Tuition and Affordability
Parents choose Sycamore because they want the best possible education for their intellectually gifted child. We recognize that choosing an independent school means making a significant financial decision. As an independent school, though, we must charge tuition in order to provide what makes Sycamore so special—an outstanding curriculum; differentiated academic programs; dedicated and caring teachers; vibrant arts and athletics programs; and more.
2025-2026 Tuition
| Half-Day PRESCHOOL | $13,000 |
|---|---|
| Full-Day PRESCHOOL | $19,550 |
| PREKINDERGARTEN-GRADE 8 | $23,420 |
Tuition includes books for all grades as well as supplies for students in Preschool through Grade 4. Tuition does not include supplies for students in Grades 5-8, optional costs such as lunch and Quest (before/after school care), or required major field trips (Grades 4-8).
Affordability
Since giftedness is not confined to children of a particular socioeconomic status, we offer need-based financial assistance, which is based on an assessment of a family’s financial situation and determination of the family’s demonstrated ability to pay.
Grants of financial aid are not intended to cover all of the cost of attending Sycamore, but we make every effort to provide assistance where financial need has been clearly identified. In fact, Sycamore awards approximately $1 million in assistance to approximately 20% of our students. As such, we encourage all interested families to apply for need-based financial assistance.
Additional Information
To get started, go to the Clarity Application and create an account. The application typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete. It is also mobile-friendly, so you can complete it from anywhere, and you are also able to save your progress and return at any time. 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.
Sycamore School partners with Clarity to help us determine your family’s contribution to educational expenses. This system considers the family’s income, net assets, family size, special circumstances, and other criteria in determining the amount a family can afford to contribute toward the cost of tuition. The Financial Aid Committee uses the standardized calculation provided by Clarity as well as the overall budget as guides in determining the award amount to each family.
Few families find it easy to pay tuition at independent schools, and many families view the nominal application fee as an acceptable cost to find out if they qualify for financial aid. Each family’s combination of circumstances is unique. The best determining factor comes from your own personal knowledge of your family’s finances.
To get started, go to the Clarity Application and create an account. The application typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete. It is also mobile-friendly, so you can complete it from anywhere, and you are also able to save your progress and return at any time. 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.
No. The admissions process is financial needs-blind, so applying for financial aid will in no manner affect your child’s chances of being offered admission to Sycamore School.
Financial aid award notices are included in enrollment agreements and are communicated to families of admitted students at the same time as admissions decisions. provided that families have met application deadlines and requirements.
Clarity removes the need to upload your federal tax return and supporting documents (e.g. W-2 and 1099 forms) when you apply for financial aid by transferring your previous year's tax information and documents directly from the IRS. This reduces the amount of information that you will need to enter manually and makes it possible to complete the application quickly and efficiently, well before the deadline for filing your federal tax forms. We will ask you to submit your most recently completed tax return shortly after the tax filing deadline date, but that will not impact your initial application process.
While the school understands that some families place a value on having a stay-at-home parent, Sycamore School views the choice of a family to maintain a one-income household as limiting the family’s ability to fund an independent school education. Based on this philosophy, the school considers both the actual and potential income that can be earned in each household by calculating a minimal imputed income for the non-working parent. The actual and imputed incomes of both parents are considered in arriving at the award amount. Additionally, the school does not give special consideration for parents attending school in determining financial aid.
Sycamore School requires that the households of both parents complete the financial aid application to provide a complete picture of the family’s resources. If a biological parent has no role both personally and financially in the child’s life, a letter from a disinterested and acceptable third party is needed (minister, attorney, social worker, etc.). We are also aware that circumstances differ among divorced families and encourage you to contact the school to discuss the specifics of your circumstances should this present a hardship. The addition of another adult into a household, either through marriage or a relationship that becomes established, may change the family’s financial situation to a considerable extent. In the school’s view, the combined resources of the new family unit must be considered in arriving at a financial aid award decision. It will therefore be necessary for the financial aid application to include the financial information of both adults in the new family unit as well. An established relationship includes, but is not limited to, any or all of the following: adult cohabitation, financial support, involvement in student’s life, involvement in Sycamore activities, cosigning of the enrollment agreement, etc.
You may pay the balance of the tuition through one of the school’s payment plans, which includes paying in two equal payments or through ten equal monthly paymens.
Each year a family must reapply for financial aid. While the school cannot guarantee the same level of aid from year to year, every effort will be made to make award offers that are fair and comparable.
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.
For additional information about financial aid and/or for answers to questions you have about financial aid, contact Patrick Juday, Chief Financial Officer.
Sycamore School uses Blackbaud Tuition Management for billing and payment of tuition and fees. View more information about Blackbaud Tuition Management.
- 2 Pay Plan — 50% of tuition and fees paid by July 1 and the remaining 50% by January 1
- 10 Pay Plan — Tuition paid in ten (10) equal payments by the 1st of each month starting in July and ending in April (Note that there is a fee of $100 per student per year for this plan.)
Ancillary fees such as Quest, After School Activities, and lunch are billed in the month following use or enrollment in the activity.
Sycamore offers tuition refund insurance for families through A.W.G. Dewar. A family may consider purchasing tuition refund insurance if there is a possibility a student may need to be withdrawn mid-year due to a family relocation or due to other circumstances covered under the policy. Tuition refund insurance would assist with covering some of the costs of tuition and may be purchased at a cost of only 2.7% of the insured amount (the family’s net tuition and fee obligation, which is the full tuition and fee obligation minus any financial aid, if applicable). Benefits are only applicable for students who attend Sycamore for at least ten (10) days during the school year for which Tuition Insurance is purchased.
Click here to learn more about Tuition Insurance at Sycamore.
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