Tuition at some NYC private schools tops $40,000, higher than Yale, Harvard

NEW YORK -- With $40,000 you could buy a new Lexus or a foreclosed house in a depressed community. Or you could pay for one year at some of New York City's top private schools. The Riverdale Country School will charge $40,450 for high school students in the fall, and other schools are not far behind, according to a report...

NEW YORK -- With $40,000 you could buy a new Lexus or a foreclosed house in a depressed community. Or you could pay for one year at some of New York City's top private schools.

The Riverdale Country School will charge $40,450 for high school students in the fall, and other schools are not far behind, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The Hewitt School will charge $38,000, and Ethical Culture Fieldston will charge $37,825.

Added costs like transportation, books and supplies will bring the total annual tab at several schools up to $40,000.

Tuition costs at New York City's private schools have risen 79 percent in the past decade. Riverdale's head of school, Dominic A.A. Randolph, told The Wall Street Journal he was "perturbed" by the rising costs. But he said Riverdale's parents pay for an "amazing" education.