A kindergarten more competitive than Harvard: By the numbers

Rajeev Bhaman and Gala Prabhu could not be more proud of their daughter, who will begin classes this month at one of the most competitive schools in the country. No, not Harvard. She's been admitted into the kindergarten at New York City's Trinity School, which has an acceptance rate lower than Harvard: Only 2.4 percent of new applicants (that is, those students without siblings at the school or another connection) got into the class. Here, a stats-based look at how the two elite institutions compare:

62

Number of kindergarten seats at the Trinity School, "one of New York's most competitive schools," says Jenny Anderson at The New York Times

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756

Number of applicants for those 62 seats

33

Number of kindergarten seats automatically filled by siblings of Trinity students

11

Number of kindergarten seats that automatically went to children of alumni, "who also get a leg up"

1

Number of kindergarten seats that automatically went to the child of a Trinity staff member

17

Number of spaces remaining for the 711 prospective kindergarteners from families with no previous ties to Trinity

2.4

Percentage chance that each of those prospective kindergarteners would secure one of the 17 remaining seats

6.2

Acceptance rate at Harvard University, in percent. "Never has getting into Harvard… seemed so easy," says Andersen.

2,158

Number of freshmen admitted into Harvard's class of 2015, which starts school this fall

34,950

Number of applicants for that class — "the largest number of applicants ever," says Justin C. Worland at The Harvard Crimson

$36,870

Cost of yearly tuition at Trinity School, according to Babble

$36,305

Cost of yearly tuition at Harvard University, according to the school's official website

$60,200

Annual cost of attending Harvard, factoring in room and board, fees, and other expenses

$75,782

Cost per year to attend the most expensive grade school in the world, the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland, according to Britain's Daily Mail. Elizabeth Taylor, John Lennon, and Winston Churchill all sent their children there.

45

Percentage of students at Trinity School who are minorities. Many of New York's elite private schools are considering an end to preferential treatment for alumni and family members in order to increase diversity, says Andersen.

32

Percentage of students admitted into Harvard's class of 2015 who are minorities, according to the Crimson

Sources: Babble, Daily Mail, Harvard Crimson, Harvard.edu, NY Times