TUITION & FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
From the beginning, providing access has been a critical value and philosophy of the school.
This is one reason why we adopted a Flexible Tuition model. As an independent school, tuition dollars support our work, but private donations allow the tuition to be set on an individual basis, providing access to more students regardless of financial means.
The Sage School – By the Numbers
$5,100 – $25,900
Flexible Tuition Range
For the 2024-2025 school year, the Flexible Tuition range is from $5,100 – $25,900 for all grades (6-12). Tuition is all-inclusive. All students participate in field studies and travel programs at no additional fee. However, The Sage School operates with a Flexible Tuition model which means we strive to set tuition based on the means of each family.
Tuition Calculator
Wondering how our flexible tuition would affect your family specifically? Try the following calculator to see the possible range of tuition for your family. Of course, there are many more factors to tuition decisions than this simple calculator can manage, but it can be a helpful starting point
Apply for Flexible Tuition
The Sage School has developed a new system to determine tuition levels.
Please utilize the link to apply for flexible tuition.
$2.5 Million in Support
Since its founding in 2009, The Sage School has raised over $2.5 million to support broad access to the school. We believe accessibility increases diversity, creates a school with a wider range of perspectives and augments the impact of our mission and vision – strengthening our students, our school, and our community.
20% Allocation
The Sage School is necessarily budget conscious and recognizes that we will not be able to meet everyone’s needs. We do our best, dedicating nearly 20% of our annual operating budget to support our tuition program.
Diverse + Inclusive
The Sage School strives to create a community that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Each family is expected to contribute to our community in many ways, with tuition being one vehicle of support. We recognize each family has different socioeconomic circumstances.
Tuition FAQs
Why do you have Flexible Tuition?
The Sage School is committed to making the school as open to as many families as we reasonably can. That means, on our end, we have sought to keep tuition low, we have sought to keep overhead low, and we have worked to develop a significant portion of our budget towards accessibility. Flexible Tuition fits more with the philosophy of the school. It allows us to serve people of various means and for those people to pay what is reasonable for their specific financial bracket. It doesn’t create a set of people who receive ‘aid’ who are pitted against those who don’t. Instead, it creates a community where everyone contributes an amount that fits within their means.
How do I apply for Flexible Tuition?
There is a simple application available on this page:
https://thesageschool.org/tuition/
The form is due by March 1 of each application year and must be filled out entirely and submitted by that date. If you apply to the school after that date, you can still apply via the same form, but it may be more challenging for the school to meet more needs beyond the March timeframe. There is also a calculator on the same webpage to give you a rough idea of what your tuition may be for the year. This, we find, is a helpful tool to give you a range of possible tuitions so you can begin to see what is realistic, although the range is no guarantee of an actual award amount.
Are there merit scholarships?
All Flexible Tuition is based on family need and capacity to pay. No merit scholarships are offered at The Sage School.
If I cannot pay any tuition, is that possible? Does everyone pay less than full
tuition?
Every family pays some tuition at The Sage School. A full 50% of our student body is paying less than the top tuition range, as we believe in the importance of creating a student body with diverse backgrounds and experiences. There are often more needs than we can reasonably meet but we do our best to ‘top off as many cups’ as we can. However, some applicants demonstrate a capacity to pay the maximum tuition range we offer. We do not, as a result, guarantee support to every applicant.
How is the information from my application handled?
Every year, the Tuition Committee (made up of the Head of School, the Head of Admissions, and other staff members) will review all of the applications and seek to balance the demands of all of the families with the capacity of the school to meet those needs.
Will the tuition I pay remain the same every year?
No. Families must update their financial information every year (unless they are not applying for Flexible Tuition). Family situations change every year, as does the school’s economic profile. Every year, a new calculation will be created for each family.
How will I be notified of my tuition?
The school will send each family a letter in April or May notifying them of their tuition for the coming year.
Are there other costs that I should budget for?
This tuition is all-inclusive. All students participate in field studies and travel programs at no additional fee. We have Chromebooks available for student use, and student texts are typically included. There may be a rare instance of a small fee for an activity, but in general, the tuition covers your child’s expenses.