Affording Independent School

Independent schools rely on tuition, annual fund-raising and endowments to finance their programs.  The mandate to provide the highest quality education means that the tuition costs are expensive.  An independent school education represents an investment in your child’s future.  Parents are encouraged to ask schools about their financial aid policies.

  • Tuition – the amount of money that the school asks the parent to pay.  Tuitions vary widely by grade and by school.  In comparing schools, find out the hours of operation for each school, whether before-school or after-school care is offered, whether there are any other additional fees for lunch, books, trips and other activities.  Some schools offer tuition insurance for an additional fee.
  • Financial Aid – available at most independent schools.  These monies are based upon the financial need of the family and do not need to be repaid.  Most schools allot monies to their financial aid budget each year to help ensure a diverse student body.
      • Request financial aid application and note the deadline for the financial aid application.
      • Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) from the School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS) is used by many schools as part of the financial aid determination process (www.nais.org).  This site has a lot of general information about financial aid and tuition payment.
      • Other commonly available loan programs used for independent school financing are
      • Ask the financial aid officer at each school to answer your specific questions directly.
      • While most schools only offer need-based aid, some schools also offer special scholarships based on criteria other than economic circumstances.  Merit scholarships are sometimes offered as are sibling discounts.

Independent School Resources