Paying For It

Tuition at private schools ranges from $5,000 a year for primary grades in parochial schools to over $60,000 a year for boarding school. Like the wide range of private schools available, the costs vary greatly for several reasons. Sound management and healthy endowments are two major reasons some schools seem to be able to offer more for less.

Remember: American private schools receive no state funding, yet they must comply with all the laws and regulations which affect their daily operation. Retrofitting older buildings with new technologies, maintaining extensive physical plants, coping with soaring health and liability insurance, legal, and energy costs are just a few of the factors which come into play in determining tuition fees. While private schools are theoretically exempt from property taxes, most of them make substantial contributions to their local towns and cities to help offset the cost of maintaining police and fire protection. The overhead at a private school is enormous and complex with all the attendant impact on fees.

There are a host of ‘extras’ which also must be factored into the cost of an American private school education. Textbook and academic material fees, sports fees, clothing, uniforms, transportation to and from school, application fees – the list seems endless. Most schools will provide a breakdown of the ‘extras’ for you upon request.

Financial Aid

Financial aid for expats is generally not available. The assumption is that your company will pay for your child’s education as part of your compensation package.

You have just paid $45,000 for a year's tuition and fees at St. Sedgewick's.

• You are all set, right? Not exactly.
• What happens if your child suddenly becomes sick before the end of the school year?
• What if circumstances beyond your control force you to withdraw her from school in March?
• What if he is expelled? In brief, you are obligated to pay the entire year's tuition and fees regardless of whether your child completes the year or not.

What Are My Options?

The only remedy you have is to sign up for the school's refund plan.

• It typically acts like insurance in the event that your child withdraws before the end of the year.
• The insurance plan will pay for the unused/remaining portion of your child's time at the school.
• You contracted to pay for an entire year when you signed the contract with the school at the time she was accepted.

You do not want to be out of pocket. Neither does the school.

• This is why tuition refund insurance is an important part of your planning for a private school education.
• Tuition refund policies are in place at every private school, regardless of whether it is day or boarding, large or small, elementary/nursery school, or high school.

St. Mary's School in Raleigh, North Carolina, has a policy that is the sort of thing you can expect at most schools:

"To minimize the loss to a family due to early departure or change in

Over the past two decades, private schools have developed very generous financial aid programs.

• This has happened for a variety of reasons.
• But the most compelling reason is that private schools want to diversify their student bodies.
• They want to attract academically well-qualified applicants whose families cannot afford the enormous expense of sending their children to private schools.

Generous financial aid programs are one way of helping schools achieve that goal.

Here's how Exeter describes why it offers the very generous financial aid it does:

"Socioeconomic diversity has been a characteristic of Phillips Exeter Academy from our founding. It's built into our ethic—to attract and teach 'youth from every quarter'—and it's crucial to the nature of our community and our classrooms."

St. Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire, expresses its commitment to financial aid as follows:

"We are committed to making St. Paul’s an affordable option for families."

To honor this commitment, we will:

"Consider a household income of $80,000 per year or less as qualifying for full financial aid. Families with an annual income of less than $200,000 will not pay more than 10% of their income toward tuition per year."

Deerfield Academy explains its financial aid as follows:

“Deerfield’s commitment to affordability and access in the form of need-based financial aid is historic, deep, and central to its educational mission. It is founded on the idea—beautifully articulated over a century ago when Frank L.

Some people can write a check for a year's tuition and never miss it. But with private school tuitions running into the $30s for day school and getting close to $50,000 for boarding school, we must be creative.

Here are some options for paying for a private school education.

• Pay the fees in two installments.
• Sign up with a tuition payment service and pay monthly installments.
• Borrow the funds you need.
• Apply for financial aid.
• Investigate other funding sources.

Pay the fees in two installments.

Paying the fees in two installments is common in many educational institutions to ease the financial burden on families. This method allows parents or guardians to divide the total tuition cost into two equal or nearly equal parts, generally paid at the beginning of each semester or term. It provides a balanced approach, ensuring that the entire amount isn't due all at once. This can help families budget their finances better without having to worry about paying the whole sum upfront.

Private schools generally render their bills in early summer and late fall for payment within 30 days. These invoices will include one-half of the academic year's tuition charge as well as incidentals. Incidentals include fees for items such as technology, sports, activities, laundry, and so on. Be sure to ask whether the school offers a cash discount.

Sign up with a tuition payment service and pay monthly installments.

Some families prefer to spread out the tuition costs over several months, making monthly payments more manageable. By

Starting a new year always brings much excitement as well as a little trepidation. In terms of planning, getting a preview of what you need to take to school with you can help settle nerves. While traditionally, private schools are better stocked in terms of student supplies, it is still customary for students to bring their personal school supplies at the beginning of each school year.

Your school supply list will depend on what grade you are going in and what school you go to. Each school has its own way of doing things. Sometimes, schools will charge a supply fee and provide the student with almost everything they need. Sometimes, schools will ask for items that become communal property, i.e. computer paper, tissue boxes, and even pencils. More than likely, the private school student will be asked to bring in their personal school supplies which they will use the ensuing year.

The purpose of this article is to give you a preview of what the typical private school supplies list will be like, provide shopping tips and give you our favorite online school supplies shopping sources. Our example supply lists are broken down: one for elementary students and one for high school students. Remember to check with your school for their actual list before you start shopping.

Elementary Private School Supplies

At the elementary school level more so than at the high school level, supplies can end up as "communal" in nature, since students tend to stay