The prep school finder for where they'll thrive.
Talk to Claire — an AI consultant who has read every school we track, 142 schools across 29 states, remembers everything about your family, and cares about where your kid actually fits. Not just a tuition figure.
Your first 3 messages are free — no credit card required.
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Built by Ryan, 18 — a current New England boarding student. Read why →
A conversation, not a form.
Tell Claire about your family once. Watch it turn into a shortlist.
Claire
Admissions advisor
Your journey
From first question to confident decision.
1Tell Claire
Share what matters to your family — budget, priorities, what your kid actually needs. One conversation, no forms, two minutes.
2Meet matches
See schools that actually fit, ranked against verified tuition and aid data across 142 schools in 29 states.
3Deep dive
Ask Claire anything about a school — curriculum, culture, financial aid specifics — the things the website doesn't say out loud.
4Compare
Put your shortlist side by side: tuition, aid, and the true cost of attendance, not just the sticker price.
5Decide & prepare
Get a recap packet for your shortlist, then interview prep and financial aid timelines before you apply.
The widest honest view.
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What nobody puts in the brochure.
Three things I learned that no ranking or tuition figure could have told my family.
The people you least expect become the ones who matter most
My first night on campus, I genuinely questioned whether I'd made the right call. By the end of that first week, I'd met people I already knew I'd keep for life. My roommate was randomly assigned — from a completely different country, a completely different world. We had every reason not to connect. We became inseparable. That's the thing about boarding school nobody puts in the brochure: the randomness becomes the magic.
It will show you what you're made of
Two in the morning. Hockey tournament at noon the next day. Eight hours into a chemistry lab that still wasn't finished. I was running on nothing. That night was brutal — and it was one of the most important nights of my life. Not because I got the grade. Because I figured out what I was made of. Prep school doesn't just challenge you academically. It shows you who you actually are when things get hard.
You will find parts of yourself you didn't know existed
I arrived thinking I was a hockey player first and everything else second. Boarding school quietly dismantled that. I started coding between practices. I built an AI. I found something I never would have found if I'd stayed comfortable. The person who shows up on day one and the person who leaves are not the same person — and that gap is the whole point.
That said — loving prep school and choosing the right one are two completely different things.
Here's what my family wishes we'd known before we started.
The real cost is never the tuition figure
Families consistently spend $15,000–$25,000 more per year than the published tuition. Travel home, gear, sports fees, spending money, and summer programs add up fast — and financial aid rarely covers them.
See the full cost picture →Prep school isn't right for every high-achieving kid
Academic strength alone doesn't predict a good fit. The kids who thrive are self-directed, socially confident, and genuinely excited about the experience — not just going along with their parents.
Read the honest guide →Nobody asks the right first question
Every family jumps straight to 'which school' before answering 'should we even do this.' The families who get this right start with an honest conversation — before they tour a single campus.
Start that conversation →Ready to talk through whether this is right for your family?
A recap packet,
made for your family.
When you've built a shortlist you like, we generate a downloadable PDF with the things worth keeping — a family profile, verified numbers, and a clear checklist.
- Your family profile — what we heard in plain language
- Your shortlist with verified tuition and aid
- An interview & visit-day prep checklist
- A clear disclaimer (we're not affiliated with any school)
The AI doesn't disappear after you choose.
Once you've downloaded your recap, PrepFinder flips into prep mode. Real preparation for the parts of the application that matter:
- Mock admissions interviews
- Visit-day questions that aren't on the website
- Financial aid timeline (SSS, deadlines)
- Essay brainstorming (we won't write it)
- Thank-you note templates
- SSAT / ISEE study plan starters
Start with these.
Family experiences
We're brand new — you'd be one of our first families.
PrepFinder just launched, so there's no roundup of reviews to show you yet, and we'd rather tell you that plainly than fake one. What you get instead: a founder who went through this exact decision a year ago, and an honest conversation with Claire today. If PrepFinder helps your family, we'd love for you to be one of the first reviews here.
Prep, admissions, and school life.
What prep school actually costs (beyond the tuition figure)
The median boarding tuition across the schools we track is $77,617. That number is the start of the budget, not the end of it.
August 18, 2026How financial aid really works at boarding schools
Need-based, merit, sliding scale, full-need — the vocabulary is confusing on purpose. Here's what each term actually means for your family's bill.
August 16, 2026The boarding school admissions timeline, month by month
Most families start six months too late. Here's what a calm application year actually looks like, from spring inquiry to March decisions.
August 14, 2026I built Claire to have the conversation my family needed before any of this started.
Not to sell you on prep school — I'll let the experience do that. Just to help you think clearly, ask the right questions, and walk into this process better prepared than we were.