Tuition & Financial Aid - Carolina Day School

Affording a Carolina Day School Education

A Carolina Day education is an investment that lasts a lifetime. CDS ensures fair and accessible financial aid to all qualified students based on financial need and availability of funds. In fact, over $3.1 million in financial aid was granted for the 2023-24 school year to 27% of our students. Carolina Day uses Clarity to determine a family’s level of financial need, and financial information is held in strict confidence. While CDS tries to meet the needs of qualified students, every family is expected to contribute to their child’s tuition. Financial Aid and Admission decisions are made by two separate committees. Both the admission application and financial aid application must be completed by the admission deadline to be considered for financial aid. Students receiving an offer of admission will receive a financial aid decision at the same time.

2023-2024 Tuition and Fees

PreK and Kindergarten	$19,200
Grades 1–2	$24,500
Grades 3–4	$25,500
Grades 5–7	$27,200
Grade 8	$30,400
Grades 9–10	$32,200
Grades 11–12	$33,600
Key School	$46,990

Financial aid is available to students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 and Key School students.

Barring any unusual change in circumstances, families should not plan to apply for financial aid in future years if they did not initially apply for and receive financial aid as part of their admission application to CDS.

Financial Aid applications are no longer being accepted for the 2023-24 school year.

Financial Aid Policy Questions

What is and is not included in tuition?

Tuition includes most textbooks, activity fees, local field trips, lab/studio fees, PSAT and ERB testing. It does not include lunches, after school care/enrichment, bus fees, school supplies, tutoring, optional international trips, ACT or SAT testing fees, graduation expenses, or personal technology devices*

*Grades 7-8 and 10-12 students are required to bring their own personal technology device (laptop, tablet, etc.) Students in grades 6 and 9 and all Key School students are provided with laptops

Who can apply for financial aid?

What kind of payment plans are available?

If I received Financial Aid in a previous year, do I need to reapply?

Yes. Families should plan to reapply for Financial Aid every school year. Unless there has been a significant change in your family's financial situation, you should expect to receive a consistent percentage award, although your family contribution will likely increase each year. The committee will review and make adjustments appropriate to changes in financial resources and tuition increases.

Can I apply for financial aid if I did not receive financial aid in a previous year?

Will my Financial Aid Award cover the full cost of tuition?

How does having a two-household family impact my Financial Aid considerations?

CDS expects all parents to contribute financially to their child’s tuition. In two household families, each household is expected to complete a financial aid application in order to provide a realistic picture of family resources.

In cases of divorce, the Financial Aid Committee may request a copy of the divorce decree. We understand that each situation is unique and will be handled on an individual basis.

If a non-custodial parent is involved in the child’s life, we expect that parent to participate in the financial aid process. If the non-custodial parent refuses to comply, the Financial Aid Committee will determine whether or not the family will be eligible for an award. If a non-custodial parent is not involved in the child’s life, we will request a verification letter from a third party (minister, attorney, social worker, etc.).

Does Financial Aid cover any costs beyond tuition?

For students who utilize the bus and incur the additional fee for ridership, financial aid will be applied to the bus fee in the same proportion as it is applied for tuition.
For students registered for After-School Care, we will provide financial aid to After-School Care fees in the same proportion as financial aid is applied to tuition. Students must be enrolled in After-School Care on an annual or semester basis.
For those students who qualify for free or reduced school meals, we provide lunch.

Financial Aid Deadlines

Returning Families

Deadline: November 15
Returning families receive financial aid decisions on February 1.

New Applicants to Grades K-11

New Applicants to Kindergarten through Grade 11 have two deadline options to apply for financial aid.

November 15 (decisions are delivered in early January)
February 15 (decisions are delivered in mid-March)

We recommend applying by November 15 if financial aid is a critical consideration. Applicants must complete both their application for admission and their financial aid application by the deadline to be considered for a January decision.

After February 15, applications will be processed for admission and financial aid on a rolling, space- and funds-available basis. However, financial aid funding is generally no longer available or is extremely limited by this time. Because of this, we recommend applying by November 15 if financial aid is a critical consideration.

Key School Applicants

Deadline: February 15

Key School applicants who have completed both their application for admission and financial aid application will receive a decision in mid-March.

After February 15, applications will be processed for admission and financial aid on a rolling, space- and funds-available basis. However, financial aid funding is generally no longer available or is extremely limited by this time. Because of this, we recommend applying by February 15 if financial aid is a critical consideration.

How to Apply for Financial Aid

Families will apply for Financial Aid using Clarity, a secure financial aid platform that typically takes 30 minutes or less to complete. The application is mobile and tablet friendly. You are also able to save your progress and return at any time. In addition, your 1040 and W2 documents from 2022 will be automatically transferred from the IRS when you complete the verification step, so you will not need to upload those documents manually. Please refer to this Clarity Parent FAQs for additional information. Applications for Admission and Applications for Financial Aid occur in parallel. Both applications must be completed by the admission deadline to be considered for admission.

Indicate that you are applying for Financial Aid on your Application for Admission (new applicants only).
Create a Clarity account.
- Complete your Clarity Financial Aid Application.
- Pay the $60 application fee and submit.
- Return to your dashboard in the Clarity application to see if any additional documents need to be uploaded.

Clarity Support

If you need support during the process of completing your application, please reference the Clarity Family Application Guide and/or the How to Apply guide. There is also in-app support available through the “Help” button in the bottom left of the screen, as well as email and phone support at support@claritytuition.com or 206-210-3752, in both English and Spanish. The application itself is also fully translated into Spanish.

Clarity offered family information webinars in September and October. If you would like to view a recorded a webinar, please reach out to Aileen Mitchner.

For Questions and Additional Information regarding Financial Aid

Aileen Mitchner
Admission & Financial Aid Associate
amitchner@carolinaday.org
828-210-9154

For Questions regarding Clarity Financial Aid Application

If you need support during the process of completing your application, there is in-app support available through the “Help” button in the bottom left of the screen, as well as email and phone support at support@claritytuition.com or 206-210-3752, in both English and Spanish. The application itself is also fully translated into Spanish.