Lake Country School Admissions: Financial Assistance

Lake Country School is committed to an economically diverse student body and welcomes the opportunity to provide financial support where needed to help families send their children to the school. Approximately 7% of our total budget is devoted to tuition assistance, which supports about 20% of our student body. We hope your questions about tuition assistance at Lake Country School are answered below.

Families who expect to have difficulty paying full tuition are encouraged to apply for tuition assistance, which consists of grants that do not need to be repaid. The criterion for tuition assistance is financial need. The school expects families to finance their children's education to the extent that they can. In the past we have funded 60% of need. Scholarships are available to all families that qualify to the extent that funds are available. Because families' financial status can change from year to year, families must reapply for tuition assistance every year.

If you feel that you are unable to afford full tuition, you are encouraged to apply for tuition assistance. In 2007-08, about 12% of the families receiving assistance had a gross income of less than $35,000, 33% had a gross income of less than $50,000 and 66% had incomes over $50,000. Every family's financial situation is unique. Therefore, income alone does not determine need. Other assets, family size, and unusual expenses are all additional factors, which affect the decision-making process.

If my family has been in the school but never applied for assistance, may I apply now?

We hope that families who begin by paying full tuition to the school will continue to do so unless unforeseen circumstances make that impossible. We advise families not to go to extraordinary lengths to pay full tuition their first year in hope of receiving tuition assistance the next year. However, if your financial situation has changed significantly since you joined the school, you should apply for assistance.

The Tuition Assistance Committee reviews financial assistance applications. All information is confidential.

The Tuition Assistance Committee makes decisions that help the school honor its commitment to building an economically diverse and inclusive community. Some of the criteria considered include families who are receiving assistance who continue to demonstrate need, siblings of current students, returning families who demonstrate need for the first time, and new families.

We use information from the School and Scholarship Service for Financial Assistance (SSS), along with materials each family sends directly to us as the basis for calculating the size of the award. SSS makes a need assessment using information that families provide through a standardized form. The school and SSS consider the family primarily responsible for financing a child's education.

The amount of tuition assistance requested sometimes exceed the amount we have to offer, even for qualifying families. If we do not have assistance available when initial awards are made, you will be placed on a waiting list. If money becomes available later, you will receive notification of your award at that time. We are usually able to assist most families who apply for tuition assistance.

The amount of money you receive depends on your need and the number of other families requesting assistance.

If your financial circumstances remain the same, you can generally expect to receive approximately the same size award each year. For example, if you initially received half the total tuition and there is no change in your financial situation, you will most likely receive half of the total tuition again the next year that you apply.

The school expects financial support from a child's biological parents as well as from the adults a child lives with (stepparents and partners). Tuition assistance applications will be processed only when complete information is received from all those parties, regardless of marital status. Please be aware that we also believe that divorced or separated parents have an ethical obligation to contribute to their children's educational expenses whether or not they have a legal obligation to do so. Although a divorced parent may have a court-ordered agreement that s/he is not responsible for paying school tuition, Lake Country School still requires financial information from that parent.

The application forms are available in early January. All three of the items listed in the previous paragraph must be completed by February 15th. Applications that are completed by the tuition assistance deadline are considered before those that are turned in late. If you want to apply, please call the Lake Country School office at (612) 827-3707, and we will send you the necessary forms.

What do I need to know to help my own planning for tuition assistance process?

As you plan for the long term, remember that tuition will increase each year. There are also increases in tuition when a student enters a new developmental level. Even if the percentage of tuition assistance you are awarded remains the same, the amount of tuition you pay is very likely to be somewhat higher each year.

If you are on a waiting list, you will not be asked to make a commitment to enroll unless you receive an award. Sometimes funds become available as late as the end of the summer.

What can I do to make the process of applying for assistance as smooth as possible?

Please be aware that the application deadline is February 15. That means that you will need to have your income taxes filed by that time. It is helpful to the Tuition Assistance Committee and to your application if all of the required materials arrive by the deadline. It is also important that your application be complete. If you have not provided information that is required, your request cannot be processed. If your completed application arrives after the deadline, you will be placed on a waiting list for consideration after initial awards are made.

If you have any questions that are not answered here, please call Lucinda Anderson (ext. 14) or Paul Petroski (ext. 16) at 612/827-3707. Thank you for choosing Lake Country School. We look forward to the opportunity to work with you in a partnership that brings your children and your family to this community.

Lake Country School does not discriminate in admissions or access to, or participation in, its programs and activities on the basis of disability, race, color, creed, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, or national or ethnic origin. In addition, Lake Country School does not discriminate on the basis of gender in its programs and activities. Nor does Lake Country School discriminate in employment on the basis of any of these categories. Any questions in this regard should be directed to the Principal.

For further admissions information please contact Lucinda Anderson, LCS Admissions Director
612.827.3707 ::: admissions@lakecountryschool.org