Financial Aid (Tuition Assistance) Information
Covered Expenses
Long Trail School recognizes familial contributions to educational expenses as an integral part of financial responsibility. Financial aid at LTS does not cover all expenses a family may incur during the course of the school year. Financial aid provides assistance for a portion of tuition only.
Frequently Asked Questions About Financial Aid
Financial aid is available to any family that is enrolled at LTS or has applied for admission in grades 6 through 12.
We do not necessarily accept SSS recommendations. Rather, we consider each family’s individual circumstances and then put that analysis in the context of our other families’ financial strength in an effort to achieve an equitable offer. We therefore need to know that you are committed to your child’s attendance at LTS in order for us to engage in the process of determining your aid package.
Admission and Enrollment are two separate events/processes. Until we receive a signed contract indicating your acceptance of our offer, your aid amount is reserved for you and unavailable to other potential candidates. Sometimes this works well and other times we lose students because we don’t have funds available at the moment of their consideration of LTS. Your enrollment contract is the only way we know for certain that your child will be attending LTS. We receive enrollment contracts on a “first come first served” basis and reserve seats according to the receipt of those contracts.
Every year there are more applicants for financial aid than available funds. LTS admissions decisions are not influenced by a family’s need for financial aid. It is possible, however, that there will not be sufficient funds for all students who are accepted.
LTS is unable to provide aid to every qualified student. However, students are never denied aid; rather, they are placed on the financial aid wait list in the hopes that funds will become available.
Tuition aid grants only cover a portion of the cost of tuition. All fees or costs for field trips, busing, and other incidentals are the responsibility of families.
Aid awards are determined by the Financial Aid Committee composed of LTS staff. The Head of School is not a member of the committee.
Families will be notified as the committee reviews the files. Returning families receive priority in the allocation of aid so new families’ packages are customarily awarded from mid-March through the end of April.
While currently enrolled LTS students and newly enrolling siblings receive priority no other outside factor affects the awarding of financial aid grants.
Once a family submits its application to SSS, the process starts. SSS uses a formula to estimate the financial resources your family may have available to pay school costs. Simply stated, the formula considers your income, what you own (your house and other investments), what you owe (your mortgage and other debts), the size of your family, and how many family members are enrolled in tuition-charging schools or colleges.
After making allowances for basic necessities, taxes, and certain other expenses, SSS determines the portion of your remaining funds which would be available to pay school costs. LTS uses this information to inform its decision-making but will not necessarily use the figures SSS provides.
All information related to parents’ financial circumstances will be treated confidentially, as we expect our families to maintain confidentiality about their award(s).
No. We do not offer scholarships based on academic or extracurricular merit. The financial aid program is available only to those families with demonstrated need.
LTS supports the continued attendance of students through graduation, pending satisfactory academic performance and good citizenship. Families are required to submit an application each year they wish to receive a grant in order to demonstrate continued need.
Yes. However, the likelihood of receiving aid would be significantly reduced unless an explanation of a change in circumstances is provided.
If LTS is unable to meet the needs of the family, the application fee and non-refundable enrollment deposit will remain with the school but any other fees paid to LTS will be refunded, and the enrollment contract will be canceled.
Families will be notified as the committee reviews the files. The process for incoming families usually extends from mid-March through the end of April. Once an award notification is sent, families are expected to accept or decline the award within two weeks. If this timeline is not met, LTS reserves the right to award the assistance to an alternate candidate.