Admissions at Orchard House
Tuition Assistance
Orchard House is committed to ensuring economic diversity within each class. In order to accomplish our mission, the Board, faculty, and staff raise funds exclusively for the purposes of scholarships. Annually, 10% of the Orchard House operating budget is dedicated to funding students who fit the mission of our school and who are unable to attend without financial support. Scholarship awards range from 100% of tuition and fees to 30% of tuition. Scholarship students come from throughout the metropolitan Richmond area.
Key Dates:
Deadline to request tuition assistance application packet (families not currently receiving aid): January 31, 2012.
Deadline to file the online SSS tuition assistance application: February 14, 2012.
Deadline to submit copies of 2011 tax forms: March 1, 2012.
If a family wishes to apply for tuition assistance, contact Melody Imburg at 228-2436 ext. 105 or email her at mimburg@orchardhouse.org.
Tuition Assistance Philosophy, Practices, and Policies
Tuition Assistance Philosophy
We believe that everyone in the Orchard House School community benefits from the opportunity to interact with people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs. Tuition Assistance is one means of developing and maintaining a diverse school community. The purpose of the Tuition Assistance program is to provide mission-appropriate students with access to an Orchard House School education that, for financial reasons, might otherwise be unavailable to them. Orchard House School values and encourages diversity in learning styles, leadership skills, social skills, academic achievement, geographic perspectives, and socioeconomics, as well as race and ethnicity.
The Orchard House School Tuition Assistance program strives to provide need-based tuition assistance to meet as much of the demonstrated need of members of the Orchard House School community as possible. Orchard House School does not offer merit-based tuition assistance. Orchard House School works to assist families whose need is substantial, and we also carefully assess and support the needs of middle-income families. To that end, Orchard House School offers a series of tuition assistance initiatives that can be used individually or in combination. These initiatives include:
- Tuition discount based on demonstrated financial need
- Tuition payment plans designed to meet a variety of economic circumstances
- For students demonstrating significant financial need, assistance with additional mandatory school expenses, such as athletic fees, physical education uniforms, and field trip fees.
Our ability to provide these programs is limited by the financial resources we are able to raise and budget for tuition assistance. Orchard House School, throughout its history, has been able to dedicate 8% to 12% of its annual operating budget to tuition assistance. During the 2009-2010 school year, tuition ssistance awards to the families of our 80 students totaled $133,000, with 22.3% of students receiving a tuition assistance award. Since demonstrated need of tuition assistance applicants exceeds the amount of tuition assistance funding available, timeliness in submission of all required tuition assistance application materials is essential. For information about the Tuition Assistance program, please contact the Melody Imburg at 804-228-2436 ext. 105.
Tuition Assistance Practices
- Orchard House School will provide families with comprehensive information about the total yearly cost, tuition assistance opportunities, payment options, policies, and procedures.
- Orchard House School will recognize that the primary responsibility for financing a student’s education rests with the student’s family, as much as possible.
- Orchard House School will use a uniform methodology to assess annually the ability to pay of each family applying for tuition assistance in a consistent and equitable manner. Orchard House School currently uses SSS (Student and School Services), a program designed and run by Independent School Management. Adequate documentation of all family resources is required.
- Orchard House School will make every effort to meet as much of the demonstrated need of admitted or enrolled tuition assistance applicants as resources allow.
- Orchard House School will notify accepted applicants of tuition assistance decisions before expecting a binding reply to the offer of admission.
- Orchard House School will safeguard the confidentiality of all financial information submitted by a family.
- Orchard House School will refrain from and will discourage members of the Tuition Assistance Committee from disclosing the names of tuition assistance recipients and award amounts.
- Orchard House School will have the same standards of behavior and academic performance for tuition assistance recipients as for all students.
Tuition Assistance Policies
The Orchard House School Tuition Assistance Committee determines need by evaluating a family’s ability to contribute against the total cost of tuition. The analysis is based upon numerous factors, including the recommendations of SSS (School and Student Services), information outlining income and expenses, assets and liabilities, family size, cost of living, and complete tax returns. In order to be eligible for tuition assistance, a family must demonstrate that its resources are insufficient to cover the full cost of tuition.
The Tuition Assistance Committee requires that a family reapply for assistance each year that assistance is sought. The committee reviews a family’s circumstances each year to ensure that its tuition assistance package is current and accurate. Barring changes to the family’s or the school’s financial situation, when Orchard House School offers tuition assistance to a family, the school plans for a comparable tuition assistance assessment for that family in future years.
Please be advised that a tuition assistance application for the upcoming academic year cannot be reviewed unless the applicant is in good academic, behavioral, and financial standing with the school. An applicant’s account for the current academic year must be current before tuition assistance can be awarded for the upcoming year. Families of current students who are applying for tuition assistance for the first time must meet all tuition assistance application deadlines and must demonstrate that family financial circumstances have changed significantly since initial enrollment.
Orchard House School expects that all parents who seek assistance will be employed full time, unless they are caretakers for children under the age of five, provide live-in care for an elderly dependent, or have a prohibitive disability. A salary for other non-working parents will be assessed and imputed as financial need is calculated.
Parents who are Separated or are Not Married and Other Adults in the Household
All custodial/non-custodial parents and/or guardians and any other adults who share the applicant’s primary residence are required to submit financial documentation through the SSS program, as well as signed copies of the previous year’s tax records, all 1099 schedules, and W-2 earning statements. Court agreements regarding payment of educational expenses may be considered, but Orchard House School cannot always honor such agreements. Financial information, including details of the status of tuition assistance awards, is considered confidential and is not shared among parents who do not share a residence, without the express written permission of the parent(s) involved.
All families receiving a tuition assistance award are expected to maintain the confidentiality of the award. Additionally, all families receiving a tuition assistance award must have submitted complete and accurate financial information. Failure to do either of the above may be reason for immediate revocation of the tuition assistance award, and may preclude the applicant from tuition assistance consideration in future years.
If you have any questions, please contact Melody Imburg at mimburg@orchardhouse.org or (804) 228-2436, ext. 105.
Orchard House also offers several tuition payment options to accommodate the financial needs of families.
