Admissions

Tuition Assistance

Making Waldorf education affordable.

Deadlines

Application deadlines for 2027 / 28

The Tuition Assistance application opens in mid-November. Limited aid may still be available after the dates below — contact the Finance Office to discuss your situation.

• Dec 1

  December 1, 2026

  Rising 9th-grade families (Early Decision)

  For families following the High School Early Decision admissions deadline.

• Dec 31

  December 31, 2026

  All other grades

  All grades K – 12, including rising 9th-grade families not following the Early Decision timeline.

The Process

Four steps from application to award

The Tuition Assistance Committee never sees your raw tax documents — only the confidential summary FACTS prepares.

By the numbers

What awards have looked like

Actual award data from the past two school years. Awards vary year to year based on application volume, household circumstances, and available funds.

What FACTS considers

How financial need is evaluated

FACTS evaluates your application against several factors. Each criterion below explains what the formula looks at.

• Annual Income +

  Pre-tax earnings from wages, personal investments, and business investments. The formula that determines a family's ability to pay considers expenses other than the IRS uses to calculate taxable income, so all tax schedules must be submitted. If parents or guardians live in separate households, both households' income and expenses are considered.
• Assets +

  Major assets, savings, land holdings, or investments add an income supplement to gross income. Home equity is based on the price paid for the home and the years it has been owned (usually undervaluing it). For most applicants, the inferred income from assets is a small factor. If the student has assets — savings, trust accounts, etc. — those are also included.
• Family Size +

  Living-allowance estimates are based on the number of people in a student's household. Income is adjusted for housing, food, and medical expenditures to derive available discretionary income.
• Other private school or college tuitions +

  Your assistance plan accounts for the number of family members — including adults — currently attending any tuition-charging elementary school, middle school, high school, or college.
• Unusual Expenses +

  The formula recognizes certain unusual expenses such as care of an aging grandparent, parent or guardian educational loan payments, legal fees, closing costs, and other items listed on the application.
• Discretionary costs +

  Only a portion of a family's discretionary income is expected to go toward tuition payments — the formula does not assume the full amount is available.
• Divorced, separated, or never-married parents +

  Both custodial and non-custodial parents or guardians (regardless of legal settlements) must submit a separate FACTS application. Tuition assistance is based on the family's overall ability to pay across both households.
• Multiple households or sole custody +

  Where parents share custody across two households, joint financial obligation is assumed and each parent is considered separately based on their share of tuition. If one parent claims 100% financial responsibility, a legal document demonstrating sole legal responsibility is required and only that parent submits a FACTS application.

Another option

First time at a private school?

If your family has a student in Kindergarten through 8th grade and is exploring private school for the first time, the BASIC Fund offers separate scholarships of up to $2,000 per child per school year. Awards are based on household size and income, on a first-come, first-served basis.

BASIC Fund is independent of Summerfield's tuition assistance program, with its own criteria and application.

Apply to BASIC Fund →