Enrollment contracts at private schools

[Anonymous]

What is typical for an enrollment contract for a private school? We are also applying to public language immersion programs and there is a chance we would take a spot if offered but the timeline doesn’t align with private school acceptances.

Just trying to understand what’s possible. Would accepting a slot mean that if we get into our first choice language immersion program (a slim possibility), it would be too late to accept it?

[Anonymous]

It's a contract you sign it you abide by the contract.

[Anonymous]

Contracts vary. Ours has no penalty for leaving until June. After June you owe full tuition for the following year.

Other people have different terms.

[Anonymous]

Yes, read the contract. It doesn’t matter what’s standard at the school I signed a contract for. Read what’s in your contract - the answer is right in front of you.

And if you don’t have a contract yet, know that there will be terms. Penalties and dates will all be there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, read the contract. It doesn’t matter what’s standard at the school I signed a contract for. Read what’s in your contract - the answer is right in front of you.

And if you don’t have a contract yet, know that there will be terms. Penalties and dates will all be there.

I’m asking because we don’t have a contract yet and not sure what terms are typical. Sounds like it varies.

[Anonymous]

You’d lose a $1k deposit at our school if you change your mind before June 1.

[Anonymous]

There can be variation, but most often the contract requires a deposit ($500, $1000, or 10% of tuition are common) that you will lose if you back out before a certain date (often May 31 or June 1 but READ CAREFULLY, I e heard of earlier). After that date, full tuition is due even if you withdraw your child. Tuition insurance doesn’t help unless the child attends at least two weeks of school.

[Anonymous]

Ours required a non-refundable deposit within two weeks of being accepted to hold our DC’s spot. I don’t remember the exact amount of the deposit but it was a few thousand dollars. We had until May 31 to cancel. After that, we were responsible for a full year of tuition. It’s a similar process each year when we renew the contract for the next school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Contracts vary. Ours has no penalty for leaving until June. After June you owe full tuition for the following year.

Other people have different terms.

If your school is a member of AISGW then the new date is May 1.

OP, our oldest ended up in private because the public school was so late in sending out lottery results. It was about a 2 week difference because the public system only uses snail mail for these notifications

[Anonymous]

There are families who put down and walk away from 2 or more deposits because of staggered timing of when contracts and deposits are due. Catholic schools are often earlier than most independent schools, and the public schools (lotteries or applications like TJ) are later still. There are absolutely families with kids applying to all 3 types who put in a deposit at a Catholic in case nothing else works out, then abandon that for a preferred independent school when those come out, and abandon again for TJ if the student gets in there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a contract you sign it you abide by the contract.

This. Expect to pay based on whatever the contract days. Don't expect them to let you out of it.

[Anonymous]

Our very small private's contract is you commit to paying the full year if you pull out. It's as inexpensive as can be and they have NO fat in the budget so really need people to commit or commit to pay.

[Anonymous]

Our contract says you are on the hook for the next year's tuition if you break the contract after June 1.