Affording Village

Philosophy and Purpose

Village School, an independent elementary school, seeks to create a welcoming community that embraces diversity. The student body is comprised of a socioeconomically diverse population and valued by all members of the Village community. The Financial Aid Program seeks to provide financial assistance to those who would not otherwise be able to afford to attend our school.

Village School admits qualified students regardless of racial, religious, ethnic, national, or economic background. Village School feels the primary responsibility for financing private education rests with the family, and after the family’s own discretionary resources have been exhausted, families are encouraged to apply for financial aid to make up the difference between the cost of tuition and what the family can afford.

Contact Manuel Pardo, Director of Finance and Operations, with any questions regarding financial aid.

Criteria for Awarding Financial Aid

• The school will award financial aid to families that demonstrate financial need as calculated by the School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS), the entity that processes the financial aid applications, and subject to the school’s limited financial aid budget, relative need among all the applicants, sibling considerations, etc.
• Depending on any given year, the school may receive more applications that it can afford to give awards. Some families may qualify for aid but will receive no award due to the school’s limited budget for awarding grants.
• The school awards financial aid as a grant (a discount from tuition) and is not repayable to the school. Some factors determining the calculation of financial aid are: applicant family’s income, assets (cash, stocks, home equity, etc.), number of children to support, monthly expenses, debts, business income, etc.
• For new applicants to the school who happen to also have applied for financial aid, the decision to admit students to the school is made independent of the decision to award financial aid. Applicants may request a financial aid application packet from the Admissions Office or the Business Office. The financial aid application information is confidential and will only be reviewed by the Financial Aid Committee. All financial aid award recipients are also expected to keep the amount of the awards confidential.
• Both parents must submit financial information for the application to be valid, even if one is a non-custodial parent, and even if one parent is not the biological parent and the current parents are not married. The financial aid application process must include all household income.
• An award in a particular year does not constitute that an award will be granted in a future year, even if the family’s financial situation is the same.
• In addition to tuition, the school will also reimburse parents who are on financial aid for qualified and pre-approved out-of-pocket expenses for limited students’ school activities (field trips, after school classes, certain school-required tutoring). The reimbursement is pro-rated depending on the tuition percentage award.

Application Process

For existing financial aid students, the school will automatically mail financial aid applications every year around November or December. The forms, tax returns and other documentation are due back to the school around late January or mid-February, for the awards for the upcoming school year beginning the following September. The school will mail parents the financial aid acceptance or denial letters around the end of March.

For new applicants to the school, the financial aid applications will be mailed during the year as requested by the parents, and the award acceptance or denial letters will be mailed around April, assuming the applicants were accepted to the school.

Families must apply every year the student is enrolled in the school and must show financial need every year to receive aid. Financial aid is awarded solely on financial need (and availability of funds) and not on merit or academic achievement.