Anonymous wrote:My son goes to a smaller less expensive private school.

$750 deposit that goes toward tuition.
$300 fees for books and supplies
$50 for PTA
About $2,500 a year for aftercare.
$50 tix to the annual benefit.
A contribution to the annual fund. No dollar amount suggested, but they strive for 100% participation. So the Head of School said they'd appreciate $25 or $2,500.
Additional costs for field trips, vision/hearing/speech/OT screenings (voluntary), various fund raisers conducted by different classes, and so on.

Hey, I think I might be going to this school in the fall! The amounts sound right on. Didn't know about the pta or the 300 for materials though I knew classroom materials would be involved.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen a few references recently to fees on top of private school tuition. How much do these fees typically run, and what do they include?

$1,000- $2,000 deposit at acceptance
PA dues $50-$150 dollars/year
$350-$500 books at some school
$160/mos for lunch at some schools
$14/hr for after care ( 3-6pm) or $25/hr drop in rate if not signed up in advance
Annual Fund ( roughly $4,000 per enrolled child expected yearly if you are full pay
$5,000- $10,000 donation to at least on Capital Campaign while your child is enrolled ( expect capital campaigns every 5 years)
$100-$150 annual book fare
Annual Auction 2 tickets at $250 each plus at minimum one bid / year with expectation of bid on a large ticket item of $10,000 or more before your child graduates.

Rubbish! Yes, you are expected to give but there is NO pressure to give beyond your means. We have been at the cathedral schools for several years and not found this to be the case at all.

Who said it was " being pressured beyond one's means" . It is being pressured, but to one's means.

This is my idea of truly voluntary: no calls to your home, no emails, no letters outlining the cost to educate a child, the net revenue and specifying the net deficit / per enrolled child of cost to educate vs funads available from tuition alone ( this is where suggested figure comes in ).

Not that we mind giving, but to say that the annual funds and capital campaigns are not well oiled machines, is dead panning.....

Should they just sit in their offices and think really, really hard: "I wish the parents would donate to the annual fund!" sort of like when the audience wished that Tinkerbelle would come back to life?

Here's the thing: if you don't want to give, say no (politely, hopefully). Then say no again, and then say no again. They will mark you down as non-donors and eventually you won't get asked anymore. You won't be marked out as a prospect for the Board of Trustees, but individual teachers have no idea which students' parents give or don't give and could not care less.

I taught in independent schools for some years, boarding and day, and the schools were very good about keeping development stuff separate as far as the teachers were concerned.

For Cathedral schools you are talking just $80K for two children per year PLUS all of the fees, camps, certain sports cost a few thousand a year, activities - etc… close to $100K before donations…. It is for the very rich or super poor and if you are asking it means you probably can't afford it. There are so many great schools that are less expensive so don't put yourself in a situation where you are struggling to pay. It will affect you and your kids more. These are the elite top schools of the country and everyone can't and shouldn't expect to be able to afford them.

A number of schools are moving to 1:1 programs......so you may have to factor in the cost for an iPad or laptop even for LS and MS students.

Anonymous wrote:Op the fees and costs end up being a lot. Between sports travel and other costs and fees at the Big 3's you are looking at $40-$42k per child before even giving to the annual fund.

This depends heavily on (1) which school, (2) your child's interests and activities, and (3) your own preferences and what you choose to give. Even the seemingly obvious fees vary between schools - one of my DC's pays for books, the other pays for lunch. At both schools, for heavily expensive activities (think trips for sports or music or whatever), the school offers subsidies not only to families receiving financial aid, but to any family that feels their child can't afford to participate.

Op the fees and costs end up being a lot. Between sports travel and other costs and fees at the Big 3's you are looking at $40-$42k per child before even giving to the annual fund.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the annual fund and gala tickets on the PP's proposed list are variable. I find it hard to believe that most DC private schools expect $4,000/per child/per-full-tuition-paying family in annual fund donations.

You are sent a letter, asking you to pease consider donationg.... and then you will see an amount suggested by the school. It is based on their estimation of your assets. Yes, they have people who's job it is to know.

the development office?

Take it as constructive feedback that at some schools the advancement team's tactics grate on the nerves, not in first year maybe, but after a few years of steadily increasing tuition, heavy lobbying to give , give , give all accompanied by lock step/ top down messaging gets a bit much.....

20:01 nice way to scare them off! Think the annual fund line item could be adjusted....based on just about any annual report of any big 3. Or 456789..... For that matter. Op give what you want and skip auction...book sale....etc....annual fund is where you give first and foremost. Capital campaign is major donor area and if you can't swing ,don't. Pay your bills and no apologies ness. I am fundraiser. Volunteer when you can.

These large additional costs have not been our experience at a school not discussed on this forum much. We pay for the school bus, and give a small donation to the annual fund (a couple hundred bucks). An optional PA donation of $25. Books, lunch, field trips, etc. all included.

My kids were in 2 different schools. The deposit is definitely refundable but at one they did ask for it as a donation at the end, the other did not.

other expenses k-8
annual fund (for us it was about $2500 and we were a major donor, many donors in the $100 range)
after care - c. $2500-3000
auction tix $150
class dues $25
auction class basket $20
teacher gifts $100

field trips were included, books were generally included, we made lunch every day, no bus service

other expenses 9-12
annual fund (we did $1000-1500 and that got us invited to the major donor reception with the Head, $500 probably a more typical gift)
books - c. $700
a few other expenses here and there for fundraisers, stuff from the school store.

sports uniforms included, field trips included, meals included, no bus service, teacher gifts prohibited