Think you can’t afford a quality Christian education? Think again.
Our desire is that families who are committed to the philosophy and values of The Habersham School are able to partner with us to provide their children with an excellent classical Christian education. Because of that, we offer a personalized approach to tuition through our Indexed Tuition model for families with students in Kindergarten through Grade 12. Your tuition will be set based on your family’s income and expenses as well as your family’s assets.
Tuition is no longer a one-size-fits-all model at Habersham.
The Habersham School is thrilled to partner with your family! We understand that there is great diversity in families’ incomes and assets. Our Indexed Tuition program recognizes those differences and provides a range of tuition so that we charge the rates that are right for our families. An Application for Enrollment must be submitted (but not completed) in order for Indexed Tuition determinations to be shared with prospective families.
Indexed Tuition applications for the 2023-24 school year open December 1.
Does my family qualify?
Annual Income
Assets & Debts
Family Size
Habersham evaluates the entirety of a family’s financial situation, such as annual income, assets and debts, and the number of students attending tuition-paying K-12 schools to determine their tuition rate. This immediately allows families to see the potential cost of their education.
Please find an example of indexed median tuition rates below. If you see your income reflected in one of the tiers, you may qualify for indexed tuition depending on your personal financial circumstances. Below we have provided median tuition rates based on our 2022-23 data to illustrate what you can anticipate paying if you qualify for an Indexed Tuition rate.
FAQs
Indexed Tuition is a program that reflects Habersham’s commitment to providing access to classical Christian education for families of all income levels. Indexed Tuition allows families to qualify for an indexed tuition rate based on their unique financial circumstances.
This is not a loan program. The amount of reduced tuition will never need to be “repaid.”
Any prospective or current family with students in kindergarten to grade 12 may apply for Indexed Tuition if they are concerned about affording the full tuition rate at The Habersham School. Click here to view Tuition Information.
To determine if a family qualifies for Indexed Tuition, Habersham partners with FACTS, a third-party financial processor of Indexed Tuition applications for independent schools across the country. FACTS determines a family’s ability to pay tuition based upon an “Estimated Family Contribution” (EFC) calculation that takes into account many of the factors that make up a family’s overall financial picture, including but not limited to income, assets, household size, unusual expenses, and family size.
The Indexed Tuition Committee evaluates each application in a fair, consistent, and confidential manner. We take time to understand the nuances and unique circumstances of each family.
Yes. Indexed Tuition is available for families with students in grades Pre-K4 through 12. The availability of Indexed Tuition may vary based on the entering grade level, space in a grade, number of applicants, and budgeted funds. To be considered in the first round of tuition indexing, please apply and have all supporting documentation submitted by February 15, 2023. Beyond this initial date, applications are considered on a rolling basis. Indexed tuition rates are communicated to applicants within 4 weeks of submission of the application and all supporting documents. Families must apply within the established deadlines and qualify to receive Indexed Tuition.
Families who receive an Indexed Tuition rate can expect to receive similar amounts of funding each year if their financial circumstances remain the same. However, every family must reapply for Indexed Tuition each year and meet all stated deadlines. If the current financial picture for a family changes significantly, the amount of Indexed Tuition will be adjusted accordingly to reflect the new amount of demonstrated need.
Habersham requires that, to be considered for Indexed Tuition, each parent/guardian household must submit a separate Indexed Tuition application along with all tax documents and forms. Consideration of all available resources from both parents/guardians and their spouses is based on the principle that a family’s contribution for education is a reflection of “the ability to contribute, not the willingness to contribute,” which is standard FACTS policy.
After Habersham determines an Indexed Tuition rate for the student, it is the responsibility of the parents to determine a payment schedule structure.
If a parent is no longer involved in the life of the child in any way, please speak directly with Habersham’s Indexed Tuition coordinator, Clay Hining, at admissions@thehabershamschool.org to determine how to proceed.
Click here to view Tuition Information.
We understand that there is great diversity in families’ incomes and assets. Our Indexed Tuition program recognizes those differences and provides a range of tuition so that we charge the rates that are right for our families.
Peer schools with similar models have found that it changes perceptions about affordability and increases the number of prospective families considering a private classical Christian education, which in turn enriches a school’s student body and the overall community.
Habersham partners with FACTS to process Indexed Tuition applications. Every year families submit a Parent Financial Statement (PFS) to FACTS, which processes the information and provides an analysis.
Habersham has a generous Indexed Tuition budget; however, it is not unlimited. To be considered in the first round of tuition indexing, please apply and have all supporting documentation submitted by February 15, 2023. Beyond this initial date, applications are considered on a rolling basis. Indexed tuition rates are communicated to applicants within 4 weeks of submission of the application and all supporting documents. It is required that families follow the Indexed Tuition timeline in order to receive full consideration.
No. Admission applications and Indexed Tuition applications are reviewed separately, and submitting an application for Indexed Tuition has no bearing on an applicant’s admissibility.
Unfortunately, not. While Habersham makes a considerable investment in the program each year, we are not able to offer Indexed Tuition to every student who qualifies for both admission and Indexed Tuition due to a finite amount of funds available.
All Indexed Tuition applications are confidential. Faculty and administrators are not privy to any family’s financial materials, nor are they aware of which families apply for Indexed Tuition.
In the case of applications from multiple households, all financial information is kept strictly confidential, and at no time will one household have access to the other’s information.
In fact, Habersham considers all Indexed Tuition decisions to be confidential agreements between the school and the recipient family and expects both parties to treat them that way.
Additional Scholarships
Arete Scholars Fund
The Arete Scholars Fund awards need-based scholarships to qualifying families. The Arete application is separate from the FACTS application, and a family may submit applications to both organizations.
Thomas C. Welch III Scholarship
In honor of the late Thomas Welch and with the generous spirit of his wife, Lucia Welch, the Thomas C. Welch III Scholarship is extended to current students at the Habersham School who embody character and academic achievement that promotes The Habersham School’s stated Mission and Vision. Eligible students from the 8th-11th grades are eligible for nomination.