AFFORDING PARISH
For
Prospective Families
2025 - 2026 School Year
PLEASE JOIN US FOR A TUITION ASSISTANCE WEBINAR
October 17, 2024 at 6:00 p.m.
November 13, 2024 at 12:00 p.m.
Learn more about our tuition assistance philosophy and program and get details on how to apply.
Please visit Ravenna to register for the webinar or email jbaldwin@parish.org.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Juli Baldwin | Director of Financial Assistance | jbaldwin@parish.org | 972-852-8800
Contacto de Español | Elisa Cantu-Garcia | ecantu-garcia@parish.org | 972-852-8828
PARISH.ORG
972.239.8011
TuiTion and PaymenT Plans
Tuition & Fees
We understand that a Parish education is a significant investment but one that we believe will return life-long benefits to your child. Tuition information for each grade is available on our Tuition Schedule.
Parish tuition and fees include:
• Daily all-you-can-eat lunch
• Parents’ Association dues
• Student access to divisional learning specialists and social-emotional counselors (services provided by The Gilman Study are additional)
• Most pieces of athletic uniforms for 7th – 12th grade
• Upper School
• Books for most Upper School Math, English and Science courses
• Math and Writing Labs
• Class retreat fees
• Senior fees
• College guidance and planning
• Middle School
• Books and supplies for all grades
• Class trip fees for 5th and 6th grades (7th and 8th grade trip fees to Catalina Island and Washington, DC are additional)
• Lower School
• Books, materials and supplies for all grades
• Field trips and transportation
Additional Expenses
Additional expenses vary from student to student based on grade, activities and family choices. Below are a few additional expenses families will want to consider:
• Uniforms: $300 to $600, depending on which pieces are purchased, how many are purchased and where they are purchased
• Laptop for students in 5th – 12th grade: Parish utilizes the “bring your own device” model so families can purchase the laptop that fits their needs. Laptops meeting the device requirements generally start at $500.
• Upper School textbooks: $100 - $250 total, depending on course selection
• Extracurricular activities: $200 - $1000 total, depending on the activities chosen
• Graduation attire: $175 - $300, depending on selection
• Extended day: After-school care is offered for students in PreK through 6th grade. Cost varies by grade and options chosen. Information and registration can be found here.
Payment Plans
Parish offers three tuition and fee payment plans to meet families’ needs:
• One payment due June
• Two payments due June and December, plus finance fee
• Ten payments due June, July, August, September, October, November, December, January, March and April, plus finance fee
Other Ways To Help Pay for an Independent School Education
• Flexible spending accounts: If your employer offers a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, these funds may be used to pay for Pre-Kindergarten and for after school care and summer camp for children through age 13 if it enables parents to work.
• Section 529 plans: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 allows use of Section 529 savings to pay for private, public or religious elementary, middle and high school tuition up to $10,000 per year, per child.
Parish Episcopal School does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. This information is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.
TuiTion AssisTAnce
Parish Episcopal School is committed to fostering an inclusive community, including students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Parish’s tuition assistance program provides accessibility and affordability and ensures that children admitted to Parish have the opportunity to attend and flourish regardless of their family’s financial resources.
Parish’s tuition assistance philosophy is based on the principle that each family contributes to their student’s tuition to the extent they are financially able. No family should assume that a Parish education is out of reach solely for financial reasons. Tuition assistance is determined by a family’s calculated ability to pay educational expenses and the availability of funds each year.
Tuition assistance is provided in the form of tuition-reducing grants for tuition and fees. Grants are not discounts, but rather actual dollars credited to the student’s tuition account. They are not loans and do not need to be repaid. Parish does not offer full-tuition grants. Some students who receive tuition assistance may be eligible for additional financial assistence to help defray some of the costs of attendance over and above tuition.
In support of our commitment to current families, the priority for tuition assistance is given to returning students. Tuition assistance is very limited for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten.
Parish Episcopal School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity or other applicable protected classification in the administration of its admission and education policies, financial assistance programs, athletic programs and other administered activities. See parish.org/admission/tuition-assistance for full details on Parish’s Tuition Assistance Practices.
TuiTion AssisTAnce FAQs
Will applying for tuition assistance affect my child’s admission chances?
No. The admission application process and tuition assistance application process are separate. Admission committees do not know which students have applied for tuition assistance. We encourage families who think they might need tuition assistance to apply by the deadline, as funds may not be available at a later date.
Does Parish offer scholarships?
Parish does not offer merit-based academic, athletic or arts scholarships or full-tuition grants. We do offer a few named scholarships for students with significant financial need.
How are tuition assistance grants determined?
Tuition assistance grants are determined by a family’s calculated ability to pay educational expenses and the availability of funds each year. Families requesting tuition assistance should plan, budget and adjust spending to demonstrate that an independent school education is a family priority.
Parish works with Clarity, a third-party platform, to collect applications and verify families’ financial information. Parish uses the amount that Clarity calculates a family can pay toward tuition as a starting point. While household income is the most significant factor in determining ability to pay, the calculation is also influenced by family assets and debts, unusual expenses, extenuating circumstances, family size and number of children in tuition-charging schools.
When determining the final grant, Parish also considers lifestyle choices and discretionary spending such as second homes, vacations, club memberships, club sports, financial support to other family members, charitable contributions and vehicle expenses.
In keeping with the principle that each family bears the primary responsibility for financing a student’s education, for families requesting tuition assistance, both parents should be fully employed to the best of their abilities. With a few exceptions, an imputed income will be added for any able parent who is not providing income when calculating a family’s ability to pay.
Will we qualify for tuition assistance?
Given the number of factors that affect the calculation of a family’s ability to pay (see previous page), it is difficult to predict how much tuition assistance a student will qualify for, if any. For the 2024-2025 school year, 91% of enrolled tuition assistance applicants received some level of assistance. The following table offers examples of students who received tuition assistance for the current school year. These examples are for illustrative purposes only and should not be used to assume or estimate a grant for your student.
FAMILY INCOME
- $100,000 5/5
- $175,000 *
- $25,000
- $30,585 $300,001 - $350,000 ** 20/21 $3,000 - $30,375 $6,000 - $33,975
$350,001 - $400,000 ** 7/8 $4,605 - $25,875 $10,500 - $21,200
Using the first line as an example, 10 families with incomes ranging from $50,000 to $75,000 applied for tuition assistance, and all 10 families received grants. Those grants ranged from $8,975 to $37,350. The amount of tuition the families in that income range paid was between $500 and $28,000 per child. Please note that Parish does not offer full-tuition grants. The minimum tuition contribution is $500.
* Please note that to qualify for a larger award in this range, families typically had more than one child in a tuition-charging school or large family size. ** Please note that to qualify for any award in this range, families typically had multiple children in tuition-charging schools, large family size or two households.
Do both parents need to apply for tuition assistance?
An independent school education is a family decision and commitment. In cases of divorce, separation, or parents who never married, custodial and non-custodial parents (as well as stepparents and legal guardians) are required to complete the application and submit required documents. All information is strictly confidential, and no parent will have access to another parent’s financial information.
If a parent refuses to complete the application, an imputed income will be added for purposes of calculating the family’s ability to pay. If a parent has sole custody, please request an affidavit from the Financial Assistance Office.
Tuition assistance grants are awarded to the student, and the parents determine how the tuition balance will be paid. Although the school is not bound by divorce agreements or court orders, they are taken into consideration in determining grants.
Do we need to reapply for tuition assistance each year?
Yes. The amount of assistance varies from year to year based on available funds and a family’s changing financial situation. As a family’s financial situation improves, assistance decreases accordingly. Should a family’s financial situation weaken, the level of assistance could increase if funds are available.
Is there assistance for extra costs associated with attending Parish?
Parish provides eligible students with supplemental support - financial assistance for some of the costs of attending Parish over and above tuition, such as uniforms, textbooks, laptops, etc. Not all students who receive tuition assistance qualify for this additional support. Students who qualify will be notified by the Financial Assistance office.
How to Apply for tuition AssistAnce
Application Deadline: February 7, 2025
1. Indicate your intent to apply for tuition assistance. Complete your admission application in Ravenna by January 10, 2025 and check the box indicating you intend to apply for tuition assistance. Admission committees do not know which students have applied for tuition assistance. Do not wait to receive an admission decision before applying for tuition assistance, as funds may not be available.
2. Complete the tuition assistance application by February 7, 2025. Parish works with Clarity, a third-party platform, to collect and verify families’ financial information. Go to https://auth.clarityapp.com/en/signup/ to complete the application online (application also available in Spanish).
• Clarity offers a streamlined, mobile-friendly application that can typically be completed in 30 minutes. However, you can save your application and come back later by clicking the “Save and continue” button at the bottom of each page.
• When creating your account, be sure to use an email you regularly check, as we may need to communicate with you about your application.
• Families applying for assistance should disclose all sources of income, including cash-based businesses, cash gifts from family members, tuition help from family members, 529 plans, etc. Families applying for tuition assistance are expected to apply for scholarships and tuition assistance whenever available from siblings’ schools, colleges and universities and select sport organizations if applicable.
• Parish does not offer full-tuition grants. When asked how much you can contribute toward your child’s educational expenses, do not answer $0. Carefully consider what you are able to pay toward tuition rather than what you would like to pay.
• Clarity charges a $60 fee to process the application. For families who qualify based on their financial information, the fee will be automatically waived by Clarity when the application is submitted.
• If you have questions while completing the application, in-app support is available through the “Help” button at the bottom left of the screen, as well as via email at support@clarityapp.com or phone at 206-210-3752, in both English and Spanish. Clarity also offers a step-by-step guide to assist parents with completing the application that can be found at parish.org/admission/tuition-assistance.
3. Submit required documents. Tax documents are an integral part of the application. The following documents are required in order to be considered for a tuition assistance grant from Parish:
• 2023 tax return, including all schedules, and W-2s for each salaried parent. For most applicants, Clarity eliminates the need to upload your 2023 tax documents by transferring them directly from the IRS. Within the application, sign Form 4506c giving Clarity permission to request your tax return.
• 2022 tax return, including all schedules, and W-2s for each salaried parent.
• Most recent paystub for each salaried parent.
• If a parent/guardian owns a business, 2023 and 2022 business tax returns are required for each business owned (Form 1040 Schedules C and E for sole proprietors, Form 1065 and K-1 for partnerships, Form 1120 for C corporations and Form 1120S and K-1 for S-Corps).
• Other documents may be requested once your application is reviewed.
• All documents other than the 2023 documents can be uploaded through the “Document Requests” tab in the Clarity application. Please do not send documents to Parish. If you do not have a home scanner, you can use the Microsoft Lens App (Apple or Android), the Google Drive App (Android) or the Notes App (Apple) to scan your documents. Be sure to combine all pages from one document into one file (for example, all the pages of your tax return should be in one document).
4. Receive notice of tuition assistance decision concurrent with admission decision on March 14, 2025.
5. Accept your tuition assistance grant, if applicable, complete your enrollment contract and pay a non-refundable initial tuition deposit. Deadline for grant acceptance is two weeks after receipt unless otherwise noted.
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