Escuela Bilingüe Internacional vs German International School of Silicon Valley - Mountain View Campus
Escuela Bilingüe Internacional and German International School of Silicon Valley - Mountain View Campus are both in San Francisco. Both schools offer Bespoke programmes. Escuela Bilingüe Internacional also offers IB, and German International School of Silicon Valley - Mountain View Campus also offers American and German. Published annual fees are $34,810 - 43,630 at Escuela Bilingüe Internacional and $15,500 - 42,225 at German International School of Silicon Valley - Mountain View Campus, which puts Escuela Bilingüe Internacional roughly 36% higher. Escuela Bilingüe Internacional takes pupils from 3 to 14, and German International School of Silicon Valley - Mountain View Campus from 2 to 18. German International School of Silicon Valley - Mountain View Campus is the larger school, with around 519 pupils to Escuela Bilingüe Internacional's 270. Typical class sizes are 20 at Escuela Bilingüe Internacional and 15 at German International School of Silicon Valley - Mountain View Campus.
American Curriculum, Bespoke Curriculum, German Curriculum
Pupils
Pupils
270
Pupils
519
Typical class size
Typical class size
20
Typical class size
15
Instruction language
Instruction language
Spanish, English
Instruction language
German, English
Opened
Opened
2006
Opened
1999
Bus service
Bus service
No
Bus service
Yes
Essentials
Essentials
Location
Location
Two campuses serve the Bay Area: Alcatraz Campus in Oakland and San Pablo Campus in Emeryville, California. Alcatraz Campus is located at 410 Alcatraz Ave, Oakland, CA 94609. San Pablo Campus is located at 4550 San Pablo Ave., Emeryville, CA 94608.
Location
GISSV has two campuses in the San Francisco Bay Area: Mountain View and San Francisco. The Mountain View Campus is at 310 Easy Street, Mountain View, CA 94043. The San Francisco Campus is at 117 Diamond Street, San Francisco, CA 94114.
Stages
Stages
Preschool (PK/TK) through 8th Grade; Lower School Kindergarten through 5th Grade; Middle School 6th through 8th Grade; Accelerated Spanish Program (ASP) for Grades 2–8. IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) for Pre-Kinder through 5th Grade and IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) for 6th through 8th Grade.
Stages
Mountain View: Preschool–12; San Francisco: Preschool–8.
School type
School type
Independent IB World School offering Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP) with a Spanish-English bilingual curriculum across all grades.
School type
Independent, nonprofit preschool–12 school with two campuses.
Pupil nationality mix
Pupil nationality mix
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Pupil nationality mix
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Additional learning support
Additional learning support
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Learning Differences Support; SEL begins in Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and continues through Grade 8; Learning Specialists provide 1:1 and small-group support in Spanish and English; Individualized Academic Plans (IAPs) updated annually; in-class push-in support TK–5; multisensory teaching and Universal Design for Learning (UDL); 8th-grade transition support for neurodiverse students.
Additional learning support
Inclusion Specialists work with students who benefit from extra support due to learning differences or physical challenges; they collaborate with teachers to adapt curriculum and provide small-group or individualized instruction. Counselors focus on social-emotional learning and overall well-being.
Country affiliation
Country affiliation
United States
Country affiliation
Germany; dual-language education based on the German curriculum of Thuringia; accredited by the German Government (ZfA) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation
—
Religious affiliation
—
School day structure
School day structure
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School day structure
Preschool options include 7:30 am–5:00 pm (Mountain View) or 8:00 am–5:00 pm (San Francisco). For Elementary, classes start at 8:00 am and generally end at 1:50 pm.
Bus service details
Bus service details
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Bus service details
—
Fees
Fees
Fee details
Fee details
Application fees
- Admissions application fee: USD 100, non-refundable; payable by debit or credit card at the time the application is submitted. - Tuition-assistance application fee (Clarity): USD 65 per household for families submitting a Clarity Financial Aid application.
Tuition fees (2026–2027) — annual and per-installment breakdowns by year group
Note: the school offers FACTS payment plans (one payment, two payments, or ten monthly payments). Per-installment amounts below are calculated by dividing the annual tuition by the number of installments under each FACTS plan; FACTS plan fees apply in addition to the installment amounts.
- Preschool (PK) & Transitional Kindergarten (TK) - Annual tuition: USD 34,810. - Deposit (10% of tuition, non-refundable at contract signature): USD 3,481. - One-payment (due April 30): USD 34,810 (plus FACTS one-time fee USD 25 when applicable). - Two payments (due April 30 and September 30): USD 17,405 per payment (plus FACTS one-time fee USD 25). - Ten monthly payments (first due April 30; final due January 31): USD 3,481 per month (plus FACTS annual fee USD 55).
- Lower School (Grades K–5) - Annual tuition: USD 40,700. - Deposit (10% of tuition, non-refundable at contract signature): USD 4,070. - One-payment (due April 30): USD 40,700 (plus FACTS one-time fee USD 25 when applicable). - Two payments (due April 30 and September 30): USD 20,350 per payment (plus FACTS one-time fee USD 25). - Ten monthly payments (first due April 30; final due January 31): USD 4,070 per month (plus FACTS annual fee USD 55).
- Middle School (Grades 6–8) - Annual tuition: USD 43,630. - Deposit (10% of tuition, non-refundable at contract signature): USD 4,363. - One-payment (due April 30): USD 43,630 (plus FACTS one-time fee USD 25 when applicable). - Two payments (due April 30 and September 30): USD 21,815 per payment (plus FACTS one-time fee USD 25). - Ten monthly payments (first due April 30; final due January 31): USD 4,363 per month (plus FACTS annual fee USD 55).
Billing schedule and payment terms
- A non-refundable tuition deposit equal to 10% of the annual tuition is required when submitting the enrollment contract; deposit deadlines are mid-February for returning families and mid-March for new families. - FACTS payment-plan options and fees: - One Payment: FACTS annual fee USD 25; due April 30. - Two Payments: FACTS annual fee USD 25; due April 30 and September 30. - Ten Monthly Payments: FACTS annual fee USD 55; first payment due April 30, final payment due January 31. - FACTS provides secure automatic deductions from a checking or savings account; enrollment in FACTS is required to complete registration and may be used for tuition, capital fund (if applicable), and Aventura extended-care billing.
Boarding fees
- Boarding is not applicable: EBI operates as a day school for Preschool through Grade 8 on its Alcatraz (Oakland) and San Pablo (Emeryville) campuses. No boarding fees are charged.
Other required or optional costs
- Capital Improvement / Capital Fund Fee (newly enrolling families): one-time, non-refundable USD 2,000 per family; exempt for families receiving tuition assistance. This contribution can be paid in one payment, two installments, or monthly via FACTS. - Accelerated Spanish Program (ASP) enrollment fee: USD 2,500 per year for students enrolled in ASP (subject to annual adjustment). - Aventura extended day-care program (before/after school care) — separate from tuition and billed through FACTS or UltraCamp as appropriate: - Unlimited/5-day plan (includes before and after care during school-year camps): USD 4,840. - Unlimited/3-day plan (three pre-selected days per week; includes school-year camps): USD 3,530. - Drop-in plan: USD 36.50 per use. - Enrichment classes, after-school programs, and school-year camps are not included in base tuition; these auxiliary program fees are billed separately. - School Store / spirit wear: the school maintains an online School Store (spirit wear and apparel) for purchases; spirit-wear purchases are billed separately. - Items explicitly included in tuition: textbooks, technology devices, standard field trips, overnight trips that are part of the program, and the yearbook. Items explicitly excluded from tuition: before- and after-school care, after-school enrichment classes, and summer camps.
Refund and cancellation terms
- The enrollment deposit (10% of tuition) is non-refundable. - The Capital Improvement Fee (one-time USD 2,000) is non-refundable. Families receiving tuition assistance are exempt from this fee. - Contract withdrawal policy: written notice of cancellation must be submitted by May 1, 2026 to avoid further tuition obligation; the deposit remains non-refundable. After May 1, families are responsible for the full tuition amount as stated in the Enrollment Contract.
Fee payment methods and administration
- Application fee payment: debit or credit card at submission of admissions application. - Tuition and most school charges: managed through the FACTS Tuition Management system; FACTS supports secure automatic deductions from a checking or savings account (ACH) and collects the FACTS plan fee. FACTS enrollment is required to complete registration and may be used for tuition, capital fund payments, and Aventura billing. - Tuition-assistance application (Clarity) and its fee are submitted online through the Clarity Financial Aid platform.
(End of fees overview.)
Fee details
Application fee
- New student application fee (per child): USD 75.
One-time and annual school-wide fees
- Enrollment fee (annual, per child): USD 825. - Society membership fee (annual, per family account): USD 150. - Facilities fee (annual, per family account): USD 1,250.
Rebates and sibling discounts
- Loyalty rebate: USD 700 per child after five years of consecutive enrollment; USD 1,200 per child after seven years of consecutive enrollment. - Sibling rebate: 10% off the lower of two tuitions; 20% off the lowest of three (or more) tuitions.
Annual tuition — Mountain View campus (2026/27 school year)
- The published tuition rates on the school pages are stated as annual amounts for each program and grade band. The school notes that annual tuition may be prorated for students who start mid‑year; several annual fees are explicitly non‑prorated. The per‑term amounts below are an arithmetic division of the listed annual tuition by three (3) to provide an illustrative per‑term figure for database display where a per‑term field is required. This per‑term breakdown is an arithmetic inference (annual ÷ 3) and is shown only to provide consistent per‑term entries; the school publishes tuition as annual amounts.
- Example per‑term (Mountain View, Grades 1–4): Annual USD 27,700 → Per term (illustrative) USD 9,233.33 (27,700 ÷ 3). - Example per‑term (San Francisco, Grades 1–4): Annual USD 31,850 → Per term (illustrative) USD 10,616.67 (31,850 ÷ 3).
Billing schedule and payment terms
- The school lists the enrollment, society membership and facilities fees as annual charges (fees will not be prorated). Annual tuition is published by program and grade; the school states that annual tuition might be prorated for mid‑year starts. - Visiting students pay a daily fee and must present payment in full by the first day of the visit; guest (non‑U.S. resident) students must pay tuition in full at enrollment (tuition will be prorated for guest students but annual fees may not be). - The school's bylaws note that membership (required for attendance) may be terminated for non‑payment after a written reminder if fees remain unpaid for 30 days following that reminder.
Boarding fees
- Boarding is not applicable. GISSV operates two day campuses (Mountain View and San Francisco) and does not list boarding or residential options.
Other costs and typical additional charges
- Afternoon/extended‑care program fees (annual rates listed above) apply if enrolled in those programs. - Parents should expect additional, separate costs for items such as spiritwear/uniforms (Spiritwear store), library and school supplies, field trips, exam fees, and optional extracurricular activities. A school Spiritwear/online store and a Library & School Supplies section are part of the school's published program resources. These items are generally billed or purchased separately from tuition.
Refund information
- For summer programs, the school publishes a specific refund schedule (examples: full refund within a short cancellation window after registration; staged refunds with decreasing percentages the closer to camp start date), and summer refunds are processed within business days as noted in the camp policy. Summer camp refund rules and schedules are explicit for camp registration. - For visiting/guest student arrangements, visiting students pay per day and that payment is applied to tuition if they enroll full time; guest students must pay in full at enrollment (the site indicates tuition for guest students will be prorated). - Annual enrollment, society membership and facilities fees are presented as non‑prorated annual charges; the school's published material indicates these annual fees will not be prorated.
Fee payment options
- The school uses an online parent/administration portal for account access and online payments. The school's giving/payments information confirms acceptance of credit card and eCheck (ACH) payments through its secure online payment system; the school also supports payments submitted through the school's parent portals. Historic payment instructions reference the school's online payment portal for one‑time fee payments.
Notes on timing and display for a database
- The listed tuition numbers are the school's published annual rates for the 2026/27 school year for each campus and program. The school states some fees will not be prorated while annual tuition may be prorated for delayed starts; guest students and visiting students have distinct payment requirements. Use the annual figures as the authoritative amounts and the per‑term figures above only as an arithmetic, illustrative division (annual ÷ 3) if a per‑term field is required by your database.
Diving deeper
Diving deeper
Boarding arrangements
Boarding arrangements
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Boarding arrangements
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Uniform requirement
Uniform requirement
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Uniform requirement
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Food options
Food options
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Food options
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House system
House system
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House system
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Governance and ownership
Governance and ownership
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Governance and ownership
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Academics
Academics
Curriculum details
Curriculum details
IB World School offering Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP) in a Spanish-English bilingual setting. PK–8. Two campuses: Alcatraz Ave, Oakland (PK–1) and San Pablo Ave, Emeryville (2–8). Language Model: full immersion in early years with progressively balanced bilingual instruction through middle school. Accelerated Spanish Program (ASP) provides an on-ramp for Grades 2–8 with little/no prior Spanish. Faculty are native or near-native Spanish-speaking lead teachers with diverse international backgrounds. IB learning emphasizes inquiry-based learning, global citizenship, and biliteracy. Graduates are prepared for top high schools and future success.
Curriculum details
GISSV provides preschool-12 dual-language education in German and English at two Bay Area campuses. All programs are bilingual and based on the Thuringian curriculum with English and California standards integrated. A multilingual curriculum begins in preschool and adds language courses in grade 6 (French in Mountain View; Spanish in Mountain View and San Francisco). The upper grades follow the German education structure and prepare for Hauptschulabschluss, Realschulabschluss, German International Abitur and the California High School Diploma. Graduates earn two diplomas—the German International Abitur and the California High School Diploma—enabling admission to universities in the United States, Germany and other European countries. Student-teacher ratios average under 20:1 at school and about 10:1 in preschool; the school is accredited by the German government and Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
Student teacher ratio
Student teacher ratio
Small class sizes; learning support; ASP placement as part of personalized pathways.
Student teacher ratio
Student-teacher ratios average under 20:1 at school and about 10:1 in preschool.
Exam results
Exam results
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Exam results
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Higher education progression
Higher education progression
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Higher education progression
Graduates earn two diplomas—the German International Abitur and the California High School Diploma—enabling admission to universities in the United States, Germany and other European countries.
Gifted and talented
Gifted and talented
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Gifted and talented
Differentiated learning opportunities with individualized learning plans support entering students; small class sizes facilitate personalized attention.
Academic calendar
Academic calendar
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Academic calendar
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Wellbeing & support
Wellbeing & support
Social & emotional learning
Social & emotional learning
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Social & emotional learning
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Special educational needs (SEN)
Special educational needs (SEN)
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Special educational needs (SEN)
—
English as an additional language
English as an additional language
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English as an additional language
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Mental wellbeing
Mental wellbeing
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Mental wellbeing
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Safeguarding
Safeguarding
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Safeguarding
—
Safeguarding policy
Safeguarding policy
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Safeguarding policy
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Facilities
Facilities
Facilities overview
Facilities overview
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Facilities overview
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Sports facilities
Sports facilities
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Sports facilities
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Academic facilities
Academic facilities
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Academic facilities
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Extra curricular facilities
Extra curricular facilities
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Extra curricular facilities
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Parent experience
Parent experience
History
History
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History
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Community
Community
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Community
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Parent teacher association
Parent teacher association
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Parent teacher association
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Extra-curricular
Extra-curricular
Academic & intellectual
Academic & intellectual
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Academic & intellectual
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Arts & creative
Arts & creative
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Arts & creative
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Cultural & language
Cultural & language
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Cultural & language
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Social & hobbies
Social & hobbies
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Social & hobbies
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Community & service
Community & service
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Community & service
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Leadership & professional
Leadership & professional
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Leadership & professional
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Lifestyle & wellbeing
Lifestyle & wellbeing
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Lifestyle & wellbeing
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Language provision
Language provision
Language provision
Language provision
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Language provision
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Bilingual teaching
Bilingual teaching
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Bilingual teaching
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Immersion programs
Immersion programs
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Immersion programs
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Reputation
Reputation
Awards
Awards
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Awards
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Accreditations
Accreditations
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Accreditations
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Admissions
Admissions
Admissions
Admissions
Rolling Admissions Applications Accepted Year-Round. EBI reviews applications on a rolling basis, as space allows, throughout the year. Our Admissions Process guides families through the journey to be informed and connected. 1. Inquire: Contact our Admissions Office to learn more. The Admissions Office explains options for Preschool through Grade 8, including the Accelerated Spanish Program and the Spanish-English bilingual immersion with IB World School status. 2. Visit: Schedule a personal tour of our campuses to explore our spaces. 3. Apply: Complete your application through our online portal. 4. Student Visit or Assessment: We get to know your child. 5. Decision Notification: Admissions decisions are communicated promptly. 2025-26 Admissions Dates: September 1 — Priority Application Opens; November 19 — Priority Application Deadline; January 5 — Tuition Assistance Application Opens; January 16 — Application Deadline and TA Deadline; January 24 — Student Observations/Assessments; February 7 — Student Observations/Assessments; March 3–6 — Prospective Student Shadow Days; March 6 — Decision Notification (PK/TK); March 13 — Decision Notification (K-Grade 8); March 26 — Registration Due.
Admissions
The school welcomes students of all cultural and ethnic backgrounds and serves students from two to eighteen years old. The enrollment period begins in January and February of each year for the upcoming school year, and new students may be admitted throughout the school year based on availability. Knowledge of the German language is required for all children who enroll after 1st grade, and there is a German Fast Track Program.
Scholarships
Scholarships
The Tuition Assistance program is available based on demonstrated financial need and funds availability, with more than 30% of families receiving some form of tuition assistance. Families apply through Clarity Financial Aid, creating an account, starting an application, designating EBI as a school, and providing financial information and documentation, with a $65 application fee. The Clarity process includes tax verification steps and applies English translations where required; deadlines for 2026–2027 specify January 16 for both Returning and New Families to complete the Clarity submission. International families must upload income verification documents with English translations. TA awards can be applied toward the Capital Improvement Fee, and TA recipients are exempt from that fee. For questions, contact the Admissions Team via admissions@ebinistracion.org (EBI), including Ned Pinger, Director of Finance and Operations, and the TA contact listed on the Affording EBI page.
Scholarships
The school offers need-based financial aid for students entering grades K through 12. A professional third-party reviewer assesses household income/assets and each family's ability to pay. The school makes every effort to meet demonstrated need of admitted or enrolled financial aid applicants, but resources are not always sufficient. Applicants are encouraged to apply; however, there is no guarantee that aid will be fulfilled or that it will be fulfilled at the level requested. Because of high demand and deadlines, all documents must be submitted by the prescribed deadlines for returning and new students. Currently enrolled families must be up-to-date on tuition payments to be eligible. Aid decisions are communicated before enrollment, and all information is kept confidential. New students must submit a school application before financial aid is considered, and contact admissions for an access code. The next financial aid application period is for the 2026-2027 school year, with award decisions by April 30, 2026, and the school must receive all required enrollment documents beforehand. To apply, families use the Clarity platform; steps include starting the application, adding the school to the entry, entering financial information, paying a $65 Clarity fee, and completing the Enhanced Tax Verification if required. International families may need to provide translated income documentation.[source: turn2view0]