Affording The Common School
At The Common School, we believe that the opportunities afforded by our school should not be limited by income levels. Therefore, we make a special effort in our tuition assistance policies and procedures to welcome families from a broad economic spectrum. Tuition assistance is awarded to over 53% of our current families.
Tuition and Fees Overview
Basic Program and Afternoon Program
Tuition and fees for the basic program and optional afternoon program (for Nursery) are set by the School’s Board of Trustees each January for the academic year that commences in September.
Contracts and Deposits
Re-Enrollment Contracts Are Sent to Returning Families by Mid February, with Signed Contracts and Deposits Due Early March. Deposits Are $2,500 per Child, or $1,500 per Child for Families Applying for Tuition Assistance. Enrollment Deposits Are Applied to Tuition.
Blackbaud Tuition Management
The Common School uses Blackbaud Tuition Management as its billing administrator. New families must enroll with Blackbaud. Click the link > to begin Blackbaud registration. Select “Not registered yet? Begin enrollment.” Returning families’ accounts are automatically rolled over to the new school year. Blackbaud charges an annual administrative fee of $30. All tuition and fees with the exception of the tuition deposit are billed by and are to be paid to Blackbaud. Tuition deposit payments are made by check or cash and are to be mailed or delivered, and made payable to The Common School.
Additional Information
Current families applying for tuition assistance should complete their applications by February 1.
New families applying for tuition assistance should complete their applications by February 15.
Students enrolling during the academic year receive prorated tuition.
Tuition and Fees
Nursery Program
Basic Program Monday-Friday 8:30a-12p $16,100
Extended Afternoon Program Monday-Thursday 12-3p 2 days $3,850
3 days $5,810
4 days $6,400
Primary and Elementary Programs
Basic Program Monday-Thursday 8:30a-3p $22,500
Friday 8:30a-12p
Billing Information
Monthly: Ten (10) equal payments due by the last day of the month from April through January 31
Quarterly: Four (4) equal payments due April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31
Semi-annual: Two (2) equal payments due May 31 and November 30
Annual: One (1) payment due May 31
After School Program
Billing is initiated on registration with a single lump sum or installment payments.
Tutoring
Families are billed monthly for actual charges incurred in the previous month.
Special Program Fee
This helps to cover field trips, paid expert speakers, and experience based learning. 2024-2025 REQUIRED FEES FOR SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Nursery $250/year
Primary One $250/year
Primary Two $250/year
Elementary One $300/year
Elementary Two $650/year (includes year end trip)
Tuition Assistance
At The Common School, we believe that the opportunities afforded by our school should not be limited by income levels. Therefore, we make a special effort in our tuition assistance policies and procedures to welcome families from a broad economic spectrum. Tuition assistance is awarded to over 53% of our current families.
All Common School tuition assistance is need-based. Tuition reductions are not made for academic achievement. Our goal is to make awards in a fair and equitable manner, consistent with the priorities and goals of the School. Considerations include economic, racial, and cultural diversity, breadth of family background and experiences, support for school staff, and age and gender mix in classrooms.
Tuition assistance recipients are automatically awarded reductions to other school fees such as the Summerfun program, after school programs, in-school tutoring, and special program fees.
Tuition Assistance Application Process
Families seeking tuition assistance must file an online application through the Independent School Management Financial Aid for School Tuition Program (FAST). FAST provides The Common School a need-based analysis service which ensures that our process is fair and equitable. Please answer the FAST application questions completely. The data provided for the application will be kept confidential.
The FAST online application process is self-guided. You may navigate in and out of the program, allowing you to make entries and to go back to it at another time. Email support and a 24/7 helpline are available. A non-refundable application fee is payable by credit card at the end of the input session. The application fee is charged by FAST for their services, not by The Common School.
After completing the online application, you will be required to submit your most recently filed tax returns, along with the most recently issued income reporting documents such as W2s and 1099s. You will be offered the option to either upload, scan, or mail them. We strongly encourage you to not mail them as this will delay completion of your application. The preferred option is to upload as a PDF. If you have a compatible system and a document feeder you can also scan them directly into their system. If you are unable to upload or scan the documents you should mail them to:
FAST Processing
ISM
1316 North Union St.
Wilmington, DE 19806-2594
To start the FAST process, just click or type the following URL into your browser: tinyurl.com/CommonSchoolFinancialAid.
A review of the required steps in your application process:
Go to FAST – CommonSchoolFinancialAid or use the link above.
Your data, including tax returns and other forms, must be submitted to FAST in order to complete your application.
We will notify returning students of their awards by mid February. Because tuition assistance funds are limited, late filing of materials may result in your application not being considered for the first pass of awards and could lead to the unavailability of funds. Funds may be available for late enrollees.
QUESTIONS?
Please contact The Common School Business Office at businessoffice@commonschool.org if you have any questions. Or Check out our FAQ’s listed here.
Billing Information
Monthly: Ten (10) equal payments due by the last day of the month from April through January 31
Quarterly: Four (4) equal payments due April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31
Semi-annual: Two (2) equal payments due May 31 and November 30
Annual: One (1) payment due May 31
After School Program
Billing is initiated on registration with a single lump sum or installment payments.
Tutoring
Families are billed monthly for actual charges incurred in the previous month.
Special Program Fee
This helps to cover field trips, paid expert speakers, and experience based learning. 2023-2024 REQUIRED FEES FOR SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Nursery $250/year
Primary One $250/year
Primary Two $250/year
Elementary One $300/year
Elementary Two $650/year (includes year end trip)
Tuition Assistance
At The Common School, we believe that the opportunities afforded by our school should not be limited by income levels. Therefore, we make a special effort in our tuition assistance policies and procedures to welcome families from a broad economic spectrum. Tuition assistance is awarded to over 53% of our current families.
All Common School tuition assistance is need-based. Tuition reductions are not made for academic achievement. Our goal is to make awards in a fair and equitable manner, consistent with the priorities and goals of the School. Considerations include economic, racial, and cultural diversity, breadth of family background and experiences, support for school staff, and age and gender mix in classrooms.
Tuition assistance recipients are automatically awarded reductions to other school fees such as the Summerfun program, after school programs, in-school tutoring, and special program fees.
Tuition Assistance Application Process
Families seeking tuition assistance must file an online application through the Independent School Management Financial Aid for School Tuition Program (FAST). FAST provides The Common School a need-based analysis service which ensures that our process is fair and equitable. Please answer the FAST application questions completely. The data provided for the application will be kept confidential.
The FAST online application process is self-guided. You may navigate in and out of the program, allowing you to make entries and to go back to it at another time. Email support and a 24/7 helpline are available. A non-refundable application fee is payable by credit card at the end of the input session. The application fee is charged by FAST for their services, not by The Common School.
After completing the online application, you will be required to submit your most recently filed tax returns, along with the most recently issued income reporting documents such as W2s and 1099s. You will be offered the option to either upload, scan, or mail them. We strongly encourage you to not mail them as this will delay completion of your application. The preferred option is to upload as a PDF. If you have a compatible system and a document feeder you can also scan them directly into their system. If you are unable to upload or scan the documents you should mail them to:
FAST Processing
ISM
1316 North Union St.
Wilmington, DE 19806-2594
To start the FAST process, just click or type the following URL into your browser: tinyurl.com/CommonSchoolFinancialAid.
A review of the required steps in your application process:
Go to FAST – CommonSchoolFinancialAid or use the link above.
Your data, including tax returns and other forms, must be submitted to FAST in order to complete your application.
We will notify returning students of their awards by mid February. Because tuition assistance funds are limited, late filing of materials may result in your application not being considered for the first pass of awards and could lead to the unavailability of funds. Funds may be available for late enrollees.
QUESTIONS?
Please contact The Common School Business Office at businessoffice@commonschool.org if you have any questions. Or Check out our FAQ’s listed here.