Best Independent (non-religious) Middle Schools

235 schools match. Top 10 ranked by size, tuition fit, and freshness of our data.

We track 235 independent (non-religious) middle-level schools across our active markets in Florida and New York. Annual tuition ranges from $8K/yr to $145K/yr, with a median of $36.5K/yr across schools that publish a number. 109 of these schools accept Florida Step Up / FES scholarships — roughly 46% of the list — so families using state-funded scholarships have real choice here.

Middle-school admission is the most competitive transition point at many independent schools. Expect a standardized test (ISEE, SSAT, or in-house), a writing sample, and teacher recommendations from 4th or 5th grade. Every school is re-verified through direct outreach to admissions teams; data is refreshed on a 180-day cadence and timestamped on each profile.

See also: Private, Charter, Catholic.

  1. 1

    The Dalton School

    New York, New York County · Grades K-12

    Tuition
    $65.8K/yr
    Type
    private
    • Verified by director
    • ~1,350 students
  2. 2

    The Spence School

    New York, New York County · Grades K-12

    Tuition
    $64.6K/yr
    Type
    private
    • Verified by director
    • ~750 students
  3. 3

    City and Country School

    New York, New York County · Grades PK-8

    Tuition
    $60.5K/yr
    Type
    private
    • Verified by director
    • ~200 students
  4. 4

    Skycrest Christian School

    Clearwater, Pinellas County · Grades PK-08

    Tuition
    $15.7K/yr
    Type
    private
    • ~600 students
  5. 5

    Corbett Preparatory School of IDS

    Tampa, Hillsborough County · Grades PK3-8

    Tuition
    $19.2K/yr
    Type
    private
    • ~600 students
  6. 6

    The IDEAL School of Manhattan

    New York, New York County · Grades K-12

    Tuition
    $71.5K/yr
    Type
    private
    • Verified by director
    • ~200 students
  7. 7

    The Churchill School and Center

    New York, New York County · Grades K-12

    Tuition
    $82.5K/yr
    Type
    private
    • Verified by director
    • ~450 students
  8. 8

    Stephen Gaynor School

    New York, New York County · Grades PK-8

    Tuition
    $85K/yr
    Type
    private
    • Verified by director
    • ~350 students
  9. 9

    Clearwater Academy International Inc.

    Clearwater, Pinellas County · Grades PK-12

    Tuition
    $15K/yr
    Type
    private
    • ~300 students
  10. 10

    Delphi Academy Of Florida

    Clearwater, Pinellas County · Grades PK-12

    Tuition
    $12K/yr
    Type
    private
    • ~300 students
How we rank these schools

Built relationships, not scrapers. AdmitCompass ranks schools using a composite score that blends four signals: enrollment size (a proxy for stability and program breadth), tuition reasonableness within the local market, freshness of our most recent verification, and a small bonus for schools with full admissions detail published on their profile.

Public data comes from the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE), the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and each school's own admissions pages. The information that actually matters to most families — acceptance rates, deadlines, what a director cares about — comes from direct interviews with school directors and admissions coaches across our active markets.

We do not publish scoring weights or per-axis thresholds. That keeps the moat intact: the rankings reflect actual conversations with people inside schools, not a formula anyone with a crawler could clone. Every profile is re-verified on a 180-day cadence, and the "last updated" date is timestamped on every school page.

Read the full methodology.

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Frequently asked questions

What's the average tuition for middle schools?
Across the 235 schools on this list, annual tuition ranges from $8K/yr to $145K/yr, with a median of $36.5K/yr. Many schools offer financial aid, sibling discounts, or accept Florida Step Up / FES scholarships — check each school's detail page for current aid policy.
How competitive is admission?
Admissions selectivity ranges from open-enrollment (most charters and parish schools) to highly selective (top independent K-12 programs). Each school's profile page lists deadlines, test requirements, and any published acceptance rate.
Do these schools accept Step Up / FES scholarships?
109 of the 235 schools on this page accept Florida's Step Up For Students / FES-EO / FES-UA scholarships. That covers most or all of tuition for income-eligible families. Each school's detail page lists the specific scholarship programs accepted.
What's the smallest and largest school on this list?
Fortress Christian School is the smallest with 1 students; Horace Mann School is the largest at 1800. Smaller schools tend to offer more direct teacher contact and tighter community; larger schools usually have more elective and extracurricular breadth.
Is this list updated?
Yes. We re-verify school data on a 180-day cadence through direct contact with admissions teams, plus cross-checks against FLDOE, NCES, and published school sources. Each school profile shows the date of its most recent verification.

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