What percentage do you pay?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I pay about 1/3 of the listed tuition thanks to very generous financial aid. I work for a nonprofit and my spouse died in 2021, so single income family. But the school feels my child adds something to their community and has worked to make tuition, although still a good chunk of my income, affordable as a result.

As a parent new to this world (my child is transitioning from public PK-8 to a private high school next year) - curious if/how people distinguish between needs based financial aid and merit based/scholarship aid.

[Anonymous]

Full pay, 45k tuition, one child , HHI 400k. It would not be doable with two kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most families are full pay and everyone should try to be full pay. The financial aid families are getting their bills paid by the rest of the families there who are covering the school’s budget.

I would not send my kids to private school unless I was full pay. I know some people are okay with financial aid, but this doesn’t operate like colleges. The schools all have limited budgets, small sized programs, and the money really does come from your peers. As an adult you should feel responsible for your own kids.

Your school chooses to give FA. You don’t like it. Oh well.

We are full pay for two kids but I’m very happy our school gives generous (not 100%) financial aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most families are full pay and everyone should try to be full pay. The financial aid families are getting their bills paid by the rest of the families there who are covering the school’s budget.

I would not send my kids to private school unless I was full pay. I know some people are okay with financial aid, but this doesn’t operate like colleges. The schools all have limited budgets, small sized programs, and the money really does come from your peers. As an adult you should feel responsible for your own kids.

Your school chooses to give FA. You don’t like it. Oh well.

We are full pay for two kids but I’m very happy our school gives generous (not 100%) financial aid.

A fool and their money are easily parted. You are being conned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I pay about 1/3 of the listed tuition thanks to very generous financial aid. I work for a nonprofit and my spouse died in 2021, so single income family. But the school feels my child adds something to their community and has worked to make tuition, although still a good chunk of my income, affordable as a result.

Precisely this. Even with aid, most FA families are still sacrificing a bunch. It’s sort of designed that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most families are full pay and everyone should try to be full pay. The financial aid families are getting their bills paid by the rest of the families there who are covering the school’s budget.

I would not send my kids to private school unless I was full pay. I know some people are okay with financial aid, but this doesn’t operate like colleges. The schools all have limited budgets, small sized programs, and the money really does come from your peers. As an adult you should feel responsible for your own kids.

Your school chooses to give FA. You don’t like it. Oh well.

We are full pay for two kids but I’m very happy our school gives generous (not 100%) financial aid.

A fool and their money are easily parted. You are being conned.

Thank you for your concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I pay about 1/3 of the listed tuition thanks to very generous financial aid. I work for a nonprofit and my spouse died in 2021, so single income family. But the school feels my child adds something to their community and has worked to make tuition, although still a good chunk of my income, affordable as a result.

Shouldn’t you have left the low paying nonprofit job by now? For your kid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I pay about 1/3 of the listed tuition thanks to very generous financial aid. I work for a nonprofit and my spouse died in 2021, so single income family. But the school feels my child adds something to their community and has worked to make tuition, although still a good chunk of my income, affordable as a result.

Precisely this. Even with aid, most FA families are still sacrificing a bunch. It’s sort of designed that way.

There is no sacrifice. That poster admitted to staying in a low paying nonprofit job despite being in real financial need. It sounds like they are taking advantage of the private school and trying to justify it by saying their kid adds something. No, your kid is just another kid there like everyone else. How delusional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I pay about 1/3 of the listed tuition thanks to very generous financial aid. I work for a nonprofit and my spouse died in 2021, so single income family. But the school feels my child adds something to their community and has worked to make tuition, although still a good chunk of my income, affordable as a result.

Shouldn’t you have left the low paying nonprofit job by now? For your kid?

This is the exact conn here. Gee how wonderful you are paying my bills. Guess I don’t need to get a real job after all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I pay about 1/3 of the listed tuition thanks to very generous financial aid. I work for a nonprofit and my spouse died in 2021, so single income family. But the school feels my child adds something to their community and has worked to make tuition, although still a good chunk of my income, affordable as a result.

Precisely this. Even with aid, most FA families are still sacrificing a bunch. It’s sort of designed that way.

There is no sacrifice. That poster admitted to staying in a low paying nonprofit job despite being in real financial need. It sounds like they are taking advantage of the private school and trying to justify it by saying their kid adds something. No, your kid is just another kid there like everyone else. How delusional.

DP. I knew this would devolve into a financial aid hating discussion. It's despicable. If you hate financial aid so much, enroll don't send your child to a school that offers aid. You clearly fundamentally disagree with a core component of how the school is run.

BASIS McLean is always an option so your child doesn't have to go to school with the children of "lazy" nonprofit workers.

By the way, "nonprofit" job doesn't mean poorly paid. The ACLU, colleges, and major hospital systems are nonprofits. You have no idea what income OP makes. What their earning potential is. Or their efforts to secure other employment. No matter what, you will be convinced that any financial aid recipient is undeserving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I pay about 1/3 of the listed tuition thanks to very generous financial aid. I work for a nonprofit and my spouse died in 2021, so single income family. But the school feels my child adds something to their community and has worked to make tuition, although still a good chunk of my income, affordable as a result.

Precisely this. Even with aid, most FA families are still sacrificing a bunch. It’s sort of designed that way.

There is no sacrifice. That poster admitted to staying in a low paying nonprofit job despite being in real financial need. It sounds like they are taking advantage of the private school and trying to justify it by saying their kid adds something. No, your kid is just another kid there like everyone else. How delusional.

DP. I knew this would devolve into a financial aid hating discussion. It's despicable. If you hate financial aid so much, enroll don't send your child to a school that offers aid. You clearly fundamentally disagree with a core component of how the school is run.

BASIS McLean is always an option so your child doesn't have to go to school with the children of "lazy" nonprofit workers.

By the way, "nonprofit" job doesn't mean poorly paid. The ACLU, colleges, and major hospital systems are nonprofits. You have no idea what income OP makes. What their earning potential is. Or their efforts to secure other employment. No matter what, you will be convinced that any financial aid recipient is undeserving.

I’m just providing some honesty. The people who sacrifice are the ones who are full pay, working difficult jobs to pay the bills. We sacrifice to be able to pay for the financial aid programs in the first place. That is why they exist.

[Anonymous]

You gotta match your income to your expenses. Please don’t milk the financial aid system for more than one year. Take the gift of time to sort out your financial mess, but don’t exploit it. One year.

[Anonymous]

OP, we have one kid at a k-8 and pay roughly 85% of sticker price. (It's a range because our ability to pay stayed the same as tuition went up.) If any school staff are reading, ~15% is absolutely the difference between attending and not attending, for us, and we are appreciative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You gotta match your income to your expenses. Please don’t milk the financial aid system for more than one year. Take the gift of time to sort out your financial mess, but don’t exploit it. One year.

Zero private schools ask financial aid recipients to do this. You should start one that does and see how it goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I pay about 1/3 of the listed tuition thanks to very generous financial aid. I work for a nonprofit and my spouse died in 2021, so single income family. But the school feels my child adds something to their community and has worked to make tuition, although still a good chunk of my income, affordable as a result.

Precisely this. Even with aid, most FA families are still sacrificing a bunch. It’s sort of designed that way.

There is no sacrifice. That poster admitted to staying in a low paying nonprofit job despite being in real financial need. It sounds like they are taking advantage of the private school and trying to justify it by saying their kid adds something. No, your kid is just another kid there like everyone else. How delusional.

DP. I knew this would devolve into a financial aid hating discussion. It's despicable. If you hate financial aid so much, enroll don't send your child to a school that offers aid. You clearly fundamentally disagree with a core component of how the school is run.

BASIS McLean is always an option so your child doesn't have to go to school with the children of "lazy" nonprofit workers.

By the way, "nonprofit" job doesn't mean poorly paid. The ACLU, colleges, and major hospital systems are nonprofits. You have no idea what income OP makes. What their earning potential is. Or their efforts to secure other employment. No matter what, you will be convinced that any financial aid recipient is undeserving.

I’m just providing some honesty. The people who sacrifice are the ones who are full pay, working difficult jobs to pay the bills. We sacrifice to be able to pay for the financial aid programs in the first place. That is why they exist.

I’m also providing honesty. If you don’t support the financial aid program, you should not enroll at the corresponding school. You’re a whiny, entitled baby.

- Signed, a biglaw attorney billing 3,000 hours a year