Three Tier Tuition

The Brooklyn Waldorf School is committed to creating a community whose students and families reflect the economic, cultural, and racial diversity of Brooklyn.

Currently private education is viewed as a commodity, purchased by an individual family for their child. At the Brooklyn Waldorf School we strive to move away from a standard consumer approach to education and toward a partnership approach that engenders in our students and community a sense of justice, equity, and compassion.

The Brooklyn Waldorf School Board has developed and continues to refine a unique three-tier tuition model. With this model, the tuition paid by each family reflects their income level and asset base. Ideally the model ensures that each class in our school is populated with students who represent a spectrum of financial backgrounds.

How Does it Work?

Choose A Tier
In the application process, you as a family are asked to request the tuition tier you feel is financially tenable. The tuition tiers for the 2010-2011 school year are:

Early Childhood (Nursery & Mixed Kindergarten)
Tier 1 $9,800
Tier 2 $13,425
Tier 3 $17,050

Lower School (Grades)
Tier 1 $11,506
Tier 2 $15,762
Tier 3 $20,018

Parents' Financial Statement
As a means of creating a baseline of understanding and dialogue with the school, families applying to Tiers One and Two are required to submit salary and asset information via SSS, a service provided by the National Association of Independent Schools to help schools make informed decisions regarding tuition. The statement document is online at http://sss.nais.org. The Brooklyn Waldorf School code is 4339. You are also asked to submit your income tax returns to The Brooklyn Waldorf School for each of the past two years. Tier Three families are not required to submit this information as, in essence, the amount they pay above the average tuition cost enables a family of lesser means to be part of our school community. To learn more about our unique Three Tier Tuition model download and read our 3 Tier Tuition Pamphlet.

Letter of Award
If your application for admission is accepted, you will receive a letter of award from the admissions office.

Acceptance and Reply
Upon receiving your letter of award and confirmation of your child’s acceptance into the School, you are required to reply to the admissions office and submit a payment equal to 10% of your tuition.

Sibling Discount
While we do not offer a sibling discount for families with more than one student in the school, we understand that families with several children could find themselves in difficulty when balancing tuition costs with family needs. We encourage those families to enclose additional information with their Parent Financial Statement explaining the particulars of your situation. The admissions committee will consider such requests for discount carefully and equitably. The procedures for these requests are the same as when applying for a tier level.

Have Questions?
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding our tuition model, mission, and/or application process. We look forward to assisting you and your family as you move through the stages of application and on toward enrollment at The Brooklyn Waldorf School.