Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a family of four and make about $200,000 but we also support my aging mother. Any chance of any FA?

As others have commented, it depends on your total financial picture. We are a family of 4 with HHI of 220k and we are in our second year of receiving $10K in aid. Both of us have student loans in addition to helping my mother out each month with her rent.

In other words, school parents paying full freight are subsidizing your mother. Fascinating.

FYI: The financial aid application asks if families are supporting elderly parents. Its up to the school to give us aid based on our financial situation, not you and if you feel the school is not a good steward of your money, then send your kid elsewhere and be sure to ask at the open house how they distribute aid so that you are comfortable that no one is getting subsidized, but I suspect you won't have the balls to make such comments in public. I don't view it as subsidizing my mother at all, we presented our financial picture, they determined we can pay $50k out of pocket and we do.

OK. You don't see it that way. I do see it that way. Facts speak for themselves, like it or not.

I agree with you (new poster here). Having loans and having an elderly parent to support may mean you can't afford private. I agree that it's up to the school to decide, but I would not want to pay full freight because others are supporting parents or didn't aggressively pay down loans (as others may have to get to their current ability to pay full). Private is a luxury, plain and simple. Not everyone can afford luxuries (and we don't go private, by choice, but that's another conversation).

NO, IT IS NOT. SOME KIDS CANNOT MAKE IT THROUGH THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS - THE "FACTORY MODEL" OF EDUCATION. THEY GET LOST, OVERLOOKED, DEPRESSED, BORED, YOU NAME IT....THIS IS WHY PEOPLE ARE SO DESPERATE TO GET INTO GOOD PRIVATES. THANK GOD FOR FINANCIAL AID AND FOR THE SPIRIT OF GIVING, COMMUNITY AND GENORISITY THAT IS VALUED AT MOST INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS (APPARENTLY NOT YOURS, IT'S IN THE MINORITY).

If you cannot afford 40K, you go to a 10K school like the rest of us. If you kid is bored, you supplement at home. You deal with it or you get another job to pay for it. The only kids who truly may need it are SN kids and financial aide is rarely available to them. I would love to send my kid to a 40+ a year SN school but we can't so we are at a small private, who is great, but doesn't fully get my child's needs.

The poster said they can afford to pay 50k, which is nothing to sneeze at and I pay full fare, but I can comfortably afford it so it's no skin off my back if someone's getting a discount of 10%. If there are people out there making less than $300k, I say all of you should apply for aid, just do it cause in my mind no one under HHI of $300k should be paying full fare. A while ago I saw on a new england boarding school admissions page that families making up to and even over $250,000 should apply for aid as their average award was 38%. Look, there's far fewer people like me at the school, but theres tons of people who make under 300 in this area and with a little discount/help whatever you want to call it, they too can attend the school. I'd rather have more of them because they tend to be more enthusiastic and volunteer a hell of a lot more than some of the small business owners, lawyers, or doctors who can't donate time but do donate money. Every school needs a good mix of donors and volunteers so if it takes 10k and 5 k there to get people to attend, why not?

Finally a sensible opinion!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a family of four and make about $200,000 but we also support my aging mother. Any chance of any FA?

As others have commented, it depends on your total financial picture. We are a family of 4 with HHI of 220k and we are in our second year of receiving $10K in aid. Both of us have student loans in addition to helping my mother out each month with her rent.

In other words, school parents paying full freight are subsidizing your mother. Fascinating.

FYI: The financial aid application asks if families are supporting elderly parents. Its up to the school to give us aid based on our financial situation, not you and if you feel the school is not a good steward of your money, then send your kid elsewhere and be sure to ask at the open house how they distribute aid so that you are comfortable that no one is getting subsidized, but I suspect you won't have the balls to make such comments in public. I don't view it as subsidizing my mother at all, we presented our financial picture, they determined we can pay $50k out of pocket and we do.

OK. You don't see it that way. I do see it that way. Facts speak for themselves, like it or not.

I agree with you (new poster here). Having loans and having an elderly parent to support may mean you can't afford private. I agree that it's up to the school to decide, but I would not want to pay full freight because others are supporting parents or didn't aggressively pay down loans (as others may have to get to their current ability to pay full). Private is a luxury, plain and simple. Not everyone can afford luxuries (and we don't go private, by choice, but that's another conversation).

NO, IT IS NOT. SOME KIDS CANNOT MAKE IT THROUGH THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS - THE "FACTORY MODEL" OF EDUCATION. THEY GET LOST, OVERLOOKED, DEPRESSED, BORED, YOU NAME IT....THIS IS WHY PEOPLE ARE SO DESPERATE TO GET INTO GOOD PRIVATES. THANK GOD FOR FINANCIAL AID AND FOR THE SPIRIT OF GIVING, COMMUNITY AND GENORISITY THAT IS VALUED AT MOST INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS (APPARENTLY NOT YOURS, IT'S IN THE MINORITY).

If you cannot afford 40K, you go to a 10K school like the rest of us. If you kid is bored, you supplement at home. You deal with it or you get another job to pay for it. The only kids who truly may need it are SN kids and financial aide is rarely available to them. I would love to send my kid to a 40+ a year SN school but we can't so we are at a small private, who is great, but doesn't fully get my child's needs.

The poster said they can afford to pay 50k, which is nothing to sneeze at and I pay full fare, but I can comfortably afford it so it's no skin off my back if someone's getting a discount of 10%. If there are people out there making less than $300k, I say all of you should apply for aid, just do it cause in my mind no one under HHI of $300k should be paying full fare. A while ago I saw on a new england boarding school admissions page that families making up to and even over $250,000 should apply for aid as their average award was 38%. Look, there's far fewer people like me at the school, but theres tons of people who make under 300 in this area and with a little discount/help whatever you want to call it, they too can attend the school. I'd rather have more of them because they tend to be more enthusiastic and volunteer a hell of a lot more than some of the small business owners, lawyers, or doctors who can't donate time but do donate money. Every school needs a good mix of donors and volunteers so if it takes 10k and 5 k there to get people to attend, why not?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a family of four and make about $200,000 but we also support my aging mother. Any chance of any FA?

As others have commented, it depends on your total financial picture. We are a family of 4 with HHI of 220k and we are in our second year of receiving $10K in aid. Both of us have student loans in addition to helping my mother out each month with her rent.

In other words, school parents paying full freight are subsidizing your mother. Fascinating.

FYI: The financial aid application asks if families are supporting elderly parents. Its up to the school to give us aid based on our financial situation, not you and if you feel the school is not a good steward of your money, then send your kid elsewhere and be sure to ask at the open house how they distribute aid so that you are comfortable that no one is getting subsidized, but I suspect you won't have the balls to make such comments in public. I don't view it as subsidizing my mother at all, we presented our financial picture, they determined we can pay $50k out of pocket and we do.

OK. You don't see it that way. I do see it that way. Facts speak for themselves, like it or not.

I agree with you (new poster here). Having loans and having an elderly parent to support may mean you can't afford private. I agree that it's up to the school to decide, but I would not want to pay full freight because others are supporting parents or didn't aggressively pay down loans (as others may have to get to their current ability to pay full). Private is a luxury, plain and simple. Not everyone can afford luxuries (and we don't go private, by choice, but that's another conversation).

NO, IT IS NOT. SOME KIDS CANNOT MAKE IT THROUGH THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS - THE "FACTORY MODEL" OF EDUCATION. THEY GET LOST, OVERLOOKED, DEPRESSED, BORED, YOU NAME IT....THIS IS WHY PEOPLE ARE SO DESPERATE TO GET INTO GOOD PRIVATES. THANK GOD FOR FINANCIAL AID AND FOR THE SPIRIT OF GIVING, COMMUNITY AND GENORISITY THAT IS VALUED AT MOST INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS (APPARENTLY NOT YOURS, IT'S IN THE MINORITY).

BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a family of four and make about $200,000 but we also support my aging mother. Any chance of any FA?

As others have commented, it depends on your total financial picture. We are a family of 4 with HHI of 220k and we are in our second year of receiving $10K in aid. Both of us have student loans in addition to helping my mother out each month with her rent.

In other words, school parents paying full freight are subsidizing your mother. Fascinating.

FYI: The financial aid application asks if families are supporting elderly parents. Its up to the school to give us aid based on our financial situation, not you and if you feel the school is not a good steward of your money, then send your kid elsewhere and be sure to ask at the open house how they distribute aid so that you are comfortable that no one is getting subsidized, but I suspect you won't have the balls to make such comments in public. I don't view it as subsidizing my mother at all, we presented our financial picture, they determined we can pay $50k out of pocket and we do.

OK. You don't see it that way. I do see it that way. Facts speak for themselves, like it or not.

I agree with you (new poster here). Having loans and having an elderly parent to support may mean you can't afford private. I agree that it's up to the school to decide, but I would not want to pay full freight because others are supporting parents or didn't aggressively pay down loans (as others may have to get to their current ability to pay full). Private is a luxury, plain and simple. Not everyone can afford luxuries (and we don't go private, by choice, but that's another conversation).

NO, IT IS NOT. SOME KIDS CANNOT MAKE IT THROUGH THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS - THE "FACTORY MODEL" OF EDUCATION. THEY GET LOST, OVERLOOKED, DEPRESSED, BORED, YOU NAME IT....THIS IS WHY PEOPLE ARE SO DESPERATE TO GET INTO GOOD PRIVATES. THANK GOD FOR FINANCIAL AID AND FOR THE SPIRIT OF GIVING, COMMUNITY AND GENORISITY THAT IS VALUED AT MOST INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS (APPARENTLY NOT YOURS, IT'S IN THE MINORITY).

If you cannot afford 40K, you go to a 10K school like the rest of us. If you kid is bored, you supplement at home. You deal with it or you get another job to pay for it. The only kids who truly may need it are SN kids and financial aide is rarely available to them. I would love to send my kid to a 40+ a year SN school but we can't so we are at a small private, who is great, but doesn't fully get my child's needs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a family of four and make about $200,000 but we also support my aging mother. Any chance of any FA?

As others have commented, it depends on your total financial picture. We are a family of 4 with HHI of 220k and we are in our second year of receiving $10K in aid. Both of us have student loans in addition to helping my mother out each month with her rent.

In other words, school parents paying full freight are subsidizing your mother. Fascinating.

FYI: The financial aid application asks if families are supporting elderly parents. Its up to the school to give us aid based on our financial situation, not you and if you feel the school is not a good steward of your money, then send your kid elsewhere and be sure to ask at the open house how they distribute aid so that you are comfortable that no one is getting subsidized, but I suspect you won't have the balls to make such comments in public. I don't view it as subsidizing my mother at all, we presented our financial picture, they determined we can pay $50k out of pocket and we do.

OK. You don't see it that way. I do see it that way. Facts speak for themselves, like it or not.

I agree with you (new poster here). Having loans and having an elderly parent to support may mean you can't afford private. I agree that it's up to the school to decide, but I would not want to pay full freight because others are supporting parents or didn't aggressively pay down loans (as others may have to get to their current ability to pay full). Private is a luxury, plain and simple. Not everyone can afford luxuries (and we don't go private, by choice, but that's another conversation).

NO, IT IS NOT. SOME KIDS CANNOT MAKE IT THROUGH THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS - THE "FACTORY MODEL" OF EDUCATION. THEY GET LOST, OVERLOOKED, DEPRESSED, BORED, YOU NAME IT....THIS IS WHY PEOPLE ARE SO DESPERATE TO GET INTO GOOD PRIVATES. THANK GOD FOR FINANCIAL AID AND FOR THE SPIRIT OF GIVING, COMMUNITY AND GENORISITY THAT IS VALUED AT MOST INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS (APPARENTLY NOT YOURS, IT'S IN THE MINORITY).

Anonymous wrote:Do the schools decide who receives financial aid, or does an independent agency review your file and make that determination?

(sorry if someone answered this already, haven't read through entire thread)

God himself reviews every case, and decides.

You hear via the principal or FA office.

Anonymous wrote:Do the schools decide who receives financial aid, or does an independent agency review your file and make that determination?

(sorry if someone answered this already, haven't read through entire thread)

The schools decide. SSS and the other services are first-cut assessment services. The problem is that the services are notoriously off so you have to hope that the schools themselves take that into account.

Do the schools decide who receives financial aid, or does an independent agency review your file and make that determination?

(sorry if someone answered this already, haven't read through entire thread)

WOW. I'm really glad I saw this board. Our HHI is $220K and we have two kids. We were planning on moving to a good school district when it was time for elementary because spending $70K per year on our kid's education just wasn't doable (we have 2). If folks making a similar amount are getting FA it's definitely worth a shot to apply. Other than a 401K we don't have much in the way of savings or other assets.

HHI:100k
FA: 40%

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have 4 kids (3 in school and one still at home in a nanny share ($18K for her care)) and total tuition at a religious private school is $42K. Our HHI is around $200K. We were offered $17K in aid. DH ended up getting a large bonus so we were able to decline the offer.

We are very involved in the school - I think that helped.

That was extremely gracious of you to decline! Your honesty and using the bonus money towards tuition so another family could use the funds is very selfless and I am sure the other families appreciated your decision. (I know I would!) I would hope others would do the same in a similar scenario, but based on some previous posts by others I am guessing you are in the minority.

FA recipient. If you get a large bonus, you HAVE to report it to the FA office. Ours makes us sign an agreement saying that if our income increases by more than $3k, we will notify them within 30 days. Which seems perfectly fair to me.

Anonymous wrote:We have 4 kids (3 in school and one still at home in a nanny share ($18K for her care)) and total tuition at a religious private school is $42K. Our HHI is around $200K. We were offered $17K in aid. DH ended up getting a large bonus so we were able to decline the offer.

We are very involved in the school - I think that helped.

That was extremely gracious of you to decline! Your honesty and using the bonus money towards tuition so another family could use the funds is very selfless and I am sure the other families appreciated your decision. (I know I would!) I would hope others would do the same in a similar scenario, but based on some previous posts by others I am guessing you are in the minority.

We have 4 kids (3 in school and one still at home in a nanny share ($18K for her care)) and total tuition at a religious private school is $42K. Our HHI is around $200K. We were offered $17K in aid. DH ended up getting a large bonus so we were able to decline the offer.

We are very involved in the school - I think that helped.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI $100k, receive 60% FA.

How can you afford to live? Not being sarcastic

The economic policy institute has a family budget calculator that estimates a family with 2 adults and one child needs $83,675. http://www.epi.org/resources/budget/

60% of $30,000 (typical private school tuition around here) is $18k

83675+18000 =$101,675.

It's not my situation, but everyone makes different lifestyle choices. I have friends with a HHI of $200K and they ONLY shop in thrift and consignment stores (even for their kids Christmas gifts). They also have one car that is about 10 years old and not fancy. They take only take vacations that they can find on discount through Groupon, Living Social and CerifiKid (they love those time share deals where they get a few days for eithe free or $200 and they attend a stupid session knowing full well they aren't purchasing). They pay full freight at a private school for 2 kids. Material things just aren't a big deal for them. My point is I doubt those calculations really take in lifestyle choices.

We are in a similar situation as the $100K HHI poster (same income, single parent of 2 who works full time) and do exactly as you suggest above. Can't speak for that poster, but this is how we "afford to live". Bought back in buyer's market and have an affordable mortgage in a decent, close-in suburban neighborhood. I rent out the legal basement apartment to help offset further. Get used clothes from family, new clothes as gifts, or buy clothes on deep discount at stores or online. Buy groceries on sale and rarely eat out, but use Groupon when we do. Drive a very reliable, but not fancy car that is kept in excellent repair. Vacays (what few there are) are to see family in other states and we drive, local staycays within driving distance like Hershey, PA, Ocean City or Six Flags and every couple of years those timeshare deals mentioned above. Take advantage of many of the great free entertainment activities for kids and families in the DC metro area. I also work a few hours several nights a week at a second job to put money away in savings and pay for the little extras for my kids like dance lessons or birthday parties. FA would be very helpful to attend a private and greatly appreciate those families who contribute. The rest of the cost would be defrayed by reallocating what I currently pay for childcare via child support ($20k) and what I kick in solo for eldest's current preschool ($10k) and putting it all toward tuition. My oldest will go to the local public for K and youngest to eldest's former preschool if enough FA isn't awarded. Both are options I'm ok with.

HHI $150k. 50% FA