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Tuition and FA

Affording Mizzentop

Enrolling your child at Mizzentop's private day school in Pawling is an investment in their future. We will know your child, love your child, and help your child be successful. Research shows that families who choose independent schools like Mizzentop are making a choice for talented, engaging teachers, for a hardworking peer group, and for a community that prioritizes shared responsibility for learning.

Financial Aid

Financial aid at Mizzentop is determined by a family's ability to meet educational expenses. We strive to keep tuition affordable without sacrificing the extraordinary strength of our programs or quality of our faculty. We can also help families find creative, manageable ways to pay for their child’s education, including monthly tuition payment plans.

We work hard to offer the highest level of programming at the most affordable rate possible. In order to help keep costs down, passionate volunteers contribute their valuable time to the private day school. Our donors generously fill the gap between what an independent education costs and what many families can afford.

Parents wishing to join the Mizzentop community, but find the tuition out of reach, can apply for financial aid. Scholarships are also available at certain times.

Questions regarding Financial Aid? CONTACT ADMISSIONS

Our Commitment to Families

We are deeply committed to cultivating a community of varying perspectives that reflects the diversity of experience of our community. We encourage all families to apply for admission, regardless of ability to pay full tuition. The admission review process and financial aid review processes occur independently of each other, and your application for financial aid has no bearing on admission decisions.

Flexible Tuition Payments

Mizzentop Day School allows families to utilize Blackbaud Tuition Management for installment billing of tuition. Smart Tuition provides several billing options, including mailed monthly invoices, or electronic email billing; automatic tuition payments through your bank or credit card payments. Tuition payments commence in June prior to the beginning of each academic year, with Smart Tuition Management offering a maximum of ten (10) monthly installments. Otherwise, annual payments are due to Mizzentop Day School on June 1st preceding each academic year.

All other incidental billing is managed through a monthly billing process on your school account. 

Mizzentop Day School

Financial Aid Statement

The primary responsibilities for financing independent school educational costs rest with the family. Mizzentop Day School believes that its best approach to its mission of welcoming students and families of diverse backgrounds is by committing to a tuition assistance program for those families that demonstrate financial need.

The Financial Aid Committee consists of the Head of School and two other administrators. Their decisions, with names removed, are subject to review by a non-parent Trustee. This committee makes the final determination regarding financial aid awards; no other member of the MDS community is aware of financial aid decisions. All financial aid decisions are made independent of admissions decisions and are determined solely by a family’s demonstrated need and within the constraint of the financial aid budget.

All information considered by the Financial Aid Committee shall be considered as and kept as confidential to Mizzentop Day School, Financial Aid Committee members, and ISM’s FAST online application process. The Financial Aid Committee will review all financial aid applications with awards being distributed based on each of the following policy goals:

  • Relative “neediness” of the family within the context of the application pool and financial aid funds available.
  • Financial aid awards for any one family may not exceed 40% of annual tuition.
  • Financial aid is granted for one year only.
  • Currently enrolled Mizzentop Day School students must reapply annually for the next academic year and do so no later than the last day in February. They will be given priority when determining financial aid awards.
  • Financial aid awards will not be considered for students entering Pre-Kindergarten.
  • Both parents are expected to contribute to tuition.
  • In the case of divorce or separation, Mizzentop Day School requires both parents to file an application for financial assistance. Mizzentop Day School is not bound by any divorce agreement specifying a parent’s responsibility for educational expenses.

Mizzentop Day School believes a family should invest in their child’s education before elective expenses.

Mizzentop is the only school in the United States to fully implement the Living Values Educational Program throughout every grade.