HOW CAN I AFFORD TO SEND MY KIDS TO RIDGEFIELD?
The Real Question is...How Can You Afford Not To?
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By the time your child graduates, they will have spent 15,000 hours in school. What happens in those hours lays the foundation for your child’s future. Who they hear. What they are taught. Their school experience today influences who they will become tomorrow.
Christian education is a long-term investment in your child’s academic and spiritual future. Every day is an opportunity for growth and development. By equipping their minds and shaping their hearts with a Biblical worldview, their future is wide-open and ready for the life God has for them!
Keep reading to see how we can help…
Helping fund your child's education
High-quality Christian education is costly and we understand the strain that this cost puts on many families. But Ridgefield Christian School is committed to ensuring that any student who needs to be here doesn’t miss out because of financial constraint. Financial assistance is available for full-time students in grades K-12 based on family financial need. Many families pay less than 80% of the published tuition rates and everyone is encouraged to apply.
Talk to our Admissions team today. Don't assume that the cost of Christian education is out of reach for your child!
Tuition Assistance
Applying for Aid
New families
Returning families
Available Scholarships
Tuition Assistance
RCS financially partners with full-time families to provide a Christ-centered education through our financial aid programs. Financial assistance is available on a limited basis and awarded based on financial need. All families are encouraged to apply, and many families receive some form of financial aid to attend the school.
To be eligible to apply for financial assistance, you must meet the following requirements:
- Account balance must be in good standing
- New students must have been accepted. Returning students must be re-enrolled.
- You should be the parent or legal guardian and be assigned financial responsibility on the family account.
Financial aid is only available for full-time students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12. We are unable to offer financial aid for preschool, pre-kindergarten, homeschool enrichment, or part-time students at this time. RCS does not award any athletic or academic merit scholarships.
Applying for Aid
RCS uses FACTS Grant and Aid Assessment to provide the school with parent financial information and analysis of each family’s need. A family financial application process is required to receive any financial aid at RCS. Aid is awarded as a percentage of tuition and is good for the school year of application.
Families applying for financial aid submit their financial information and necessary supporting documentation to FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment along with the $40 application fee. The following documents are required by FACTS to complete the application:
- Copies of your Federal tax forms including all supporting tax schedules for the last 2 years
- Copies of your W-2 forms for both you and your spouse for the last 2 years
- Copies of supporting documentation for other sources of income
FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment conducts the financial need analysis based on family income and expenses along with the cost of all schooling (tuition and fees) and provides recommendations to the school. The school then makes the final decision based on those recommendations taking into account other extenuating circumstances. All financial aid information is kept confidential. The admissions office will notify applications of financial aid awards.
New families
You must first complete the online admissions application. The first step in the process is to apply to RCS for the coming school year. If your are approved for enrollment at RCS, you will receive an email with instructions on accessing the financial aid application.
Complete the financial aid application. From FACTS Family Portal, click on the left side “Financial” menu choice. Then on right side of the main screen under Financial Link, click on “Apply for Grant & Aid” or go to the FACTS Grant & Aid page at online.factsmgt.com/aid. Sign in with an existing FACTS username and password, or, if you are new to FACTS, first Create an Account. Complete all sections of the financial aid application and pay the $35 application fee. This fee is charged by the online financial aid service and does not go to RCS.
If you have questions about financial aid or the financial aid process, or if you have already submitted your enrollment packet, but did not apply for financial aid at that time, please contact the Admission office for more information.
Returning families
You need to first complete online re-enrollment for the upcoming school year to which you are applying for financial aid. No financial aid applications are accepted for families who are not enrolled. Once the packet is submitted, you will receive an email with instructions on accessing the financial aid application.
Complete the financial aid application. From FACTS Family Portal, click on the left side “Financial” menu choice. Then on right side of the main screen under Financial Link, click on “Apply for Grant & Aid” or go to the FACTS Grant & Aid page at online.factsmgt.com/aid. Sign in with an existing FACTS username and password, or, if you are new to FACTS, first Create an Account. Complete all sections of the financial aid application and pay the $35 application fee. This fee is charged by the online financial aid service and does not go to RCS.
If you have questions about financial aid or the financial aid process, or if you have already submitted your enrollment packet, but did not apply for financial aid at that time, please contact the Admission office for more information.
Available Scholarships
ACE Scholarship Program – ACE Scholarships is an outstanding partner organization that offers scholarships of up to 50% tuition to eligible families. We strongly encourage enrolled families to apply for this scholarship. This is the primary form of financial aid at RCS and is awarded before any other of the following scholarships.
Ministry Scholarship – Awarded to families whose primary income is from full-time Christian ministry or who are bi-vocational pastors with executive ministry responsibilities. Requires financial aid application and employment verification. Requires FA application and employment verification. 25% of tuition.
Military/First Responders Scholarship – Awarded to families whose primary income is from full-time military or first responder service (law enforcement, fire department, EMT/paramedic). Requires FA application and employment verification.10% of tuition.
Alumni Scholarship – Awarded to students of RCS alumni. Requires FA application and alumni status verification.10% of tuition.
Warrior Scholarship – Tuition scholarship award is based on family qualifying percentages and is awarded only after the ACE scholarship has been pursued and other qualifying scholarships have been awarded. Amount varies.
ACE is a donor-funded K-12 scholarship program dedicated to providing scholarships paid to the school for families who meet the income qualifications.
For 2023, the qualifying threshold is 350% of Federal Poverty Guidelines, so many families will qualify for some amount of aid. See the chart below. All families are encouraged to apply.
Financial Aid FAQs
What kind of aid is available?
There are a variety of scholarships available depending on family situations. See the Scholarships section for specifics. Most families who apply receive something.
Who may receive financial aid?
Any family may apply for aid and is encouraged to do so if finances are an obstacle to attending. We are committed to the principle that any family who needs to be at RCS can do so regardless of financial need.
Do I have to do a separate application for each of my children?
No, only one application per family is required. The outside application process takes into account the cost of ALL educational expenses in the family, including those of students attending other schools, enrolled in college, childcare or daycare expenses, etc.
Award is allocated per child but based on a single family application.
What if our income is too high but there are other circumstances we are facing?
No problem. There is a place in the application to provide personal, written narrative or explanations for the committee to consider. The aid processor does not review that information. It simply returns a recommended award amount based on an algorithm and the financial numbers provided in your tax forms. However, the final decision about the aid award belongs to the school and all other personal information provided to the committee in the application is taken into account. The personal, human factor is very important to RCS.
Why does RCS require a financial aid application separate from admissions?
As a private school, RCS relies primarily on tuition supplemented by donations and grants in order to operate our program. Money for financial aid is finite and relatively scarce. However, our vision is that any student who needs to be enrolled at RCS be able do so without finances being the obstacle. As a group committed to biblical stewardship, we want to allocate our resources (financial aid dollars) as responsibly as possible. To ensure that our policies or programs that provide financial assistance of any form to families is fair, transparent, and effective, we use an outside, third-party application agency. This process helps us better assess and verify a family’s financial eligibility and need, which, in turn, lets us make the best decision we can as a school as to what aid to provide. This approach allows us to be the best stewards we can be of our financial resources while continuing to support families who need help.
