Published
May 15, 2013
How to handle five basic challenges involved in choosing a boarding school.
As your child enters middle school, you will probably begin to think more seriously about her high school and college plans. With that in mind let's take a look at some of the challenges we parents face. I admit that the whole subject is daunting, confusing and even intimidating. However, if you approach the project just like you do any other major project/decision, you will be able to stay out front. Playing catch up is never fun, so let's start our planning early so we understand what is involved.
Getting your child to buy into the idea
The first challenge is a basic one: you must get your child to buy into the idea of going away to school. Yes, you are her parent and you can make that decision yourself. Unfortunately making this kind of decision unilaterally will do more harm than good. The trick is to get her to think that going away to school is her idea.
How do you accomplish that? By starting early. Begin the process of shaping her decision at least 3 to 4 years beforehand. If a member of your family currently attends boarding school, schedule a visit to see that relative while he is in school. The more comfortable your child feels with the idea of going off to boarding school, the happier she will be.
As she progresses through grades 7 and 8, begin to discuss the academic game plan for high school and beyond. Sometimes special considerations will make your decision process easier....
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Published
April 13, 2013
Here are a dozen boarding schools which charge approximately $20,000 per year or less for tuition, room and board.
It sounds too good to be true, right? But it really is true. I found twelve boarding schools when I searched Boarding School Review using the simple search string "least expensive schools" Our powerful search engine sorted the 315 boarding schools listed on our site by tuition. I then filtered out three schools, two were located in Canada and the other was a summer boarding school.
Here then are a dozen boarding schools which charge approximately $20,000 per year or less for tuition, room and board. What impressed me was to discover one school on the list offered 30 Advanced Placement courses and another offered the prestigious International Baccalaureate program. Explore these schools and determine whether perhaps one or more suit your requirements.
School Type: Co-Ed
Grades offered: 9-12
Number of students: 40
Tuition: $7,400
International students: No
Academics: Bible, Math, Science, English, History, Computers, Physical Education, Journalism, Drama
AP courses: None.
In the school's words: "It is a unique educational institution because it serves as both a Christian high school for the community and as a qualified Christian boarding school."
School Type: Co-Ed
Grades offered: 9-12
Number of students: 620
Tuition: $7,600
International students: Yes
Academics: 15 IB courses. International Baccalaureate program.
In the school's words: "We strive for excellence in academic and co-curricular programs, we promote service to our local and global communities, and we foster the dedication and active support of the students, parents, faculty,staff, and alumni of the Mercyhurst community."
School Type:...
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Published
March 14, 2013
This hub is designed as a guide to the financial side of things as you explore boarding schools.
One of the first questions parents have about sending their child to a boarding school is how to pay for it. Since I am not Boston Kennedy but rather a poor Scots Canadian, I remember well confronting that reality when we were investigating schools for our eldest daughter. This hub is designed as a guide to the financial side of things as you explore boarding schools.
How Do They Pay for It? examines the answers to a question one of my young employees asked me when he discovered that many boarding schools cost way more than what he made in a year.
Borrowing to Pay for Private School looks at that option in detail. One thing which I have learned over the years is to learn about the various options you have. Try to understand them as best you can. Then sit down with a professional adviser and have her explain which ones best suit your particular circumstances. You are unique. What works for one family might not be the best option for you. A qualified professional adviser such as an accountant, a financial adviser, a tax attorney or your trusted family attorney will see advantages and disadvantages in each option and point those out to you. Money well spent.
How Much Do Schools Cost? attempts to illustrate how schools can cost nothing all the way up to over $100,000 a year. (That high end school happens to be in Switzerland and most likely will not...
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Published
February 10, 2013
You can pay for private school several different ways.
Most private schools offer a variety of payment options. Hopefully one or more of these options will suit your needs.
| Payment Type |
N-PK
|
PK-8
|
9-12/PG
|
| One Payment |
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
| Two Payments |
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
| Tuition Payment Plans |
|
Y
|
Y
|
| Loans |
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
| Financial Aid |
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
| Work Study |
|
|
Y
|
| Scholarships |
|
|
Y
|
| Vouchers |
|
Y
|
Y
|
| Sibling Discounts |
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
| Free Schools |
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
| Miscellaneous Fees |
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
One Payment
What this means is that you write a check for the entire year’s tuition. Some schools will give you a cash discount when you pay cash up front.
Two Payments
When you pay using two payments, most schools expect one payment in June or July (or some time well before school begins) and the second payment in December. The split varies from school to school. Some schools split the years fees 50/50. Others 60/40. For example, if your child’s tuition and fees total $50,000 and the school wants 50% in July and 50% in December you would write two checks for $25,000 each. If the school bills 60% of the tuition in July, you would pay $30,000 then and $20,000 in December. Each school determines how its tuition payments work. Be sure to review payment options carefully when you...
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Published
February 01, 2013
Learn about the many benefits of boarding schools in Canada.
It may seem odd that with so many quality boarding schools in the USA that any American high school student would look north of the border to enhance their education. What could possibly motivate young Americans to venture to Canada for high school? Well, the many brave souls who have begun this voyage of discovery have quickly realized the merits of such an option. Consider some of these points that our current American families know, and prospective families might want to consider, about a Canadian boarding education:
- You are not alone. There are many Americans in Canadian boarding schools (for instance, nearly 10% of the entire boarding population at my school, Brentwood College School, are from the USA!).
- Rolling Admissions. For the most part, there are no specific application deadlines in Canada. You can pretty much visit any school at any time of the year and, if you are a good candidate and there are still spaces available, you could be offered a place without waiting until March or April. Most schools will even allow you to wait until you find out if you are accepted to some American schools in the spring to make a decision. It does take the pressure off families that simply want to know if they are accepted.
- No SAT? Americans may also be interested in knowing that increasingly US colleges and universities waive the SAT exam for international students (this applies to Americans studying in Canada as they are deemed ‘international’).
- Away from the ‘madness’. ...
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Published
May 15, 2013
How to handle five basic challenges involved in choosing a boarding school.
12 Boarding Schools Costing Less Than $20,000
Here then are a dozen boarding schools which charge approximately $20,000 per year or less for tuition, room and board.
An Overview of Paying for Boarding School
This hub is designed as a guide to the financial side of things as you explore boarding schools.
More articles:
Why Boarding School,
Choosing a School,
Admissions,
School Life,
Financing
10 Top Reasons to Go to Boarding School
Why Boarding School?
10 Facts About Boarding Schools
How To Pay for Boarding School
5 Steps for Choosing a Boarding School
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