TUITION SCHEDULE 2024-2025
Fees (not applied toward tuition)
New Students: $395 application fee due at time of application (refunded if student is not accepted).
Returning Students: $200 per child due April 15, 2024. Payment may be made by cash/check or through Blackbaud Tuition Management. Unless, you notify Head of school of withdrawal, you will be automatically billed the re-enrollment fee due on that date.
Children’s House half-day (ages 2.5 to 4+ years)
Half-day (8:30am-noon) $8,580/year
Children’s House full-day (ages 2.5 to 6+ years)
Full day (8:30am-2:30pm) $11,100/year
Elementary (1st-6th grade ages 6-12+ years)
8:30am-3:30pm* $12,740/year**
Middle School (7th-8th grade ages 12-14+ years)
8:30am-3:30pm* $14,460/year
Note: The 2 week Residential Experience and the 1 week Peace Trip are not included in Tuition shown, but will be paid along with tuition (see page 2).
*2:45pm early dismissal on Wednesdays; included in tuition is classroom supervision until 3:30pm.
**Elementary Tuition includes the cost of the two overnight ‘Earth Experience’ trips students take each year. Not included with tuition is the annual $75 classroom fee; Montessori Aspect (aka before/after care); athletics and any other after school programs.
Note: Tuition rates include Earth Experiences for Elementary students. Not included in tuition is classroom fee of $75. Montessori Aspect (before/after care), athletics and after school programs are not included in tuition.
Blackbaud Tuition Management provides our online billing and payment system. They charge a $28 annual admin. fee per family account. Their monthly bills will include any of the following charges that may apply: Tuitions; Classroom Fees ($75); and any monthly MA (before/after care) Fees that might be due. For Middle School families, bills will also include applicable fees for both the two weeks Residential Experience and the one week Peace Trip. (Blackbaud does not bill for After School programs).
Sibling Discounts
Family with 2 attending children: 5% discount on total tuition
Family with 3 attending children: 7.5% discount on total tuition
Family with 4 or more attending children: discount determined by Head of School
TUITION PAYMENT OPTIONS
Annual (2% discount): One payment in full for tuition and any annual fixed fees, due July 15, 2024 by cash/check. Visa/MasterCard payments are accepted. There will be a 4% fee for bankcard charges to offset the School’s fee/costs. There is a $30 fee for failed transactions. MA (before/after care) may be billed monthly through Blackbaud Tuition Management, if preferred. There is a $28 per year Blackbaud admin fee.
Semi-annual (1% discount): Two payments of one-half tuition and any annual fees, due July 15, 2024 and January 15, 2025 by cash/check. Visa/MasterCard payments are accepted. There will be a 4% add on for bank fees charged. There is a $30 fee for failed transactions. MA (before/after care) may be billed monthly through Blackbaud Tuition Management, if preferred. There is a $28 per year Blackbaud admin fee.
Monthly: 12 monthly payments; July 15, 2024 through June 15, 2025 online via Blackbaud Tuition Management. There is a $28 per year Blackbaud admin fee. -
- Monthly payments are invoiced 20 days before your due date through e-mail from Blackbaud Tuition Management. If not paid after the due date, a late fee of $40 per month will apply.
- Payments are accepted through Blackbaud Tuition Management via checking account, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express. Credit/debit card transactions incur 4% convenience fee.
- For failed transactions, Blackbaud Tuition Management bills a $30 fee.
- Other ‘Monthly Payment Plan’ fees invoiced through Blackbaud will include: MA charges incurred (aka before/after care); $75 Classroom fees.; and the Middle School two weeks Residential Experience ($450), and the one week Peace Trip ($1,550).
- For students moving to a new level or starting school after the first instructional day, a prorated tuition is assessed based on the number of instructional days remaining in the school year.
Tuition contract: Contracts are sent in early May via email. Sign & return the contract via mail, e-mail or fax.
MONTESSORI ASPECT (BEFORE/AFTER CARE)
Hours of operation: 7:00 to 8:15am and 2:30-6:00pm (Children’s House) 3:30-6:00 pm (Elementary)
Rate: $8.00 per hour, per child ($3.00 per minute, per child after 6:00pm) billed monthly.
Pre-registered time cancellation policy: During school breaks parents must pre-register for Montessori Aspect. If illness or family emergency requires absence, a 24-hour notice of cancellation is required for fees to be waived. Without advance notification, fees associated with the pre-registered time will be billed.
RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE SCHOOL’S ANNUAL APPEAL FOR DONATIONS
All families are expected to contribute a minimum of $200 to the school’s Annual Appeal each year. These monies help close the 8-15% gap between tuition rates and the total annual cost of educating each FMES student; and also help support tuition assistance for lower income/financially distressed families, and those of our staff with students at the school.
Full participation in this effort each year by our student families is also of particular importance to larger outside donors/grantors, who consider this a very quantifiable factor to take into account when deciding which of numerous applicants are most deserving of the money they intend to donate.
EARLY WITHDRAWAL POLICY
We require 30 days written notice before a student is withdrawn. Complete early withdrawal policies are outlined in the FMES Parent/Student Handbook and summarized as follows:
- loss of tuition paid in July and August plus the repayment of any original discounts (e.g. 2% full payment discount)
- loss of paid fees
- a charge of one additional month’s tuition to help defray the school’s fixed annual costs
- payment of all Montessori Aspect and other accrued fees
- completion of all exit paperwork
TUITION ASSISTANCE
Financial assistance is intended to be temporary to our families is limited to, and reserved for, students beyond their first year of attendance. Parents should consult with the Head of School for more information and help in completing the request. All requests are due by April 15, 2023.
POSSIBLE TAX BENEFITS
Costs associated with the Children’s House Program (pre-kindergarten) and Montessori Aspect (MA) Program (before and after school care) may be considered child care expenses and qualify for the federal Child Care Tax Credit or be eligible for Flexible Spending Account spending (an account using pre-tax dollars to pay for qualifying expenditures). For more information on the Child Care Tax Credit, visit the IRS website and/or consult a qualified tax advisor. For Flexible Spending Accounts, contact your employer’s Human Resources Department.
For more information please email our Admissions Director or call 503.760.8220.
