2026-2027 Tuition

Grades 1 - 5
$18,300

Middle School Grades 6 - 8
$19,000

Early Childhood

5 Full Days: $17,500   

3 Full Days: $14,500   

After School Care

• Unlimited: $3,600

• Punch Cards: 10 visits for $340.00

• Drop in: $40 per day

Additional Fees 

• Supply Fee EC-5th Grade: $340

• Supply Fee 6-8th Grades: $515

  (includes $15 Parent Council Fee)

Musical Instruments

Beginning in the Third Grade, parents are responsible for buying or renting an instrument
so their child can participate in the Strings Ensemble as well as arranging
for additional private lessons outside of class time.
Music Scholarships are available and limited.

Financial Assistance

The Ithaca Waldorf School wishes to make Waldorf education available to all who seek it. We recognize that some families who seek Waldorf education need help. We follow a model used by many Waldorf schools, in which a percentage of total tuition income is given as aid to qualifying families. In order to qualify for financial aid, the child must already be enrolled at the school.

We are committed to providing Financial Assistance (FA) for students whose families are unable to fully meet tuition costs; however, we believe the financial responsibility of a student’s education rests primarily with the family. The below information should help you determine whether you want to pursue FA as an option – and if so, the steps needed to submit an application.

Important Financial Assistance Information

• We award Financial Aid for all our school day programs, but we prioritize Financial Aid for full time (5-day) students.

• The FA award does not cover other school fees (After School Program, Supply or Bookkeeping fees).

• FA applications must be made anew each year.

• For planning purposes, as a general rule, IWS seeks to allocate similar FA awards from one year to the next, except when there may have been significant changes to a family’s financial situation.

• Incomplete applications will not be considered.

• Returning students: FA applications must be received by February 22nd, 2026. Any funds still available after February 22nd will roll over into our new student FA budget.

• New students: a separate FA budget is available for new families on a first-come, first-serve basis. In addition, any FA budget leftover from our returning student budget after February 22nd rolls over into the new student FA budget.

• Generally, the average FA award ranges from a 25-40% reduction in tuition (not including fees).

How to Apply

The Financial Assistance application is available here. In order to assess a family’s ability to pay tuition, we use TADS to get an accurate and impartial analysis of each family's financial need. The partner code (school code) is 200492.

An FA application is considered complete if the following are submitted by February 22, 2026:

1. A completed enrollment contract via TADS.

2. A copy of the most recent completed tax return and other supporting documents as requested, uploaded to our Financial Assistance portal.

3. The tuition deposit of $100 + the supply fee ($340 for EC-5th or $515 for 6-8th) paid.

4. If there is anything further you would like the committee to consider, please submit a letter (IWS c/o FA Committee, 20 Nelson Road, Ithaca, NY 14850) or via email (financialassistance@ithacawaldorf.org) explaining your situation.  

   Without submission of items 1 - 3 (above), the application is considered incomplete, and an award will not be made.

Awards are based on financial need. If other sources of financial support are available (such as from a non-custodial parent or grandparents), it is critical that this information be disclosed in the Additional Comments section of the online application.

Once an award is made, the family must acknowledge acceptance within two (2) weeks. After that deadline, the funds will be returned to the FA pool for other applicants.

If an award has been made, and the family is still unable to afford the revised tuition, please send a written appeal to the Chair of the Financial Aid Committee within two weeks of receiving notification of the award.

Financial Assistance Timeline for 2026:

• January 5: Returning and new families may begin to apply for Financial Aid (FA). A student must have completed the re-enrollment process in order for us to process their FA application.

• February 22: Deadline for returning families to apply for Financial Assistance. (New students: a separate FA budget is available for new families on a rolling first-come, first-serve basis.)

• After February 22: Any remaining returning families FA budget will roll over into the separate new student FA budget.

• WITHIN two weeks of receiving your FA award notification: to secure your child(ren)’s place for Fall 2026, and your FA award, the IWS office will need to receive:

1. An email indicating FA award acceptance or intent to appeal.

2. A signed Tuition Agreement on TADS for each child.

• AFTER two weeks of receiving your FA award notification: if you have NOT submitted acceptance or intent to appeal or withdraw, your FA award is returned to the budget for other families.

Please contact the Financial Aid Committee with any additional questions you may have about the Financial Aid program: business@ithacawaldorf.org

We are happy to discuss the process with you. For more information, please call our office at (607) 256-2020.