Lakeside lists its 2026-27 tuition as $52,000. Lunch is included, and the school meets 100% of calculated need for families who qualify for aid, with no loans. This guide shows what the tuition covers, what costs extra and how the aid application works for fall 2027 entry.
What tuition covers
Lakeside says lunch is included in tuition, and Middle School students receive a school-owned Chromebook at no additional cost. Upper School students are expected to have a laptop, and Lakeside lists a Lenovo model at $1,705.79.
What costs extra
- Laptop. The Lenovo laptop is listed at $1,705.79.
- Annual pass. Lakeside lists an annual pass at $3,750.
- Private lessons. These are $50 per lesson.
- Dances. Tickets run $8 to $35 per event.
- Books and materials. Middle School books and e-learning materials total $100 to $400. Upper School materials run $350 to $1,000. For aid recipients at any level, Lakeside says these costs are fully covered.
Lakeside is a day school. It does not provide housing or help find homestays, and it does not issue I-20 forms or support F-1 visa applications.
Dates that matter for cost
Because aid is decided with admission, the aid dates drive the whole plan. The aid application opened September 1, 2026 and is due February 4, 2027, which is after the January 28 application deadline but before decisions on February 19 for the Upper School and March 19 for the Middle School. Upper School families then have until noon on February 26 to enroll, and Middle School families until March 26. That means you will see the aid award and the admission decision together, and you will have about a week to respond if your student is applying to the Upper School.
How need-based aid works
Lakeside's aid is based on need, not merit. The school says it meets 100% of calculated need and that aid does not include loans. Aid can cover tuition, books, course-related fees, Global Service Learning and a laptop. It also factors in a family's ability to pay other tuitions, which matters for families with more than one child in private school.
Lakeside reports that it awarded $10 million in need-based tuition aid to 30 percent of its students, with more than $600,000 for non-tuition costs. The average tuition for an aid recipient is $11,722. Families with incomes from $15,000 to over $500,000 have qualified, and the average family income of aid recipients is $192,374.
What families are asked to contribute
Lakeside publishes a rough guide to what families contribute:
| Family income | What Lakeside says | | --- | --- | | Under $75,000 | Annual tuition no higher than $250 | | $75,000 to $110,000 | About 6% of gross income toward all tuitions | | $110,000 to $200,000 | About 7.5% of total income |
Lakeside does not publish a table for incomes above $200,000 on the pages we reviewed. These are the school's own guides, so treat your personal figure as an estimate until the aid office has reviewed your documents.
How to apply for aid
1. Use Clarity. Families apply through Clarity. The aid application opened September 1, 2026. 2. Pay or waive the fee. The fee is $65. It is waived automatically for qualifying income. 3. Upload documents. Lakeside asks for your current tax return and W2s, and requires 2026 W2s or the equivalent uploaded to Clarity. 4. Meet the deadline. The aid application is due February 4, 2027.
Families must apply for aid before they learn the admission decision, and aid decisions arrive with the admission decisions. Lakeside says aid and admission are decided independently. Aid recipients must reapply every year.
Who cannot receive aid
Lakeside says financial aid is not available to students who are not U.S. citizens. International families should read that line before planning around aid.
What Lakeside has not published
On the pages we reviewed, Lakeside does not say whether admission is need-blind, and it does not describe a payment plan. It also says dates for its financial aid information sessions will be posted in the fall, but no dates appeared when we checked. Ask the aid office directly at financialaid@lakesideschool.org for any of these.
Questions worth asking the aid office
- How does Lakeside count assets or a second home, since the published guide speaks only about income?
- What does the award include for transportation, if your family relies on it?
- If a family has two children in private school, how is that reflected in the contribution?
These are questions, not promises about what the answer will be. Lakeside's own pages describe the process, and the aid office can say how it applies to your family.
Plan your own numbers
Add the tuition and extras for your student's grade, then read the table above and subtract what Lakeside says your income level contributes. Gather tax documents early so the aid application takes an evening, not a week. Tuition changes each year, so confirm the 2027-28 figure with Lakeside before you commit.
See the full tuition and aid page, the timeline and the FAQ. For help thinking about your own family's options, EduAvenues has a high school admissions page.
Sources
LakesidePrep by EduAvenues is an independent service, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Lakeside School.