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America’s best public schools don’t charge tuition — but parents are still paying a fortune to get in.
Families hoping to plant roots in some of the nation’s most coveted school districts need increasingly eye-watering salaries to afford the right ZIP code, according to a new analysis by MoneyLion — with households in some areas needing to rake in more than $450,000 a year.
And nowhere is the competition more apparent than in New York.
The Empire State tied California with 11 districts among the nation’s 50 best, according to MoneyLion’s analysis of Niche’s 2026 rankings — and a whopping 10 of those listed are on Long Island.
The list names sought-after suburban enclaves Syosset, Roslyn, Great Neck, Jericho, Dix Hills, Manhasset, Old Westbury, Woodmere, New Hyde Park and Bethpage. Chappaqua, in Westchester, was New York’s lone non-Long Island entry.
The hefty cost of buying into those districts helps explain why.
Syosset Central School District ranked No. 2 nationally, but MoneyLion estimates a family would need an annual salary of $230,923 to live there comfortably. The average home value used in the analysis exceeded $1.14 million.
The school district’s price directly correlates with housing costs. According to Redfin, homes in Syosset sold for an average of $1.31 million during the three months ending June 2026.
In nearby Roslyn, families need an estimated salary of $323,267; in Great Neck, $311,631; in Jericho, $255,346; and in Dix Hills, $238,604.
Old Westbury was even more extreme. MoneyLion estimated households would need to earn $494,991 a year to comfortably afford life in the East Williston Union Free School District.
And the real estate data show that the average home value is roughly $3.08 million, according to Zillow.
But the sticker shock stretches far beyond New York.
MoneyLion found families need to earn more than $250,000 annually to live comfortably in 22 of America’s top school districts, and five require incomes above $450,000.
Palo Alto Unified School District in California was the priciest of all, requiring an estimated annual salary of $592,025, followed by Old Westbury at $494,991, Los Gatos at $459,632, San Marino at $454,334, and Palos Verdes Estates at $451,714.
It’s a financial tradeoff parents across the country are increasingly grappling with.
One parent recently took to Reddit to describe earning a combined $202,000 while paying a relatively manageable $2,400 mortgage — but worrying about a local district where just 30% of students were reportedly proficient.
They went on to add that “Our kids’ future is everything to us,” the parent wrote, asking whether better schools justified the massive financial sacrifice.
Others said the school district effectively dictates where their family can live.
One Philadelphia parent with two young kids wrote that their choices had boiled down to paying for private school or moving, rather than keeping their children in what they viewed as a substandard district.
But prestigious schools don’t always require half-million-dollar salaries.
Illinois swept the rankings with the most school districts, surpassing coastal states like California and New York; however, the number-one ranking in the country, located in Glenview, IL, is actually one of the most affordable options on the list. You’ll need more than $170,000 annually to live comfortably in the suburb.
Glenbrook High School District 225 in Glenview requires an estimated annual salary of $171,165 — steep but well below that of many of its coastal competitors.
So while a top-notch public education may technically be free, for families determined to live within the right school boundaries, the real tuition bill may come in the form of a mortgage payment.
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