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Affording AVS

Tuition

Each January, our Board of Trustees sets the tuition schedule for the coming school year. For the 2023–2024 school year, tuition is $39,900 for all grade levels.

Upon enrollment and re-enrollment, families secure their spot at AVS with a non-refundable deposit of 10% of net tuition – that is, the total amount due after any tuition assistance. This deposit is applied toward that year's tuition. Payment plans are available to families to pay the balance of tuition in 1, 4, or 9 installments.

Tuition covers all educational costs, including:

  • School day instruction
  • Student supplies
  • School activities
  • Field trips

Extras

After-school care and enrichment programming (including AVS Adventure Camps, which are offered to provide child care during many school closure days) are available at additional cost. 

Tuition Assistance

We recognize that our tuition is out of reach of many families. Nevertheless, the Alta Vista School community places a high priority on fostering socioeconomic diversity among our students. committed to building a community of families who share common values, irrespective of financial means. We believe this benefits all AVS students. To that end, AVS has allocated more than $1.3 million for need-based Tuition Assistance in the 2022–2023 academic year. This is possible thanks to the generous support of AVS families who donate to the Annual Fund and who support the annual Gala, organized by the Parent and Family Group specifically to benefit our Tuition Assistance program.

We strongly encourage families who cannot afford to pay the full tuition to apply for Tuition Assistance. TA grants do not need to be repaid and are credited directly against tuition; depending on each family's calculated need, the school will offer as much aid as is available to help bridge the gap. We hire a third-party company to process applications and to assess each family's need based on a carefully calibrated rubric that takes into account the exceptional circumstances that come with living in the Bay Area.

Tuition Assistance application status does not play a role in each student's admission decision. Those decisions are made first, and Tuition Assistance is provided confidentially to families after an admission decision has been made. We strive to meet as much of each family's demonstrated need as our budget will allow.

Applying for Tuition Assistance

Complete the Clarity application

Alta Vista School along with many independent schools in the Bay Area, now partners with a secure tuition assistance platform called Clarity.  Together with Clarity, we hope to provide a streamlined and user-friendly tuition assistance application process to as many families as possible.

To get started, please go to the Clarity Application linked on the button below to create an account. Refer to this quick guide, for a brief reference.

At the end of the application, there is a $60 fee to submit*, and you can share your application with additional schools that accept the Clarity Application for no additional charge. Simply use the dropdown menu in the application to select those schools.


Apply online

Deadlines for 2023-2024 

Returning students: Jan 12, 2024

New students: Feb 9, 2024

*Please contact Admissions office to request a fee waiver. 

Other financial aid options

Alta Vista School works closely with Basic Fund, to offer privately funded financial aid to families who meet their need requirements:

Submit supporting documentation

In addition to your application, AVS reviews the following documents to determine your level of tuition assistance:

  • Household members' most recently completed federal tax forms (personal and businesses owned)
  • W-2s from each job held by household members
  • Most recent pay stub from each job held by household members
  • Documents that establish the amount of miscellaneous monthly or yearly income you currently receive (e.g., benefits from TANF, SNAP, unemployment, workers' compensation, etc.)
  • All corporate, partnership, and trust forms if a household member owns 20% or more interest in a corporation, partnership, or trust

Your 1040 and W2 documents from last year will automatically be transferred from the IRS when you complete the verification step of the Clarity application, so you will no longer need to upload those documents manually.

Families may need to upload other documents manually, please check in with the admissions office if there are questions specific to your application.

Need help with your application?

Clarity is hosting a series of webinars for families to learn more about the Clarity Application. Please see below for dates and registration links:

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.

Email: support@claritytuition.com 

Phone: 206-210-3752

Frequently Asked Questions