Some parents are shelling out as much as $15,000 for consultants to shepherd their kids through the admissions maze—that's high school admissions, not college. As the Wall Street Journal explains, school choice has boomed nationwide in recent years, fueled by expanded voucher programs. Indeed, the number of students using a voucher (public funds that offset the cost of private education) jumped 25% from 2024 to 2025. "But the systems and admissions are difficult to navigate," it observes, making both public and private admissions an increasingly high-stakes affair for families aiming to land their eighth graders in the right school. How high-stakes? One consultant says parents can be so aggressive that her contract now has a termination provision if profanity is used.
In hotbeds like New York and Los Angeles, consultants now charge anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 to manage the entire process—on top of private school tuition that can hit $50,000 a year. The services are extensive: curated school lists, test prep, essay guidance, interview coaching, and deadline management. Not all parents are paying eye-popping amounts, opting instead for one-off advice. One New York City couple, confused over the best options for their son, spent $560 for a two-hour Zoom session that yielded a shortlist of schools they should consider. "Money well spent," was their assessment. (Read the full article here.)
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