Indexed Tuition
A commitment to inclusion is an essential element of Marin Country Day School's educational philosophy and school culture. Economic diversity enriches the educational opportunity for all families, and participation of a wide range of families is critical to the health of the school.
Among our families are those who can afford tuition at the top of the index and whose philanthropic generosity provides a vital component of annual operating expenses. There are also families who manage to pay tuition at the highest level only by making substantial sacrifice, those who are able to afford only minimal tuition, and those across the spectrum in between.
Because the school is determined to make an MCDS education accessible to families from a wide range of economic backgrounds, the school offers a wide range of tuitions. Financial support for indexed tuition is derived from the school's operating budget and unrestricted endowment income, as well as from a group of targeted funds established to support student opportunity.
Tuition Ranges for 2012-13
Kindergarten - Second Grade: $750-$25,095
Third - Fifth Grade: $750-$25,825
Sixth - Eighth Grade: $750-$28,330
The school encourages families to request information about indexed tuition if they have concerns about their ability to afford tuition at the top of the range. While every family is expected to contribute to the cost of tuition and fees and to support the community to the extent individual family circumstances permit, the school does not expect each tuition level to be the same.
Please contact Ann Borden (415-927-5910 or aborden@mcds.org) if you have any questions about Indexed Tuition.
To help us objectively assess what a family is able to contribute to education expenses, MCDS uses School and Student Services (SSS by NAIS) as a trusted third party. We use the SSS figures as the baseline for our indexed tuition determinations, taking into consideration our school's policies and the resources available for returning students as well as applicant families.
Our deadline to submit financial information to SSS is January 15, 2013.
To submit a Parent Financial Statement (PFS) online, please click here. Our school code for reporting data is 4858.
To receive a paper PFS by postal mail, please email aborden@mcds.org or call 415-927-5910.
SSS Service Center for Parents: 800-344-8328 or sss@nais.org.
We also ask that you send a copy of your 2011 tax returns and a Form 4506T (click here) to SSS by January 15, 2013, and your 2012 taxes as soon as they are filed. Tuition determinations are not final until you have submitted tax information for 2012. If the information on your 2012 return differs significantly from your PFS, tuition may be adjusted accordingly.
Notification of tuition determinations will be mailed in March, on the same schedule as admission decision letters. Although decisions about admission and indexed tuition are made at the same time, the two processes are separate. All financial information you provide will be held in strict confidence.
We appreciate your interest in Marin Country Day School and indexed tuition.
