Admission

Financial Aid

Financial Aid Timeline

September 1, 2024
FACTS Financial Aid Applications Available Online 
 
January 15, 2025
FACTS Financial Aid Application Deadline for New Applicants

PLEASE NOTE: Financial assistance is available to students in grades 5-12 ONLY.
Pre-K3-fourth grade students are NOT ELIGIBLE for financial aid.
We recognize that the full cost of an independent education is beyond the means of some outstanding students and families. To this end, the financial aid program at Canterbury School is designed to help make a Canterbury education accessible to qualified students who could not otherwise afford the cost of attending.
Canterbury School adheres to the National Association of Independent Schools' Principles of Good Practice for Financial Aid. Financial aid grants are offered to students who have been accepted to Canterbury School and whose families demonstrate financial need. Grants, made to both low and middle-income families, do not need to be repaid.

Grants for the 2025-2026 school year will be made prior to February 2025 re-enrollment; consequently, applications for financial aid must be completed by December 1, 2024, for current Canterbury families. It is the responsibility of parents to complete the financial aid application process by the given deadlines. The primary responsibility for financing a student's independent school education rests with the family. No matter how great the need is, every family at Canterbury is expected to invest in their child’s future by contributing to their child’s tuition. Canterbury School makes every effort to help all eligible applicants. 

Canterbury School does not accept any government tuition vouchers or state-funded scholarship programs, including but not limited to Step Up for Students, HOPE, Family Empowerment Scholarship-Educational Options, Family Empowerment Scholarship-Unique Abilities, and the AAA Scholarship. As an independent school governed by a board of trustees, we have the freedom to create educational experiences that meet each child’s needs, without state mandates on curriculum, textbooks, and testing.
Athletic scholarships are not given at Canterbury School. 
To assess a family’s level of financial need, Canterbury School uses the calculations provided by FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment as a guideline.  FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment is an independent, third-party company that conducts financial analyses to determine families’ financial needs. Canterbury School receives a confidential report outlining each family’s financial situation based upon information obtained from the application and supporting tax documents.  Each family’s total income, assets, and special circumstances are taken into consideration in order to determine the level of assistance needed.
 
Canterbury School’s Financial Aid Committee will review the analyses from FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment and will determine the need for financial aid.  Financial award decisions are influenced by the availability of school resources, the number of qualified applicants, and overall budgetary constraints.  At times, there have been insufficient funds to meet the needs of all accepted students who met the qualifications for financial aid.
 
For questions regarding the Parents Financial Aid Application, please contact FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment’s toll-free helpline:  (866) 315-9262
 

List of 6 items.

  • Applying for Financial Aid

    Please note: Financial assistance is not available for our Lower School, Pre-K3 - Fourth Grade.

    Mark the appropriate financial aid box on the application for admission. Complete and submit the Parents' Financial Aid Application (PFAA) online through the FACTS website by December 1, 2024. The online financial aid application for the 2025-2026 school year is available beginning September 1, 2024. When completing the PFAA prior to 2025, we understand the parents' inability to report according to the 2024 W-2 forms.  Families should estimate their 2024 responses to the best of their ability, based on their 2023 taxes.

    For all PFAA application questions, there is a toll-free hotline available at (866) 315-9262.

    Upload copies of the following documents to your FACTS Grant and Aid account:
    • Your signed 2023 Federal Income Tax Return Form 1040, personal and business, with all attached schedules by December 1, 2024
    • Copies of your 2023 W2 Forms
    • Business/Farm Statement (if applicable)
    • (Optional) A letter explaining any special or unusual circumstances that affect your family's ability to contribute financially
    • For those students enrolling for the 2025-2026 year, your signed 2024 Federal Income Tax Return Form 1040, personal and business, with all attached schedules by April 15, 2025.

  • Continued Assistance

    Continued needs must be demonstrated each year. Families in need of financial assistance must reapply and complete the FACTS PFAA each year by December 1. It is the policy of the Financial Aid Committee to maintain award funding consistently from year to year, always subject to current documented needs and established criteria. Students must remain in good standing at the school. Financial aid funds for the next year will not be granted until all financial obligations to the school are current.

    Important Notice:  Financial Aid applications will not be considered if you were awarded financial aid last year, but have not yet provided the school with your final and complete 2023 tax return. Accounts with past due balances will also not be considered for a financial aid award until the balance is settled.

  • Need Blind Admission

    Canterbury School does not use financial need as a consideration in assessing a student's eligibility for admission. The admission and financial aid processes are separate and distinct. No decisions regarding financial aid are made until the student is accepted and space is available in the desired grade level.

  • Confidentiality

    Canterbury School safeguards the confidentiality of all financial aid information supplied by applicants and does not publicly identify recipients of financial aid. Families are informed that publicizing an award in any way is inappropriate and is in violation of school policy, and may jeopardize current and future financial aid awards.

  • Financial Aid Wait Pool

    Financial aid funds are limited. Applicants whose needs cannot be met will be placed in a wait pool. If funds become available at a later time (as funds are released from families on financial aid who leave the school or who do not qualify for continued assistance), they will be awarded to applicants who qualify. The Financial Aid Committee will decide on awards as funds become available.

  • Circumstances Affecting Parental Contribution

    Given limited resources, the following policies are designed to promote the fairest and consistent allocation of available financial aid. Canterbury School adheres to these policies unless special circumstances allow a deviation.

    NON-WORKING PARENT
    The school expects both parents to contribute to tuition. If a parent makes the decision not to work, the school may impute an annual income for a non-working parent, after the youngest child in the family reaches kindergarten age.

    DIVORCED AND SEPARATED PARENTS
    In the case of divorce or separation, the school requires both parents to file an application for financial aid. Both parents must complete and submit the Parents' Financial Aid Application (PFAA). All current tax returns and supporting documentation are required from both parents. The school is not bound by any divorce agreement specifying a parent's responsibility for educational expenses. It is felt to be unfair for the school to subsidize a child's education if one of the parents is able but unwilling, to contribute to his/her child's tuition. It is also the school's policy to consider the resources of a step-parent in making an award. If either parent or step-parent declines to submit the required information, the decision to award aid and the amount of aid may be affected. Please contact Paula Sizemore, Director of Admission, for guidance in handling unusual circumstances.

Canterbury School