Greens Farms Academy

An Independent Co-Ed Day School For Grades PreK-12

Affordability

As a school that values community, we work very hard to make GFA affordable. We encourage you to consider the application and financial process in tandem. We consider your child’s admission application without regard to your financial aid status, and financial aid is distributed on a need basis. We consider financial aid to be a critical and important part of partnering with students in an inclusive, innovative, and globally minded community.

100 of the 715 students receive a financial grant

The average grant is $32,000.

The total FA budget is $3.4 million.

Applications are considered without regard to financial aid status.

Gross Household Income for Families Receiving Financial Aid

Household income infographic.

Tuition 2018-19


Pre-Kindergarten:

$29,630*

Lower School:

$40,860*

Middle School:

$42,900**

Upper School:

$45,270**


*Includes lunch, class trips, and instructional materials but not after-school programs

**Includes lunch, class trips, comprehensive college counseling but not books and laptops

Each year all families will be asked to support the ANNUAL FUND. As tuition alone does not cover the full investment GFA makes in each student, the school relies on the Annual Fund to provide 7% of the operating budget each year.

From time to time GFA will conduct a capital campaign. Capital giving funds major strategic objectives, including new facilities, program, and endowment.

Donations to Annual Giving and Capital Campaigns are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Family #1

The family has five children. Two of the children attend college, one is applying to ninth grade and there are two younger siblings in public school. The father is employed as a business executive and earns $500,000; the mother is self-employed and earns $40,000. The children attending college will be required to pay $102,000 after their financial aid grant and scholarships are applied to the tuition.

Tuition for grade 9: $45,270
Estimated grant: $10, 270

Family Contribution: $35,000

Family #2

The family is applying for kindergarten and third grade. The father is a financial planner and earns $80,000. The mother is a graphic designer and earns $60,000. The family owns their own home and has $10,000 in liquid investments and an IRA totaling $95,000.

Tuition for kindergarten: $40,860
Tuition for grade 3: $40,860
Estimated grant: $73,339

Family Contribution: $8,381

Family #3

The family is applying to seventh and tenth grades. The parents are divorced. The father is a regional manager for a local pharmaceutical company and earns $325,000. The mother has recently remarried, works as an educator, and earns $30,036. The parents have shared custody. Both children are involved in extracurricular activities with fees averaging $5,000.

Tuition for grade 7: $42,900
Tuition for grade 10: $45,270
Estimated grant: $27,610

Family Contribution: $60,561

FAQs

Financial Aid Guiding Principles

  • GFA Admission decisions are need-blind. We consider your child’s application without regard for financial aid, and then make a financial aid decision for those who are admitted.
  • In the case that there are not enough funds available to support every accepted applicant, we first award the students we believe will contribute most positively to our student body. Sometimes a financial aid award may not meet a family’s full demonstrated need.
  • GFA carefully guards confidentiality of financial aid grants. Only members of the financial aid committee know anything about your financial aid status, and your child will never know if they received a grant, unless you choose to tell them.
  • Financial aid awards are reviewed annually on the basis of the family’s current financial status. Typically, if your financial status has not changed, your grant will remain the same.
  • In the case of divorced or separated parents, assets of all responsible parties are considered in determining family need.
  • Financial Aid is available in Grades K–12. It is not available in PreK.
  • If you think you will need a financial aid grant to attend GFA, we would like to hear from you!

Please direct questions to the Financial Aid Committee: financialaid@gfacademy.org or email Ann Miller if you have questions regarding the application process.

How do I apply for a financial aid grant from GFA?

To learn more about the application process for financial aid grants, you should follow the link to SSS. One of the most important aspects of the financial aid application process is meeting deadlines. Note that the financial aid application is available November 1, 2018 and must be completed by January 14, 2019.

The SSS website has webinars, FAQ and live representatives who can answer your confidential questions about the financial aid application process.

My taxes will not be completed by the financial aid application deadline. How should I proceed?

Many families do not complete their IRS1040 tax filing until April 15. There, GFA only requires your IRS W2 and previous tax filing. When you have completed your IRS1040, please upload to your SSS account.

What is the IRS 4506T form?

GFA requires all families to complete the IRS form 4506T, signed and undated. At the end of the financial aid period, GFA randomly audits financial aid applications by submitting the form to review the actual tax form submitted to the IRS.

I am divorced and my ex-spouse has no responsibility for my child’s education according to the court order.

GFA’s policy is that both parents of divorced and/or separated families contribute to the cost of the GFA education, without regard to any additional court adjudication. Parents and step-parents on both sides are required to complete the SSS financial aid application.

If a parent is no longer in the life of a child, the other parent is able to complete an appropriate form that stipulates that the parent is no longer involved in the life of the child. This parent would not be expected to be present at any campus events, including athletic or arts events, or graduation ceremonies.

I have never applied for financial aid before at an independent school. Do you have any tips or advice?

The SSS site has many tools and resources available to families applying for financial grants. We encourage you to take advantage of these resources. In addition, please feel free to contact Ann Miller, Director of Enrollment and Financial Aid, with any questions about the financial aid process (203.256.7525).

If my family receives a financial aid grant, does that mean I will get the grant for the following years as well.

GFA is committed to supporting your family while you are a student at GFA. In order to effectively do this, we ask your family to apply for the financial aid grant every year. Unless your financial circumstances have changed, you will likely receive the grant the following year.