What Small Private Schools Cost Near Boerne and Northwest San Antonio

Small private schools on this side of San Antonio range from roughly $9,000 to nearly $30,000 a year, and the ones families end up choosing are separated less by price than by two things people rarely ask about up front: whether the curriculum is classical or modern, and how much of the day is explicitly religious. Get those two filters right and the list of small, activity rich schools in Northwest San Antonio and Boerne is short enough to tour in a couple of weeks.

What these schools actually cost

Published tuition for the schools families in this area most often compare, lowest to highest:

• Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran, $9,424. Infant through 8th grade, and the least expensive established option in the group by a wide margin.
• Geneva School of Boerne, $16,085. Kindergarten through 12th grade, so no second search at high school.
• St. George Episcopal, $17,100. Pre-K 3 through 8th grade.
• The Montessori School of San Antonio, $21,674. A step up, and that is before fees.
• Keystone, $26,470, and San Antonio Academy, $29,000. The top of the local range. San Antonio Academy runs Pre-K 3 through 8th grade and its reviews describe an education tailored for boys.

Published tuition is not the number you pay. Uniforms, books, technology, athletics, and testing routinely add several hundred to a couple thousand dollars per child. The spread matters most when you are enrolling more than one: across two children, the least expensive option here runs about $15,000 a year less than the most expensive one still considered mid range.

Classical or modern narrows the list faster than money does

Classical education is a specific model, not a synonym for rigorous. It is built on Latin, a great books sequence, Socratic discussion, and explicit character formation, and it usually carries a lighter technology footprint by design. Modern independent schools cover similar material with project work, lab science, and technology integrated into the day.

This matters because the best known private school in Boerne is a classical one. Geneva School of Boerne is a classical Christian school, and its own parent reviews on School Path reflect the tradeoffs of that model, praising the rigorous academics and close community while noting concerns about diversity, inclusivity, and STEM focus.

None of that makes it a weak school, and its 51 reviews are strong overall. It does mean that a family who wants a modern curriculum, a diverse student body, and technology in the classroom is unlikely to find all three there, even though it is the school most often recommended in this part of the county. It is also the largest of these options at 647 students, with a 10 to 1 student-teacher ratio, so it is not a small school in the way the others are.

How much faith actually shows up in the day

Religious affiliation covers a wide range, and the label on the door tells you less than the program does. Episcopal and Lutheran schools in San Antonio commonly run a weekly chapel and a religion class while teaching science and history from standard curricula. Classical Christian schools more often integrate a faith framework across subjects, which is the distinction that matters if you want your children in a religious school without religion woven through every lesson.

St. George Episcopal is the clearest example of the lighter model in this price range. It carries faith and values programming, and its parent reviews emphasize a warm and inclusive community and a diverse environment rather than doctrinal intensity. On its School Path profile, the review summary notes no concerns raised at all, though it is worth weighing that against a small sample of three reviews.

Shepherd of the Hills is more explicitly Christ centered, and parents describe that as a feature rather than a footnote:

"My son has been at Shepherd of the Hills since he was 2 and is now 13. We've loved the strong, Christ-centered academics, the variety of extracurriculars like robotics, music, sports, and the amazing teachers, staff, and supportive parent community."

    A San Antonio parent, in a thread on part time pre-K programs

Whether a small school can still field activities

The usual tradeoff with a smaller campus is a thinner bench of sports and clubs. It is not a given. Shepherd enrolls 216 students with a 9 to 1 student-teacher ratio, and parents describe it running a full slate anyway:

"Many extracurriculars (legos, stem, drama, dance, cheer, robotics when they get a little older) and sports (soccer and t-ball in Kinder and then more with each grade) are offered."

    A San Antonio parent, in a thread on finding a school for two young children

"There are so many activities, sports, and clubs my daughter was able to join in kinder. The academics are very impressive."

    A San Antonio parent, in a thread comparing two private schools

Academics hold up alongside it, according to families further along:

"My son's in 8th grade right now, and we've just had the best experience at Shepherd. The teachers are amazing, and the academics are really strong. We've been so thankful for the way they pour into the kids every day."

    A San Antonio parent, in a thread on school recommendations

St. George's review summary points the same direction on breadth, citing strong academic and extracurricular programs, and its profile lists arts, sports, and hands on STEM. For a 4th and 6th grader specifically, ask which activities are open to middle grades rather than which exist at the school, since some clubs and teams start later.

The 8th grade cliff

This is the detail most likely to change your shortlist. Both St. George and Shepherd of the Hills end at 8th grade. A 4th grader has five years there, but a 6th grader has three, and you would be running this search again for high school in the middle of it.

Geneva runs Kindergarten through 12th, which is the strongest argument in its favor for a family with an older child. If you prefer a modern curriculum and the older child is close to high school, one workable approach is placing them separately: a K-8 school for the younger child and a school with an upper division for the older one. Families do this more often than they expect to, and it is a normal outcome rather than a failure to decide.

The three worth touring first

Featured school

St. George Episcopal School

• Grades: Pre-K 3 to 8th grade
• Location: San Antonio, TX
• Tuition: $17,100/yr (TEFA-approved)

View profile

The closest match to a modern, faith light, diverse brief. Arts, sports, and hands on STEM on its profile, with reviews highlighting a warm, inclusive, diverse community and no concerns raised. Caveats: only 3 reviews, and it ends at 8th grade.

Featured school

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School

• Grades: Infant to 8th grade
• Location: San Antonio, TX
• Tuition: $9,424/yr (TEFA-approved)

View profile

138 parent reviews, the deepest feedback of any school here, and roughly half the tuition of the others. Parents consistently describe strong academics and a wide activity slate. More explicitly Christ centered than St. George, reviews note concerns about the daycare program and administrative responses. 216 students at a 9 to 1 ratio, on Wurzbach Road rather than in Boerne, so check the drive. See the full profile.

Featured school

Geneva School of Boerne

• Grades: K-12
• Location: Boerne, TX
• Tuition: $16,085/yr (TEFA-approved)

View profile

The only K through 12 option in the lower half of that range, 647 students at a 10 to 1 ratio, with 51 reviews praising rigorous academics and a close community. Worth touring if the K-12 continuity outweighs the model, but it is classical Christian rather than modern, and its reviews note concerns about diversity, inclusivity, and STEM focus. See the full profile.

If cost is less of a constraint, The Montessori School of San Antonio at $21,674 is the other serious small school in range, though Montessori is a distinct model rather than a modern independent one.

Five things to check before you tour

• Whether the curriculum is classical or modern, and how much Latin and technology appear in the middle grades.
• What religious instruction looks like in a normal week, and whether faith is taught as a subject or integrated across subjects.
• Which clubs and sports are open to 4th and 6th graders specifically, and how many actually ran last year.
• The highest grade offered, and where recent 8th graders went next.
• Total annual cost per child after fees, uniforms, and activities, not just published tuition.