Donald Trump’s youngest son Barron will attend a private school in Maryland after he and his mother move into the White House this summer, the first lady announced Monday.
The announcement will likely save New York tens of thousands of dollars a day in police costs incurred by 11-year-old Barron and his mother Melania remaining in Manhattan while he finishes the semester at his current school.
While it was still not immediately clear when the president’s wife and youngest son would relocate to Washington, the school year at St Andrew’s starts September 5. The current school term is due to end next month.
In making the announcement, the first lady said St Andrew’s Episcopal School, 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the White House, was noted for “its diverse community and commitment to academic excellence.”
“The mission of St Andrew’s is ‘to know and inspire each child in an inclusive community dedicated to exceptional teaching, learning and service,’ all of which appealed to our family,” she said.
Barron Trump is the first presidential child to attend the school, where fees start at $23,490 for pre-Kindergarten through $40,650 for grades nine to 12.
Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, the two previous US presidents with school-age children in the White House, instead chose the private Sidwell Friends School in Washington.
St Andrew’s has 580 students, with an average student-teacher ratio of seven to one, according to its website.
The costs of protecting the first lady and her son have been hugely unpopular in New York, a largely Democratic-voting city.
Officials estimate it costs $127,000 to $146,000 a day to protect Trump’s family, which includes his eldest sons Donald Jr and Eric, who run the family business.
More than half a million people signed a petition demanding the first lady move into the White House or foot the expense of living in New York herself.
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