Financial Aid
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 financial aid policies and procedures to welcome families from a broad economic spectrum. Financial assistance is awarded to over 40% of our current families.
All Common School financial aid 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.
Aid recipients are automatically awarded reductions to other school fees such as the Summerfun program, after school programs, in-school tutoring, and special program fees.
Applying for Financial Aid for the 2023-24 School Year
Families seeking financial aid 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. All financial aid information is kept confidential. Please answer the questions in the FAST financial aid application carefully and completely.
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 of $45 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 current Tax Returns with all schedules, W-2s, 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 here or type the following URL into your browser: http://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 early March. Because financial aid 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 unavailability of funds. Funds may be available for late enrollees.
Please contact The Common School Business Office at businessoffice@commonschool.org if you have any questions.