Oklahoma private school tuition lower than public-school funding
Caroline MolloyThe average tuition charged at Oklahoma’s private schools is substantially less, on average, than the per-pupil funding provided to the state’s public schools, based on data in a recent analysis.
According to Private School Review, the average private school tuition in Oklahoma is $8,092 per year for the 2024-2025 school year. The review found that Oklahoma private elementary schools’ average tuition cost is $8,264 annually while the private high school average is $9,403 per year.
The survey included 25 private high schools and 42 private elementary schools.
The average private-school tuition of $8,092 per child is 40 percent lower than the per-pupil funding provided to Oklahoma’s public schools.
According to Oklahoma State Department of Education data from the Oklahoma Cost Accounting System, public school district expenditures in 2023 (the most recent available) totaled $9,538,453,992, and enrollment in the 2022-2023 school year totaled 701,066 students. That means Oklahoma public schools had an average of $13,605 per student that year.
