Tuition - Carolina Day School

A Carolina Day education is an investment that lasts a lifetime. CDS strives to make an independent school education available to families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. We seek to admit determined and curious students who will thrive in a well-rounded liberal arts education that goes beyond the textbook, regardless of family resources.

2026-2027 Tuition and Fees

Preschool & Junior Kindergarten	$23,100
Kindergarten	$25,300
Grades 1–3	$29,100
Grade 4	$30,400
Grades 5–7	$32,300
Grade 8	$36,200
Grades 9–10	$38,400
Grades 11–12	$40,100
Key School	$54,900

2026-2027 Supplemental Academic Programs

Middle School Study Skills	$8,600
Upper School Study Skills	$9,300

Financial aid is available to students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 and Key School students. CDS does not offer financial aid to students in Junior kindergarten.

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.

*Study Skills Programs incur an additional tuition charge. to learn more, please speak with your admission associate (for applicant families) or division principal (for current families).

*The early education program is a full-day program, 8:00 am–3:00 pm. These students can also participate in our after-school program.

*Applicants to junior kindergarten must be 4 years old and to Kindergarten must be 5 years old by September 1 of the year they matriculate. See Early Education Update for 2026-27.

*In certain cases, tuition for specialized instruction, such as Orton-Gillingham instruction in the Key School, may be considered a medical expense on tax forms. Carolina Day School does not provide tax advice, and families should consult a qualified tax advisor for guidance.

Tuition Planning Resources

Please use this link to view the Tuition Planners and a brochure with information about Tuition Refund Insurance.

2026-27 Tuition Planners and Tuition Refund Plan

Does CDS accept NC Opportunity Scholarship direct payments?

Does CDS accept NC Opportunity Scholarship direct payments?

CDS does not accept NC Opportunity Scholarship direct payments.

There are several reasons CDS does not participate in government funding programs like Opportunity Scholarships, the most important being our enrolled families’ financial stability and the long-term commitment we make to them. Though Carolina Day School’s financial aid resources are limited, our Financial Aid program is in place to meet the determined financial needs of families accepted into our school.

Furthermore, as a JK–12 school, when accepting students who require any level of financial aid, CDS plans and commits to supporting these students every year through their matriculation. NC Opportunity Scholarships do not meet the full need of families within its income tiers to access an independent school education, and importantly, the program and funding is subject to change at any time, therefore making our families and school more financially vulnerable to external factors. We eliminate external variables and dependencies from our Financial Aid program through our own long term planning and budget, thereby creating a more predictable and sustainable financial model for our families and our school.

Additionally, CDS is an accredited, fully independent, selective enrollment school. Autonomy from government agencies and mandates is the hallmark and strength of the Independent School sector. Our own school was created in 1936 (as Asheville Country Day School) by parents who sought a more robust education for their children that was unencumbered by bureaucracy and tax funding restrictions and requirements. As an independent school we are not required to conform to government defined curriculums, class sizes, standardized testing mandates and generalized standards, or need to go through the bureaucratic processes required for change like in the public sector. Instead, CDS is able to customize and adapt in any way, at any time that we deem best serves our specific school and mission. By remaining independent from government funding, we ensure we can continue to set our own educational goals, policies, and standards, and do what we know is best for our own students and our specific program, free from external interference, conditions, or dependencies.