Financial Assistance Policy

Akiva’s Financial Assistance Policy is closely connected to our school’s mission:  to pursue excellence, foster critical inquiry, and to inspire informed Jewish living.

Our goal is to make Akiva’s exceptional education available to as many students and families as possible. The Financial Assistance Committee determines awards for new and returning students. Committee members are selected for their thoughtful approach to sensitive matters and their complete discretion. The committee discusses each family’s financial information with the greatest emphasis on respect and confidentiality.  Documents are reviewed by the committee only after identifying information has been removed.

The Financial Assistance Committee takes seriously its responsibility to enable entry into the Akiva School community and support families to ensure their child can remain enrolled at Akiva. The committee considers several factors in determining financial assistance. These factors include but are not limited to:

1)  Income from all sources
2)  Number of children in the family
3)  Number of children attending Akiva and other tuition based schools
4)  Unique family circumstances, including changes in employment status, illness, elder care, divorce, and other factors.

No family receives 100% financial assistance. Except under extraordinary circumstances, all families are charged a minimum tuition of $4,500 per child.

Financial Assistance Application Procedure
The Financial Assistance Committee expects applicant families to pay their application fee and enrollment deposit, and comply with all application procedures. The committee will not consider applications unless they are complete. The Financial Assistance application will request that:

1) The applicant family submits its information including current and/or prior year tax forms to Student and School Services of National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).  This application must be completed online.  

2)  The applicant family makes a good-faith statement about their maximum ability to pay tuition.  

3) At the time of their application, families are expected to be current with tuition payments for the present and prior school years or have set up an acceptable payment plan for tuition that is past due.

Award Procedures
1)  The Financial Assistance Committee reviews all applications received by the announced deadline, with all relevant supplemental materials. The committee reviews and evaluates all information with the greatest emphasis on respect and confidentiality.

2)  The applicant family receives written notification describing the form and amount of assistance granted by the Financial Assistance Committee. This information is provided to the family alongside their enrollment contract for the upcoming school year.

3) The Financial Assistance Committee reviews applications for assistance received after the deadline on a case-by-case basis.

4) If the applicant family does not agree with the decision of the Financial Assistance Committee, they may appeal to the Head of School, who may choose to ask the Committee to revisit their decision.

5) The final decision of the Head of School and Financial Assistance Committee is binding.

Financial Assistance Decisions and Admissions to Akiva
The Financial Assistance Committee makes award decisions independently from the Admissions decisions.

When a student is accepted to Akiva School and the family has submitted all required forms and fees to both the Admissions Office and the Business Office, the school reserves a space for the student in his/her appropriate class. This seat  will be held for the student unless the family fails to provide all information or rejects Akiva’s offer within one week from the date of award notification.  If the applicant family decides to withdraw a student, or does not inform Akiva of their intention to accept the financial assistance awarded  until after the deadline, that student’s place in the class may be given to another applicant.

Open Communication
At Akiva, we always strive to hold ourselves to the highest standard. Consequently, our intention is to always create an open dialogue through our Financial Assistance process. Please let us know how we can improve the efficiency of the process, and how we can better address the unique circumstances and concerns of applicant families.

Nondiscrimination Policy
Akiva School admits students of any race, color, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.  It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, Admissions policies and other school administered programs.