Attending an elite boarding school sets students up for lifelong success. It can open doors to prominent colleges, place students in a powerful alumni network, provide a top-notch education, and create lifelong friends.

Prestige is derived from more than just strong academics, though, so to determine the most elite boarding schools in America, we looked at the size of a school's endowment, how selective it is based on its acceptance rate, and the average SAT score its students earn. To rank the schools, each metric was weighted equally.

Because of the scope of the list, we relied primarily on data from BoardingSchoolReview.com, a website that collects information on boarding schools directly from the institutions. Gaps in the data were confirmed with individual schools or taken from Niche, another organization that researches and compiles information on schools.

For the second year in a row, Phillips Exeter Academy earned the No. 1 spot on the list. Best known for pioneering the Harkness teaching method — a seminar-style class setting where the teacher and students sit around a table and freely discuss subjects — the school is highly selective with a 19% acceptance rate and touts an endowment of $1.15 billion, which is more than most colleges.

Read on to see the rest of the 50 most elite boarding schools in America.

Additional reporting by Andy Kiersz.

SEE ALSO: The 25 best public high schools in America

DON'T MISS: The 50 best colleges in America

50. St. Anne's-Belfield School

Location: Charlottesville, Virginia

Endowment: $32 million

Acceptance rate: 35%

Enrollment:886

Though only 17% of ninth- to 12th-grade students live at St. Anne's-Belfield School, boarders are essential to the school's diversity and inclusivity commitment. St. Anne's-Belfield is also deeply interested in reducing the gender gap in computer-science-related disciplines by mandating technology education courses for all K-12 students, with an emphasis on college prep for the upper school.

49. Shattuck-St. Mary's School

Location: Faribault, Minnesota

Endowment: $25 million

Acceptance rate: 36%

Enrollment:472

Shattuck-St. Mary's School takes a unique approach to education with programs that allow students to learn at their own pace. As part of the school's new ScholarShift program, 11th- and 12th-graders take blended classes that officially meet only twice a week, leaving time for students to speak one-on-one with instructors and pursue outside projects. For such projects, students can use the school's weCreate space, which features studios for video editing, music recording, fashion design, and more.

48. Indian Springs School

Location: Indian Springs, Alabama

Endowment: $12 million

Acceptance rate: 52%

Enrollment:299

Inspired by the motto "learning through living," Indian Springs School takes education outside of the classroom. For instance, the student government is set up like a small town with a mayor and six commissioners and weekly town meetings, placing decision-making power in the hands of the students. The Indian Springs campus is 15 miles from Birmingham, Alabama's biggest city, and its surrounding mountains, spring lake, and state park give students the chance to further explore outside a traditional academic setting.

The richest people in Britain more than doubled their wealth over the last decade. 

According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2015, the 1,000 wealthiest individuals and families now have a combined fortune of just over £547 billion ($838 billion).

Leading the pack is Len Blavatnik, the London-based, Ukrainian-born, US citizen who is the owner of Warner Music Group with an estimated fortune of £13.17 billion ($20.2 billion). 

While it is perhaps unsurprising that Russian oligarchs, energy and commodity magnates, and families living off inherited assets top the list, the biggest shock may be the fact that the Queen failed to make the top 300 for the first time.

But this could all change when the updated rankings come out in two months' time. After all, the world has witnessed a global slump in oil and commodities prices and emerging market turmoil has hit some of the richest people in the world hard. 

#25 Sir Henry Keswick

Net worth: £3.275 billion ($5.017 billion)

Age: 76

Keswick and his family runs the £29.8 billion Jardine Matheson conglomerate in Hong Kong, which invests and runs companies that span fast food, retail, property, and motoring. He and his family have a £3.2 billion stake in the group. Here he is (L) with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan in February this year.

#22 Sir Philip and Lady Green

Net worth: £3.5 billion ($5.3 billion)

Ages: 63, 65

Green (middle in this picture, next to actress Kate Bosworth and his daughter Chloe) owns some of the most popular fashion retailers in Britain. He bought British Homes Stores for £200 million in 2000 and a year later, BHS was worth £1.2 billion. Through the retail group he acquired, Arcadia, which is owned by his wife Lady Tina. Arcadia owns Topshop, Topman, Burton, Dorothy Perkins, and Miss Selfridge. The Green family's stake in Arcadia is worth £1.9 billion while the Sunday Times added £1.6 billion for property, yachts, and past dividends.

#22 Sir James Dyson

Net worth:£3.5 billion ($5.3 billion)

Age: 67

Industrial designer Dyson, pictured on the left next to Prime Minister David Cameron, invented the bagless vacuum cleaner. His first ever invention was the Ballbarrow, a modified version of a wheelbarrow using a ball instead of a wheel, which he later implemented into some of his Dyson vacuum cleaner designs. He's so rich now that he also owns more land in England than the Queen.

Your early education greatly affects how and what you learn, as well as if and where you go to college.

Some families are so intent on sending their kids to the best schools that they relocate to join new school districts.

Niche, a company that researches and compiles information on schools, just released its ranking of the 2016 best school districts in America. The ranking was based on the grade each school district earned in overall experience, which included key factors such as the strength of academics, quality of teachers, school resources, student culture and diversity, student life, and student and parent reviews.

At the time of calculation, Niche's database contained records for 12,153 school districts — ones without sufficient data were not included in the ranking. Read more on the methodology here.

Below are the 25 best school districts in the US.

SEE ALSO: The 25 best public high schools in America

DON'T MISS: The best college in every state

25. Township High School District No. 113 — Highland Park, IL

Total schools: 2

Academics: A+

Teachers: A+

Resources & facilities: A

Student culture & diversity: B-

Extracurriculars at Deerfield High School are abundant, one commenter said: "We have everything from book club, anime club, Athletics, gima, model UN, movie club, environmental club, choraliers, plays/musicals, truly you name it."

One senior at Highland Park High School said that every teacher "wants the students to succeed" and that they "structure their classes in ways that help their students learn and retain the material in an easy way."

24. Aspen School District — Aspen Township, CO

Total schools: 5

Academics: A+

Teachers: A+

Resources & facilities: A+

Student culture & diversity: B

"The student-teacher dynamic is incredible. Most teachers are familiar enough with their students to respond to their first names, rather than their surnames," one Aspen High School junior commented. "They also offer help during office hours with understanding, and tend to be sympathetic towards scheduling issues involving IB classes and the even distribution of work. The student body is generally accepting of sexual orientation, racial, and socioeconomic differences."

23. Hinsdale Township High School District No. 86 — Downers Grove Township, IL

Total schools: 2

Academics: A+

Teachers: A+

Resources & facilities: A+

Student culture & diversity: A-

One senior at Hinsdale Central High School commented that "there is a constant competitive atmosphere [but it] pushes kids to do better since all their peers are trying to do the same. The majority of the students are working towards a mutual goal, that is going to a good college."

Commenters also said that safety at the high school is important.

"The nurse is always available, the school psychiatrists are great, and social workers are decent. I never felt threatened there," said one user.

Attending a top-notch boarding school sets students up for lifelong success, but some of the most elite boarding schools are incredibly selective about which students are right for the experience.

Business Insider recently published a list of the most elite boarding schools in America. The ranking was based on three metrics weighted equally: endowment, acceptance rate, and average SAT score. Here we've re-ranked the schools based solely on acceptance rate to determine which boarding schools are the country's most selective.

Despite Phillips Exeter Academy's title as the No. 1 most elite boarding school for the second year in a row, it comes in at No. 8 on this list with a 19% acceptance rate, tied with Milton Academy. The Groton School, the No. 5 most elite boarding school, is tied with The Thacher School as the most selective, each with an acceptance rate of 12%.

Read on to see the 16 most selective boarding schools in America.

Additional reporting by Andy Kiersz.

DON'T MISS: The 50 most elite boarding schools in America

SEE ALSO: The 25 best public high schools in America

14. (TIE) The Governor's Academy

Location: Byfield, Massachusetts

Endowment: $75 million

Acceptance rate: 23%

Enrollment:406

At The Governor's Academy, each class is tailored toward helping students develop one of the school's seven essential skills, which include thinking critically, communicating effectively, and readily adapting to new situations. Students can also take advantage of the school's college counselors, who partner with them to help narrow down their choices and put together competitive applications.

14. (TIE) Georgetown Preparatory School

Location: North Bethesda, Maryland

Endowment: $20 million

Acceptance rate: 23%

Enrollment:492

The oldest Jesuit school in the country, Georgetown Prep focuses on helping each student build a strong mind, body, and spirit. The all-boys school provides ample opportunities for growth — in and out of the classroom — through numerous athletic teams, student publications, and extracurricular clubs, including speech and debate, chess, and student government.

14. (TIE) Choate Rosemary Hall

Location: Wallingford, Connecticut

Endowment: $318 million

Acceptance rate: 23%

Enrollment:865

Choate Rosemary Hall celebrated its 125th anniversary last year by ramping up its commitment to innovation. The school, which requires its students to bring iPads to class, dedicated a new mathematics and computer-science building that's LEED Gold-certified and home to Choate's award-winning Robotics Team and i.d.Lab — a tech-packed facility for creative thinking and innovation. There's also the Kohler Environmental Center, where juniors and seniors can enroll in the yearlong Environmental Immersion Program that combines sustainable living, study, and independent research.

Safety is a primary and constant concern for many college students and parents. Campus-security presence, emergency procedures, local and campus crime rates, and drug and alcohol use are factors that determine the level of safety on a college campus.

College-review site Niche used the above factors to compile their 2016 ranking of the safest college campuses in America. Schools with high health and safety scores and low crime, among other factors, were ranked safest by Niche. Read about their full methodology here.

Unsurprisingly, many of the safest campuses are faith-based colleges and universities that prohibit the use of drugs and alcohol, while schools notorious for their party scene didn't fair as well.

Brigham Young University, affiliated with the Mormon faith, came in as the safest campus in the nation, followed by Summit University, formerly known as Baptist Bible College & Seminary, and Regent University. Scroll through to check out the rest of the top 25.

SEE ALSO: The 25 best school districts in America

DON'T MISS: The 50 most underrated colleges in America

25. Milligan College — Milligan College, TN

Health and safety: A

Drug safety: A

Party scene: C

Students at Milligan College report feeling safe on campus: "Almost all of campus is very well lit and the surrounding community doesn't tend to pose any type of security problems involving the campus."

In addition, drugs and alcohol are prohibited on campus, according to one sophomore.

24. The Baptist College of Florida — Graceville, FL

Health and safety: A

Drug safety: N/A

Party scene: C-

The Baptist College of Florida stresses to its students that drugs and alcohol are not allowed on campus.

"Students are understanding of a clean lifestyle. Students are highly active in fitness sports and just hanging out with friends without the assistance of any other influence," said a sophomore.

23. Penn State Abington — Abington, PA

Health and safety: A

Drug safety: A

Party scene: C

A Penn State Abington senior recently commented that the "school is in a safe town, and being on campus is the safest place I feel right now."

Students also added that there is "rarely ever any talk of drugs on campus, and if there is it's usually about Drug Safety."

The richest people in Britain more than doubled their wealth over the last decade. 

According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2015, the 1,000 wealthiest individuals and families now have a combined fortune of just over £547 billion ($838 billion).

Leading the pack is Len Blavatnik, the London-based, Ukrainian-born, US citizen who is the owner of Warner Music Group with an estimated fortune of £13.17 billion ($20.2 billion). 

While it is perhaps unsurprising that Russian oligarchs, energy and commodity magnates, and families living off inherited assets top the list, the biggest shock may be the fact that the Queen failed to make the top 300 for the first time.

But this could all change when the updated rankings come out in two months' time. After all, the world has witnessed a global slump in oil and commodities prices and emerging market turmoil has hit some of the richest people in the world hard. 

#25 Sir Henry Keswick

Net worth: £3.275 billion ($5.017 billion)

Age: 76

Keswick and his family runs the £29.8 billion Jardine Matheson conglomerate in Hong Kong, which invests and runs companies that span fast food, retail, property, and motoring. He and his family have a £3.2 billion stake in the group. Here he is (L) with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan in February this year.

#22 Sir Philip and Lady Green

Net worth: £3.5 billion ($5.3 billion)

Ages: 63, 65

Green (middle in this picture, next to actress Kate Bosworth and his daughter Chloe) owns some of the most popular fashion retailers in Britain. He bought British Homes Stores for £200 million in 2000 and a year later, BHS was worth £1.2 billion. Through the retail group he acquired, Arcadia, which is owned by his wife Lady Tina. Arcadia owns Topshop, Topman, Burton, Dorothy Perkins, and Miss Selfridge. The Green family's stake in Arcadia is worth £1.9 billion while the Sunday Times added £1.6 billion for property, yachts, and past dividends.

#22 Sir James Dyson

Net worth:£3.5 billion ($5.3 billion)

Age: 67

Industrial designer Dyson, pictured on the left next to Prime Minister David Cameron, invented the bagless vacuum cleaner. His first ever invention was the Ballbarrow, a modified version of a wheelbarrow using a ball instead of a wheel, which he later implemented into some of his Dyson vacuum cleaner designs. He's so rich now that he also owns more land in England than the Queen.

College may be laden with papers, exams, and long nights in the library, but for many, it's also chock-full of raging parties, intense school spirit, and unforgettable memories with friends. 

To determine which schools have nailed the formula for fun, we looked at 12 categories from The Princeton Review's 2016 college rankings, including lists like "Party Schools" and "Lots of Beer." Since alcohol isn't the only way to have fun, we also included schools that placed on lists like "Happiest Students" and "Best Quality of Life." We then combined these rankings to determine which schools are the most fun overall. You can read the full methodology here.

Based on our results, the typical "fun" school is a large public university with a strong Greek system and competitive athletics. However, several smaller schools with close-knit communities earned spots on the list as well.

Read on to see which 30 schools across the US know how to have the most fun. 

SEE ALSO: The 50 colleges where students work the hardest

DON'T MISS: The best college in every state

30. Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount's Los Angeles location puts students at the forefront of LA culture — not to mention prime access to the beach as well. The warm climate makes hiking, tanning, and enjoying the sun possible year-round.

The school also has strong showings in both Greek life and community-service organizations, with students eager to get involved in their community. 

29. Gonzaga University

Spokane, Washington

Despite a rainy climate, Gonzaga students find plenty of ways to have fun, both indoors and out. During the winter, skiing and snowboarding become popular pastimes, either nearby at Mount Spokane or further away in Montana or Canada.

Nothing's bigger than basketball season, however. Students race across campus and camp out for days to secure tickets, packing the McCarthey Center during every home game. 

28. Wabash College

Crawfordsville, Indiana

Sports are a huge part of life at Wabash College— more than half of the student body plays on one of the school's Division III athletic teams. In return, the all-male campus exudes school spirit for both NCAA and intramural games. 

Elite boarding schools are not only highly selective, they're also well funded — some boast endowments even larger than those of prominent colleges. 

Business Insider recently published a list of the most elite boarding schools in America. The ranking was based on three metrics weighted equally: endowment, acceptance rate, and average SAT score, primarily using data from BoardingSchoolReview.com, a website that collects information on boarding schools directly from the institutions. Here, we've re-ranked the schools based solely on endowment to determine which are the country's richest.

These funds, raised from generous donors and alumni, support schools' day-to-day operations and help provide financial aid to students. At Phillips Exeter Academy — the No. 1 school on our list with an endowment of $1.15 billion — nearly half of the student body benefits from financial aid. 

Behind Exeter, Phillips Academy Andover took the No. 2 spot on the list with an endowment of $1 billion.

Read on to see the rest of the 20 richest boarding schools in America.

Additional reporting by Andy Kiersz.

SEE ALSO: The 50 most elite boarding schools in America

DON'T MISS: The 16 most selective boarding schools in America

20. The Hill School

Location: Pottstown, Pennsylvania

Endowment: $153 million

Enrollment:515

The Hill School primes students for "college, careers, and life" through a traditional liberal-arts education, formal dress, a student-written honor code, regular family-style meals, and several signature programs. Nearly 80% of students board at The Hill School, originally founded as "The Family Boarding School" for its pioneering decision to house students and faculty under the same roof to forge connection, communication, and understanding.

19. The Loomis Chaffee School

Location: Windsor, Connecticut

Endowment: $180 million

Enrollment:650

Above all, The Loomis Chaffee School is committed to providing top-notch academics and shaping students into their best selves. To enhance the academic experience, the school offers writing workshops, study-abroad opportunities, guided-research projects, and experiential-learning programs such as internships, volunteer work, and scholarly competitions.

18. St. Andrew's School, Delaware

Location: Middletown, Delaware

Endowment: $195 million

Enrollment:310

Technology is intertwined with the curriculum at St. Andrew's School. Students use blogs to document their progress in physics, musicians send recordings to their instructors for feedback, and teachers keep in touch with their pupils through learning-management software.

St. Andrew's students also gain entrance to elite colleges. New York University, Wesleyan University, and Davidson College topped the list of the most popular choices from the last four years.

Obviously, college is more than just football games and dorm parties — it's also a lot of work. But some students are working harder than others.

Niche, a company that researches and compiles information on schools, analyzed its data to find the colleges where students work the hardest.

To come up with this ranking, Niche looked at the academic rigor and student workload at traditional four-year schools in the US.

It took the academic grade for each school based on the quality of the professors, academic achievements of incoming students, graduation rates, and student reviews of their academic experience. Niche also calculated a composite score of users' responses to questions pertaining to study habits, class attendance, homework, office hours and study sessions, and overall workload. Each factor was given equal weight and combined into Niche's final score out of 100.

Visit Niche for more college rankings, and read on to see the top 50 schools where students hit the books the hardest.

SEE ALSO: The 50 best business schools in the world

DON'T MISS: The best public high school in every state

50. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, Virginia

Niche score: 90

From day one, UVA students put in tremendous effort.

"You'll be working your [butt] off, but you should be learning, too," one freshman said.

A sophomore agreed: "The professors for the most part are extremely approachable, libraries are a great and beautiful option for studying, and classes are extremely difficult but worthwhile if you put the necessary time into them."

Visit Niche for more information on the University of Virginia.

49. Emory University

Atlanta, Georgia

Niche score: 90.1

"The workload is difficult, but there are exceptional professors who make it worthwhile," one sophomore reported.

Students also point out that time-management skills are key to handling the workload.

"Emory is definitely not an easy school in terms of academics, but what you get out of your education is very rewarding," one freshman said. "As long as you manage your time well, you should be able to manage your workload while keeping up with your social life."

Visit Niche for more information on Emory University.

48. Colgate University

Hamilton, New York

Niche score: 90.3

"My classes are heavy in reading and writing and I have a rather large workload," one freshman noted.

But there are upsides.

"Teachers are great and always there to help you, and my biggest class is 30 people," they added.

Visit Niche for more information on Colgate University.

When students are considering colleges they often look at offerings outside of academics, like clubs and organizations, student government, and volunteer opportunities. For many students, being involved is what college is all about — they want to make a difference in their community and the world.

The Princeton Review recently published "Colleges That Pay You Back: 2016 Edition," which includes a list of the top schools in America for making an impact. Princeton Review based the ranking on student ratings and responses to survey questions covering community service opportunities at their school, student government, sustainability efforts, and on-campus student engagement. They also took into account PayScale.com’s percentage of alumni from each school that reported having high job meaning.

From getting involved in green initiatives to taking on leadership roles in student organizations to volunteering in their local communities, the students at these 25 colleges are driven to make a difference.

SEE ALSO: The 20 best college campuses in America

DON'T MISS: The 50 colleges where students work the hardest

25. Lewis & Clark College

Location: Portland, Oregon

Sustainability is a huge part of campus life at Lewis & Clark. “Many are very concerned about living a healthy and sustainable life style” and are “very active gardeners and composters," said one student.

On campus, students can join groups like Students Engaged in Eco-Defense, the Sustainability Council, and Student Advocates for Business and Environmental Responsibility.

24. Tufts University

Location: Medford, Massachusetts

Students are politically involved and eco-conscious at Tufts. The school's student-run environmental group, the Tufts Sustainability Collective, puts on campus-wide events like Earthfest and is organized into several branches that includes Tom Thumb's Student Garden, Students for a Just and Stable Future, the Sustainable Action Squad, Food for Thought, and Green Team.

23. Lawrence University

Location: Appleton, Wisconsin

Lawrence University believes that community involvement is an integral part of a stellar liberal arts education. Lawrence students are a staple in the surrounding community — more than a thousand volunteered at local elementary schools last year.

The school also offers instruction and opportunities for the green-minded undergraduate —including research-based courses and internships — through its environmental studies major.

Last month, Business Insider published a list of the richest people on earth. Ukraine-born American investor Leonard Blavatnik came in at No. 42 with a net worth of $16.7 billion.

The self-made billionaire's wealth has ballooned in recent years thanks to his privately held industrial group, Access Industries, which has major global investments in chemicals, real estate, and entertainment. 

Blavatnik is perhaps best known for his legendary investment in chemical company LyondellBasell, but since buying Warner Music Group in 2011, he's become a force in Hollywood, too.

Here's a look at how Blavatnik became one of the world's most vaunted dealmakers. 

DON'T MISS: The 50 richest people on earth

AND: The 25 richest self-made billionaires

Blavatnik attended Moscow University of Railway Engineering until his family immigrated to the US in 1978 — he gained citizenship in 1984.

Source:Wealth-X

He went on to earn his masters degree in computer science at Columbia University and his MBA at Harvard Business School. He has remained loyal to his alma mater, donating $50 million to Harvard in 2013 to sponsor life sciences entrepreneurship.

Source:Wealth-X

In 1986, Blavatnik founded Access Industries, a privately held industrial company. Initially, AI was involved in Russian investments but has since diversified its portfolio. AI now invests natural resources and chemicals, media and telecommunications, technology and e-commerce, and real estate.

Source:Wealth-X

Attending an elite boarding school sets students up for lifelong success. It can open doors to prominent colleges, place students in a powerful alumni network, provide a top-notch education, and create lifelong friends.

Prestige is derived from more than just strong academics, though, so to determine the most elite boarding schools in America, we looked at the size of a school's endowment, how selective it is based on its acceptance rate, and the average SAT score its students earn. To rank the schools, each metric was weighted equally.

Because of the scope of the list, we relied primarily on data from BoardingSchoolReview.com, a website that collects information on boarding schools directly from the institutions. Gaps in the data were confirmed with individual schools or taken from Niche, another organization that researches and compiles information on schools.

For the second year in a row, Phillips Exeter Academy earned the No. 1 spot on the list. Best known for pioneering the Harkness teaching method — a seminar-style class setting where the teacher and students sit around a table and freely discuss subjects — the school is highly selective with a 19% acceptance rate and touts an endowment of $1.15 billion, which is more than most colleges.

Read on to see the rest of the 50 most elite boarding schools in America.

Additional reporting by Andy Kiersz.

SEE ALSO: The 25 best public high schools in America

DON'T MISS: The 50 best colleges in America

50. St. Anne's-Belfield School

Location: Charlottesville, Virginia

Endowment: $32 million

Acceptance rate: 35%

Enrollment:886

Though only 17% of ninth- to 12th-grade students live at St. Anne's-Belfield School, boarders are essential to the school's diversity and inclusivity commitment. St. Anne's-Belfield is also deeply interested in reducing the gender gap in computer-science-related disciplines by mandating technology education courses for all K-12 students, with an emphasis on college prep for the upper school.

49. Shattuck-St. Mary's School

Location: Faribault, Minnesota

Endowment: $25 million

Acceptance rate: 36%

Enrollment:472

Shattuck-St. Mary's School takes a unique approach to education with programs that allow students to learn at their own pace. As part of the school's new ScholarShift program, 11th- and 12th-graders take blended classes that officially meet only twice a week, leaving time for students to speak one-on-one with instructors and pursue outside projects. For such projects, students can use the school's weCreate space, which features studios for video editing, music recording, fashion design, and more.

48. Indian Springs School

Location: Indian Springs, Alabama

Endowment: $12 million

Acceptance rate: 52%

Enrollment:299

Inspired by the motto "learning through living," Indian Springs School takes education outside of the classroom. For instance, the student government is set up like a small town with a mayor and six commissioners and weekly town meetings, placing decision-making power in the hands of the students. The Indian Springs campus is 15 miles from Birmingham, Alabama's biggest city, and its surrounding mountains, spring lake, and state park give students the chance to further explore outside a traditional academic setting.

Networking can be difficult and time-consuming, especially early in your career. But graduating from a school with a solid alumni base means diving straight into a built-in network of professionals.

The Princeton Review compiled a list of the 25 colleges with the best alumni networks in the country, featured in the book "Colleges That Pay You Back: 2016 Edition," published in February, based on students' ratings of how visible and active alumni are on their campuses.

We've also gathered salary data from PayScale to show how much new graduates from these schools can expect to make. Read on to see schools with active alumni who help students get ahead.

SEE ALSO: The 30 most fun colleges in America

DON'T MISS: The best public college in every state

25. Colgate University

Location: Hamilton, New York

Median starting salary: $54,000

Colgate graduates find themselves among good company: The school counts NBCUniversal CEO and President Stephen Burke and Ben & Jerry's cofounder Ben Cohen among its notable alumni. Many are willing to lend a hand to undergraduates as well — students reported to The Princeton Review that "alumni would jump over any hurdle for you."

24. Stanford University

Location: Stanford, California

Median starting salary: $62,900

Stanford alumni — a network more than 217,00o deep — provide extensive help to their alma mater through CareerConnect, a job board that exclusively lists job openings from Stanford grads. Alums also volunteer with "career communities" of undergraduates in a specific field who aim to stay on the best path toward finding a job.

The school boasts no shortage of big names among its graduates, including Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, author John Steinbeck, and former US President Herbert Hoover.

23. New College of Florida

Location: Sarasota, Florida

Median starting salary: $39,800

Graduates of the New College of Florida stay involved with their alma mater long after graduation by mentoring current students, hosting alumni events, and working with students on independent study projects. The school's Alumnae/i Fellows Program pairs current students with New College graduates who coach them through a semester-long course or workshop in a specific field.

An elite boarding school experience holds a lot of value, from exposing students to a world-class education to opening doors to prominent colleges — but it often comes at a steep price.

Business Insider recently published our list of the most elite boarding schools in the country using endowment, acceptance rate, and average SAT score provided by BoardingSchoolReview.com,a website that collects information on boarding schools directly from the institutions.

Though we didn't factor annual tuition into our original ranking, we've re-ranked the pool of 50 elite boarding schools based on 2015-2016 tuition figures to find out which ones are the most expensive.

The two most expensive elite boarding schools — St. Albans School and The Masters School — both charge nearly $58,000 in annual tuition. 

Notably absent from the top-25 most expensive are the No. 1 and No. 2 most elite boarding schools, Phillips Exeter Academy and Phillips Academy Andover — both have an annual tuition of less than $48,000.

Still, despite the high costs charged by these boarding schools, many offer millions of dollars a year in financial aid to families who can't afford the full cost.

Read on to find out how much it costs to attend some of the most elite boarding schools in America.

Additional reporting by Andy Kiersz.

SEE ALSO: The 20 richest boarding schools in America

AND: The 16 most selective boarding schools in America

25. Portsmouth Abbey School

Location: Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Tuition: $54,630

Enrollment:360

Portsmouth Abbey School boasts 1.24 miles of coastline along Narragansett Bay and houses 70% of its students. The Roman Catholic school is also home to a fully operational, on-campus monastery led by a community of Benedictine monks. The Benedictine ideal of a "community life of work and prayer" informs the school's ethos, which teaches students to balance academics with social and physical activities.

24. Northfield Mount Hermon

Location: Mount Hermon, Massachusetts

Tuition: $54,700

Enrollment:650

In 2014, the highest number of Northfield Mount Hermon students matriculated to Boston University, NYU, George Washington University, and Northwestern. The school helps students get there by offering $8.4 million in financial aid and a College Model Academic Program, which requires them to complete three college-prep courses each semester. Eighty percent of students are boarders on NMH's 1,565-acre campus, most of which is along the scenic Connecticut River.

23. Deerfield Academy

Location: Deerfield, Massachusetts

Tuition: $54,720

Enrollment:638

Deerfield Academy provides 35% of its student body with $8 million in financial aid annually.In addition to participating academically, students are required to be involved in a cocurricular activity like community service, dance, theater, or sports. More than one-fourth of Deerfield's 330-acre campus is comprised of athletic fields, tennis courts, a fitness center, and a 5,900-square-foot boathouse along the Connecticut River.

It's great to land a job right out of college — but it's even more exciting when that job pays well. 

The Princeton Review recently compiled a list of the 25 colleges with the best career placement in the country, featured in the book "Colleges That Pay You Back: 2016 Edition," published in February, based on students' ratings of career services at their school. The ratings also took into account median starting and mid-career salaries for alumni, using data from PayScale.

Several of these schools, including the top three, focus strongly on engineering, technology, and other STEM-related fields, which typically earn higher than average salaries. 

Read on to see the 25 best colleges for landing a high-paying job right out of school.

SEE ALSO: The 25 best colleges for students who want to change the world

DON'T MISS: 25 colleges with alumni who will jump-start your career

25. Tufts University

Location: Medford, Massachusetts

Median starting salary: $53,800

Median mid-career salary: $119,700

No matter what students hope to do after graduation, the Tufts career center wants to help them get there. The center partners with students to develop the skills and contacts needed to start their careers through LinkedIn seminars, internship workshops, and information on alternative types of jobs and career paths. 

24. University of California at Berkeley

Location: Berkeley, California

Median starting salary: $60,200

Median mid-career salary: $119,100

"Berkeley’s greatest strengths are the amount of resources and opportunities it provides to students not only to allow them to explore numerous academic fields but to engage them in the community, in the country, and in the world," one student told the Princeton Review.

Berkeley lives up to this standard through interactive online courses on résumé building and cover letter writing, mock interviews with employers, opportunities to network with Cal grads, and more. 

23. Lehigh University

Location: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Median starting salary: $61,000

Median mid-career salary: $108,800

Students cite Lehigh's extensive career services, which include internship, externship, and co-op programs that help students gain real-world experience, as a major factor that drew them to the school, according to the Princeton Review. 

The school's career services office offers industry-specific advice for finding jobs and internships, as well as helpful links and resources for every major at the university. 

When deciding where to put down roots, many factors are in the eye of the beholder, such as climate, politics, or proximity to extended family.

Other aspects are coveted by nearly everybody: affordable housing, access to well-paying jobs, a low cost of living, good schools, and quality healthcare. In its recently released ranking of the best places to live in America, U.S. News & World Report gathered data on these crucial components for the 100 most populous US cities.

They then categorized the data into five indexes for each city — job market, value, quality of life, desirability, and net migration — to definitively rank these major metro areas. You can read U.S. News' full methodology here.

Scores for "value," a blend of annual household income and cost of living, and "quality of life," which accounts for crime, college readiness, commute, and other factors, are included below on a 10-point scale, as well as the city’s population and median annual salary.

Keep reading to discover the 50 best places to live in America.

SEE ALSO: The 20 cities where Americans work the hardest

NOW WATCH: REAL-ESTATE WARS: Inside the class and culture fight that's tearing San Francisco apart

50. Columbus, Ohio

Population: 1,948,188

Median annual salary: $46,470

Quality of life: 6.1

Overall value: 7.2

The spirit of Columbus is inextricably linked to Ohio State University — and of course its football team — which calls the city home. Residents love to cheer on the Buckeyes year-round, but Columbus isn’t just a college town. Head to the Short North Arts District for shopping and gallery hopping, get outside at one of the many parks surrounding the city, or take in some culture at the Museum of Art or the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

49. Kansas City, Missouri

Population: 2,040,869

Median annual salary: $46,800

Quality of life: 6.3

Overall value: 7.6

Don’t call it a flyover city. Innovation, creativity, and a celebrated history combine to make Kansas City a hub of activity. In addition to a low cost of living and an abundance of jobs, residents enjoy exploring the city’s thriving art scene, cheering on the Royals during baseball season, and noshing on Kansas City’s signature style of barbecue — slow cooked and topped with a tomato-based sauce.

48. Phoenix, Arizona

Population: 4,337,542

Median annual salary: $45,840

Quality of life: 6.2

Overall value: 6.8

Come for the weather, stay for the city: Phoenix boasts more sunny days per year than any other city in the US, according to a local expert. But it’s the thriving job market, variety of shops and restaurants, and easy access to numerous outdoor activities — think everything from hiking to paddleboarding — that keep residents happy long-term.

Big cities aren't for everyone. But America's best metropolises have become magnets for people looking to find a great job and start a new, exciting life. 

In its recently released ranking of the best places to live in America, U.S. News & World Report gathered data on the 100 most populous US cities. Among the factors they considered: affordable housing, access to well-paying jobs, a low cost of living, good schools, and quality healthcare (you can read U.S. News' full methodology here). 

U.S. News separately ranked the best mega-cities on their list, defined as the major metros with populations above 2.5 million people. Business Insider has included the top-12 big cities from that list.

Scores for "value," a blend of annual household income and cost of living, and "quality of life," which accounts for crime, college readiness, commute, and other factors, are included below on a 10-point scale, as well as the city’s population and median annual salary.

Keep reading to discover America's 12 best big cities to live in right now.

SEE ALSO: The 20 cities where Americans work the hardest

NOW WATCH: REAL-ESTATE WARS: Inside the class and culture fight that's tearing San Francisco apart

12. Atlanta, Georgia

Population: 5,455,053

Median annual salary: $48,750

Quality of life: 5.8

Overall value: 7.1

The premier metropolis of southeastern America, Atlanta blends southern charm and big-city hustle and bustle. It offers residents a below-average cost of living and access to major employers like CNN, Delta, The Home Depot, and Coca-Cola. 

Parks are plentiful, and other popular attractions include Civil War museums, the Georgia Aquarium, and the city's beloved professional baseball team, the Atlanta Braves. 

11. Phoenix, Arizona

Population: 4,337,542

Median annual salary: $45,840

Quality of life: 6.2

Overall value: 6.8

Come for the weather, stay for the city: Phoenix boasts more sunny days per year than any other city in the US, according to a local expert. But it’s the thriving job market, variety of shops and restaurants, and easy access to numerous outdoor activities — think everything from hiking to paddleboarding — that keep residents happy long-term.

10. Tampa, Florida

Population: 2,851,235

Median annual salary: $43,420

Quality of life: 6.7

Overall value: 5.4

Tampa’s laid-back atmosphere, warm weather, and barrage of entertainment options make it feel like a trip to paradise. “Living in the Tampa Bay is like being on vacation all year,” said a local expert.

Tampa hasn’t been overtaken by tourists, however. It retains several niche communities, including a strong Cuban influence in historic Ybor City, formerly known as the “cigar capital of the world.”

Finding a great job that comes with a significant salary boost is one of the top reasons to move to a new city.

In its recently released ranking of the best places to live in America, U.S. News & World Report gathered data on the 100 most populous US cities. Among the factors it considered were affordable housing, a low cost of living, good schools, quality healthcare, and access to well-paying jobs. You can read U.S. News' full methodology here.

Business Insider reranked these cities based on median annual salary to find the 20 where residents earn the most. They don't all rank highly on U.S. News' overall list, given higher costs of living and other factors, so we've included each city's overall ranking for comparison's sake. For instance, Chicago ranks at No. 20 in terms of salary, but it came in only at No. 90 on the list of 100.

Of the 100 best places to live in the US, here are 20 where you can land the highest-paying jobs:

SEE ALSO: The 20 cities where Americans work the hardest

DON'T MISS: REAL-ESTATE WARS: Inside the class and culture fight that's tearing San Francisco apart

20. Santa Rosa, California

Population: 491,790

Median annual salary: $49,800

Overall rank on best places to live list: 62

Just 55 miles north of San Francisco sits Santa Rosa, one of Sonoma County's premier wine-country towns. According to US News' local expert, Santa Rosa is an originator of the farm-to-table movement and "a haven for bicyclists, who train on its rural western roads and visit en masse for two major cycling events: the Amgen Tour of California and the Levi's GranFondo."

The job market in Santa Rosa is powered by tourism: 9% of residents work in the industry, mainly at local farms, wineries, and brewpubs.

19. Chicago, Illinois

Population: 9,516,448

Median annual salary: $50,410

Overall rank on best places to live list: 90

The Midwest's largest city may have a couple of drawbacks, including frigid winters and a high cost of living, but Chicago is also host to a bevy of corporations — 31 in the Fortune 500 — that can set residents up with a high-paying salary, including Boeing, United Airlines, Kraft, and Allstate.

Chicago also has a dynamic restaurant scene — far more than just the deep-dish pizza the city is famous for — as well as world-class museums, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Lollapalooza music festival.  

18. Portland, Oregon

Population: 2,288,796

Median annual salary: $50,710

Overall rank on best places to live list:20

Portland isn't for everybody — its slogan is "Keep Portland Weird," after all. But one local expert asserts that it's a "well-rounded city with more than just the offbeat shops and events" and a population that has "more academic degrees than the national average." An annual job-growth rate of 2.9% per year is attributed to roots in the technology sector, including major employer Intel Corp., as well as the 6,000-employee headquarters for Nike, about 7 miles outside Portland.

Today's most sophisticated aircraft are the things of science fiction.

In a few years, drones that can fit in the palm of a person's hand and 117-foot-wingspan behemoths capable of launching satellites into space could both be a reality.

At the same time, drone and advanced-fighter technologies will spread beyond the US and Europe, and countries including China, Russia, and Iran may have highly advanced aerial capabilities.

Here's our look at the most game-changing aircraft of the past few years — and the next few to come.

VIDEO: 11 game-changing military planes from the last 15 years

F-35 Lightning II

The F-35 program may cost as much as $1.5 trillion over its lifetime. But the plane is also supposed to be the most fearsome military aircraft ever built, a plane that can dogfight, provide close air support, and carry out bombing runs, all with stealth capabilities, a high degree of maneuverability, and the ability to take off and land on aircraft carriers.

It hasn't quite worked out that way so far, and problems with everything from the plane's software system to its engines has delayed its deployment and pushed its costs upward. And it isn't nearly as effective at close air support as existing platforms such as the A-10.

But the US has more than 1,700 F-35s on order. Like it or not, the F-35 will be the US' workhorse warplane for decades to come.

F-22 Raptor

The predecessor to Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II is the single-seat, twin-engine F-22 Raptor, currently the most advanced combat-ready jet.

The US is the only country that flies the F-22 thanks to federal law that prohibits the jet from being exported. Lockheed Martin built 195 jets before the last one was delivered to the US Air Force in May 2012. Despite the program's cost and the jet's advanced features, it saw combat for the first time relatively recently, during the opening phase of the bombing campaign against the Islamic State in mid-2014.

T-50

Russia's Su-50, also known under the prototype name of the T-50 PAK-FA, is the Kremlin's fifth-generation fighter and its response to the F-35.

Though still in prototype, Moscow thinks the Su-50 will ultimately be able to outperform the F-35 on key metrics such as speed and maneuverability. The stealth capabilities of the Su-50, however, are believed to be below those of the F-22 and the F-35.

The Kremlin plans to introduce the Su-50 into service by 2016. Once the plane is combat-ready, it will serve as a base model for the construction of further variants intended for export. India is already codesigning an Su-50 variant with Russia, and Iran and South Korea are possible candidates to buy future models of the plane.

Each state has a ton of public high schools, but some really stand out.

Niche, a company that researches and compiles information on schools, just released its 2016 rankings of the best public high schools in the US. We took a look at which school earned the top slot in every state.

The ranking examined over 100,000 schools based on 27 million reviews from more than 300,000 students and parents.

They rated schools in areas like academics, teachers, student culture and diversity, and resources and facilities. (Read more about the methodology here.) Many are charter or magnet schools, meaning they pull in qualified students from around their districts.

SEE ALSO: The 25 best public high schools in America

DON'T MISS: The 50 smartest private high schools in America

ALABAMA: Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School

Location: Montgomery

Academics: A+

Student culture & diversity: A

Teachers: A+

Resources & facilities: B-

"Providing students with a tough and rigorous academic environment, Loveless consistently develops [students] that colleges are actively seeking," one senior said. "The school makes you appreciate the value of a good education, and instills motivating values in the students."

ALASKA: Unalaska Junior/Senior High School

Location: Unalaska

Academics: N/A

Student culture & diversity: N/A

Teachers: N/A

Resources & facilities: N/A

"Most of our teachers know the students personally," one junior reported of the small school, which earned an overall A+ grade from Niche. "All of our teachers encourage us to do our best and get help if needed. They are usually available before and after school for anyone who needs it."

ARIZONA: University High School

Location: Tucson

Academics: A+

Student culture & diversity: A

Teachers: A+

Resources & facilities: C-

"This school is challenging but definitely worth it," one sophomore said. "If you put in the work, this school will prepare you very well for college."

Another sophomore noted, "University High School is a unique school that gives students the freedom to express themselves through their academic experiences. Teachers are overall caring, and the variety of AP classes offered give a fantastic head-start for college."