Tuition and Affordability

1. Create a Clarity account. The application typically takes under 30 minutes, is mobile-friendly, and can be saved and resumed anytime.
2. Pay the $65 application fee. This one-time fee lets you share your application with any Clarity-participating school. If the fee is a barrier for your family, please contact Director of Financial Assistance Elena Jay at ejay@belmontday.org to request a fee waiver.
3. Submit by the deadline: Returning families must submit a new Clarity application each year by December 1. The deadline for prospective families is January 31. Please note that the Clarity application requires prior year(s) tax documents for all parents and guardians, and offers secure retrieval methods through their platform. The director of financial assistance may also ask your family to manually upload additional tax and financial documents to provide further insight into your financial circumstances.

Questions about the process? Reach out to Elena Jay, director of financial assistance, at ejay@belmontday.org.

All families, regardless of whether they receive financial assistance, choose from the following:

Payment Plans

• Single Payment: Full tuition due July 1
• Two Payments: 60% due July 1, 40% due January 15
• Ten Payments: 10 monthly payments beginning May 1 and ending February 1; for autopay, the first payment is withdrawn on the first of the month, or the next business day if the first falls on a weekend or holiday

Upon enrolling, all families must pay a reservation deposit equal to 10% of their total tuition owed for the year. Re-enrolling families pay a $2,000 reservation deposit. The deposit is first applied to total tuition due, and the payment plan you select is applied to the balance after the deposit is applied.

Payment Details

• Payment can be made by cash, check, ACH, or credit card (credit card payments include a processor convenience fee; ACH does not)
• A one-time $50 service fee applies to the Two Payment plan, and a one-time $60 service fee applies to the Ten Payment plan
• Tuition refund insurance is available. If you elect Tuition Refund Insurance, you must pay the premium by July 1. Learn more about Tuition Refund Insurance.

Some costs are covered for all students, regardless of financial assistance status:

• School-provided lunch (grades 1–8)
• Required technology and devices
• Books and materials for academic classes and summer assignments
• Athletic uniforms for middle school students

Other costs are discounted at the same percentage as a family’s tuition financial assistance award. For example, a family with a 50% tuition award also receives a 50% discount on:

• After School Program
• After-school enrichment classes
• Bus transportation (Boston–Newton and Cambridge–Somerville routes)

Financial assistance is also available for Belmont Day Summer Camp; details are shared during summer registration. For grade 5–8 orientation trips and the grade 8 Southwest trip, the director of financial assistance will contact assisted families directly before each trip with contribution details.

Optional and required programs are billed to families in addition to tuition. Incidental invoices are available on the Parent Portal. For those who pay via autopay, the payments are withdrawn from a bank or credit card account on the due date of the incidental invoice. Parents may initiate online payments via the Parent Portal.

Auxiliary Programs

After School Program

Families may enroll in the After School Program by trimester or annually. 

Enrichment Classes

After-school enrichment classes are offered for students in pre-kindergarten to grade 5. Enrollment is by trimester, and fees vary by class.

Vacation Camps

The school offers a four-day camp program during the February and April vacation weeks. These programs are open to Belmont Day students and the public for a fee.

Please refer to the Auxiliary Programs page for costs.

Bus Transportation

Belmont Day School offers two bus lines for student transportation to and from school, five days a week. Families can choose how often to use them. Please refer to the Transportation page for costs.

Trips

Fall Orientation Trips

• Fifth grade trip to The Farm School in Athol, MA.
• Sixth grade trip to Cathleen Stone Island Outward Bound in Boston.
• Seventh grade trip to Kieve Wavus Education’s The Leadership School in Maine.
• Eighth grade team-building program at Project Adventure in Beverly, MA.

Other Trips

Eighth grade trip to the Southwest in the spring.

Late Pick-up Fee

Students who are not picked up at their regular dismissal time will join the After School Program. This emergency coverage incurs a fee.

How do admissions and financial assistance work together?

We review admissions and financial assistance applications separately. We review applicant files and hold admissions committee discussions without considering a family’s ability to pay. We consider financial need only after we make an admissions decision. Our financial assistance committee works to meet as much demonstrated need as possible within our annual budget. For students who do receive an award, we commit to meeting 100% of their demonstrated need.

How committed is Belmont Day to financial assistance?

Deeply. Belmont Day believes an outstanding education should be accessible to qualified families regardless of financial circumstances, and we back that belief with real investment: we award over $2.5 million each year, with awards ranging from 3% to 99% of tuition covered. This commitment helps make our community as socioeconomically and geographically diverse as it is; Belmont Day families come from more than 30 towns across the Greater Boston region. We view financial accessibility as essential to building a vibrant, varied community where every student benefits from learning from others with different perspectives and life experiences.

If I’m not sure if I will qualify, should I apply?

Yes, we encourage every family who has questions about affordability to apply. Some families assume they won’t qualify and are surprised to find they do. Given the number of factors that constitute eligibility, it is often difficult to know where you will land without going through the process. That said, if you would like to talk through your specific circumstances before applying, please reach out to Elena Jay, director of financial assistance, at ejay@belmontday.org.

Who needs to complete the financial assistance application?

For each student applying for financial assistance, Belmont Day School requires the financial information of all parents and guardians, regardless of legal settlements and/or their educational costs/contributions arrangements between themselves. Both custodial and noncustodial parents, even if divorced, separated, or never married, must submit the financial assistance application. The director of financial assistance can waive the noncustodial requirement in certain situations by submitting a waiver request form.

How are awards calculated?


Clarity calculates a family’s projected tuition based on the financial information you provide, as well as your tax documents, assets, investments, expenses, debt, family size, and number of children in tuition-charging schools. A committee consisting of the director of financial assistance, director of admissions and institutional advancement, chief financial officer, and head of school reviews all applications to ensure awards are consistent and equitable.

Do I have to reapply each year? Will my award stay the same?


Yes. Current families must reapply by early December each year so awards reflect the most current financial circumstances. If there have not been significant changes to your income, assets, family size, or family structure, your award will likely remain consistent each year. We encourage current Belmont Day families to reach out to the director of financial assistance as early as possible if there are any major changes in circumstances that might impact your ability to pay tuition.

If I enroll as a full-pay family, can I apply for assistance in future years?

Families who enroll without financial assistance will not be eligible to receive an award in future years unless there is a significant change in their financial circumstances. Examples may include the addition of tuition obligations for other children, an increase in the number of dependents, unexpected medical issues, and sustained unemployment. In these cases, families should speak with the director of financial assistance and the chief financial officer to determine whether tuition payments can be modified through a different payment plan or whether the family might qualify for financial assistance.

Can I apply for financial assistance after the January 31 deadline?


Financial assistance decisions for returning families are shared in February alongside re-enrollment contracts and for new families in tandem with offers of admission in March. Applications submitted after the January 31 deadline are much less likely to receive an award, since the financial assistance budget may already be fully allocated.

Questions about tuition, payment plans, or financial assistance? Contact Elena Jay, Director of Financial Assistance, at ejay@belmontday.org.

• Video Introduction to Clarity
• Clarity Application Quick Reference Guide (English / Spanish)
• Clarity Family Application Guide (English / Spanish)
• Clarity Help Center and support team: support@clarityapp.com or 206-210-3752
• Live webinars:
  –Tuesday, September 29, 10 p.m. ET
  –Wednesday, September 30, 6 p.m. ET
  –Tuesday, October 27, 10 p.m. ET
  –Wednesday, October 28, 6 p.m. ET
  –Tuesday, December 8, 8:30 p.m. ET