the Lawrenceville college list and admission process pages were read November 4, 2026.
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy, with offices in Princeton, New Jersey and New York. Our team pairs deep admissions expertise with a distinctive 360 approach spanning academic planning, extracurricular strategy, essays and application execution. To discuss your strategy, schedule a consultation.
