Tuition Assistance

Since Park’s founding in 1912, the school has sought to enroll the most capable and talented students. By supplementing family tuition contributions, our Tuition Assistance Program seeks to make a Park School education affordable for families from a wide range of economic backgrounds.

Our Tuition Assistance Program supports students in Kindergarten through Grade 12. In 2020, over $6.2 million was awarded to 317 students, including 56 new students. Household incomes for students participating in the Tuition Assistance Program range from under $35,000 to over $158,000.

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At Park School, we understand that affordability is relative, and each family situation is unique. For this reason, Park is committed to using a personalized assessment process to calculate tuition assistance. While every family is expected to pay some portion of education costs, these need-based grants help bridge the gap between what families can reasonably be expected to contribute and the full cost of a Park education.

Determining Family Contribution

To be consistent, objective, and equitable, Park, like many independent schools, relies on the needs analysis of the National Association of Independent Schools’ School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS). SSS considers many factors when estimating a family’s share of tuition payments. The most significant of these is family income, but others include: 

• Assets (investments, home equity, automobile, etc.).
• Family size.
• Number of children attending tuition-charging institutions.
• Age of parents.
• Current debt (credit cards, mortgages, other loans, etc.).

After an allowance is made for basic living expenses and taxes, the remaining funds are considered discretionary income, a portion of which is assumed available for education.

Because additional factors not evaluated by SSS may influence the amount of discretionary income available for education, we require further information be submitted as part of the tuition assistance application by way of a supplemental form. Therefore, Park’s calculated parental contribution may differ from that of SSS. For example, Park will add a full-time income for a parent able, but not currently working, and will disallow losses attributable to second homes, investment properties, hobby businesses, and certain types of depreciation. On the other hand, Park may allow certain expenses that are disallowed in the SSS calculation. We recognize that numbers on paper do not always paint an accurate financial picture. Therefore, we encourage you to speak with the Director of Enrollment Management and Tuition Assistance to ensure information is complete, accurate, and clear.

How to Apply

All families, whether currently enrolled or applying for admission, apply online for tuition assistance. The benefit of electronic filing is that Park receives information accurately and quickly, allowing for a prompt decision about your eligibility for tuition assistance. 

Beginning on October 2, apply at SOLUTIONSBYSSS.COM. 

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This secure website provides clear step-by-step instructions and online help to ensure successful submission of information. Note: Our school's SSS code is 5668.
Application deadline is December 1, 2020. 

• Click on the "Complete Your PFS" link to begin your Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS). Complete one PFS even if you have several children applying to the same or different schools. Parents who are divorced, separated, or who have never married, must each complete a PFS — one per household.  

• If you are new to SSS, you will create a username and password that will allow you to return to your PFS as often as needed. You will also be able to track the receipt of documents so you will know the status of your application. Returning users should log on with their established usernames to assure that all information submitted for your family is tracked properly.

• Submit all required documents to SSS.

• If you have technical questions about applying online, contact SSS Customer Service at 800-344-8328.

Any other questions should be directed to our office. Please call 410-339-4130 to schedule an appointment with the Director of Enrollment Management and Tuition Assistance.

Notification of Tuition Assistance Awards

Notification of tuition assistance determination to new admission applicants is included with decision letters available after 4 p.m. on February 18, 2021. This includes currently enrolled families with a child newly applying to Park, regardless of whether the family is already participating in the tuition assistance program. Once a family accepts a grant, the school will confirm it after reviewing the family's state and federal tax returns. The tax documents, including all schedules and W2 and 1099 forms, should be uploaded to the family's SSS account by April 1, 2021.

Unless awaiting an admission decision for additional children, currently enrolled families already participating in the tuition assistance program will receive a preliminary award letter during the re-enrollment period in January 2021. The award will be finalized after the school has reviewed the family's 2020 federal and state tax returns. The tax documents, including all schedules and W2 and 1099 forms, should be uploaded to the family's SSS account by April 1, 2021.

Currently enrolled families new to the tuition assistance program are notified of funding decisions by the third week of March 2021.

Important Policies

• Admission decisions are made without regard to financial need. Decisions about tuition assistance are made separately.
• Tuition assistance is available only for students applying for admission to Kindergarten through Grade 12.
• New applicants must complete the online tuition assistance process at Solutions by SSS by December 1, 2020.
  Note: Please include our school code (5668) on your application to assure that we receive your materials in a timely manner.
• Families enrolling at Park without the use of tuition assistance funding are expected to contribute at full tuition amounts in subsequent years. In the case of a change in family circumstances, including enrolling additional children at Park, or any other school requiring tuition, families may apply for tuition assistance consideration.