It’s one thing to be rich in New York City these days. It’s quite another to be able to afford private school.

The city’s top independent schools now charge around $65,000 a year and, increasingly, offer partial financial aid to parents who are among the highest earners in the country — but still make many millions of dollars less than the richest families in their communities.

This divide between the haves and have-mores helps tell the story of a city turned so upside down by rising prices that even the very upper end of the middle class is feeling squeezed.

Private schools are seen by many families as a crucial ladder to top colleges and social connections. New York City private schools have turned out some of the most influential people in America, including Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken; Jamie Dimon, the JPMorgan Chase chief executive; and several generations of Rockefellers and Kennedys.

“When these kids graduate from college, they will go to their friends’ parents for jobs,” said Dana Haddad, a former admissions director who now consults with parents hoping to get their children into private schools. “You can’t put a price on that.”

But if you had to, the schools’ financial aid calculators might be a good place to start.

Léman Manhattan Preparatory School’s tuition chart shows that families making up to $600,000 might qualify for at least some help if they had two children enrolled. Families earning up to $800,000 might also get aid if they had three children enrolled. Léman, in the Financial District, charges $67,300 a year for most grades.