The Archer School for Girls: Tuition, Flexible Tuition, and Educational Excellence
The Archer School for Girls is an all-girls private day school located in California, US. It is dedicated to supporting and challenging young women to discover their passions and realize their true potential. The school provides a rigorous, integrated college preparatory curriculum that fosters critical thinking and intellectual curiosity. Archer creates and sustains a collaborative teaching and learning environment that explores and refines the ways girls learn best. It helps girls to become leaders and life-long learners, strengthening their capacity to contribute positively to their communities. Archer strives to strengthen girls' voices in a diverse and culturally rich environment, embrace possibility, promote challenge-seeking, and support risk-taking. It encourages girls to develop meaningful relationships with peers and faculty rooted in honesty, respect, and responsibility, and aims to graduate courageous, committed, and ethical young women who take responsibility for their own physical, financial, and emotional well-being.
Academic Excellence and Recognition
The Archer School for Girls is committed to providing an academic program that challenges and inspires girls to discover their passion and realize their potential. The school has been recognized in The Hollywood Reporter’s 2025 list of “The Best Private Schools in Los Angeles,” which consulted parents and leading admissions experts, weighing factors such as selectivity, location, class size, and overall school culture.
Archer received praise for its wide range of offerings and dedication to its mission of educating the next generation of female leaders. Head of School Elizabeth English stated, “I embrace the challenge of being a feminist institution at a time when women’s rights are being eroded. Our mission of empowering young women has never been more important.”
Manager and stylist Jeanne Yang, whose daughters attended Archer, noted, “Their classes were conducted in an expository manner. They had to present and be very vocal and speak very coherently on what they were doing.”
Jeffrey Selingo, author of “Who Gets In and Why,” wrote in The New York Times about how Archer is working to “flip the script” in the increasingly challenging college admissions process. Instead of focusing ninth and 10th graders on building the perfect application, Archer’s college counselors spend those early years talking about what students want out of college. By junior year, students research colleges to present to their peers, but they can’t choose from the 75 most popular choices at Archer, and they don’t reveal the college’s name until the end of their presentation.
Read also: Cooperative Learning: Partner Reading Strategies
A Rich History and Vibrant Community
Founded in 1995, Archer is located on a picturesque, nearly 7-acre campus centered on a Spanish Revival building that dates to 1931. The school offers more than 150 course offerings, 11 varsity sports teams, and even its own film festival dedicated to empowering female filmmakers.
In November 2025, Archer celebrated Founders Day, the annual tradition that commemorates the day that Archer’s three founders came together and officially decided to start a girls’ school. The Eastern Star Gallery also opened “Archer’s 30th Anniversary Show: A Celebration of Legacy, Community, and Purpose,” which presents a dynamic journey through the school’s rich and enduring history through a curated blend of rare digital and physical materials.
Archer also hosted a Women in Leadership panel for students as part of The Force is Female: Archer Leadership Speaker Series. Head of School Elizabeth English referenced Billie Jean King’s famous adage, “If you can see it, you can be it,” and highlighted that the panels are an opportunity for students to consider their “purpose,” which is Archer’s theme of the year.
Archer Anywhere: Online Learning
Archer Anywhere brings The Archer School for Girls’ proven excellence and unparalleled support in teaching and learning to an online program. This program is designed for professional or pre-professional performers, e.g. actors, dancers, singers, etc. and professional or pre-professional athletes. Students can enroll in asynchronous online courses designed and led by Archer’s expert faculty. Students will have access to a Learning Coach to help guide them through their educational and social-emotional journey.
A full-time workload is considered 4-5 courses, including four core academic classes per year: 4 years of English, 3 years of History, 3 years of Math, 3 years of Science, 3 years of World Language, and 1 year of Art. For each course, students can anticipate 3-4 hours of coursework per week. Assignments are available to students in weekly modules.
Read also: Investigating the situation at Mesa Community College
Archer Anywhere students will earn an Archer School for Girls diploma with the following graduation requirements:
- 4 years of English
- 3 years of Math
- 3 years of History
- 3 years of Science
- 3 years of World Language
- 1 year of Art
One school year equals two semesters. Online courses will be indicated as such on official transcripts. Archer Anywhere enrollment does not include tuition or acceptance to The Archer School for Girls. Tuition for Archer Anywhere for the 2026-2027 school year is $16,100 per semester. Tuition for Archer Anywhere is separate from tuition for The Archer School for Girls.
Tuition and Fees
Archer is considered to be one of the most expensive private schools in Los Angeles, with tuition costs at $43,275 per year. Additionally, the Transportation, Services and Facility Fee is currently listed at $4,350, and includes the 1 to 1 Laptop Program. For students who are new to Archer, they must pay $3,500 to comply with the New Student Fee, which is one time only.
Archer is dedicated to tuition and fee transparency. Tuition includes the Archer transportation network, an Apple laptop loaded with the latest education software, and expedition travel through the school’s outdoor education program.
Flexible Tuition Program
Recognizing that an independent school education may be out of reach for some families, Archer offers a Flexible Tuition program designed to make an Archer education accessible, taking into consideration not only a family’s income but also their comprehensive financial circumstances. For the 2025-2026 school year, more than 20% of the Archer student body received a Flexible Tuition grant. Archer has awarded more than $20 million in Flexible Tuition in the last five years.
Read also: The Value of a Blessed Sacrament Education
The School believes that parents have an obligation to pay the educational expenses of their children. Therefore, Archer asks all families to pay some portion of tuition. A family’s financial situation is not discussed in admissions deliberations.
To be eligible for Flexible Tuition consideration, a family must submit a complete Flexible Tuition application by the deadline of December 11, 2025, for current and applicant families, qualify for need-based Flexible Tuition, and match available Flexible Tuition.
Archer supports the continued attendance of students through graduation, pending annual demonstration of continued need. A family currently in the Flexible Tuition Program must reapply for it each subsequent year. Flexible Tuition funds are distributed by the School from a fixed budget that is provided by investments and annual contributions from Archer alumni, parents, and friends. Flexible Tuition need not be repaid.
A Flexible Tuition application is a confidential process between the School and family. Decisions are based on thorough investigations of a family’s personal financial matters. In turn, Archer expects families to exercise discretion during the Flexible Tuition process and not discuss their Flexible Tuition application or approved Flexible Tuition with other families.
Archer takes the privacy and security of personal information very seriously. Clarity is certified for both GDPR and SOC2 and uses enterprise-level security standards including end-to-end encryption of all personally identifiable information.
While currently enrolled Archer students receive priority, the most significant factors in Flexible Tuition distribution are:
- Family assets: income, home equity, savings accounts, stocks, investment properties
- Indebtedness
- Family size
- Number of children in tuition charging elementary and secondary schools
Archer is partnering with Clarity as its Flexible Tuition application system. All families interested in applying for a Flexible Tuition grant must complete a Clarity online application by the application deadline of December 11, 2025.
In addition to completing the Clarity online application, all families must submit 2024 federal and state income tax returns, W-2s, 1099s, and all schedules including K-1 to Clarity by December 11, 2025.
The Archer Fund
The Archer Fund is the cornerstone of the School's fundraising efforts. Gifts provide an immediate and direct benefit to each student and faculty member, while also enhancing the quality and range of all school programming. An annual gift to the Archer Fund is a direct investment in the excellence and breadth of Archer’s academics, faculty development, financial aid, arts, athletics, and co-curricular activities. Archer relies on the generosity of donors' annual gifts from the Archer Fund to support 15% of the operating budget.
Participation in the Archer Fund is an expected component of the parent-school partnership. Archer has a strong history of parent participation, achieving over 90% since its founding. The Leadership Reception is held each fall to honor and recognize all donors who gave $7,500 or more to the Archer Fund in the previous school year. All donors to the Archer Fund are listed in Archer’s Annual Report.
Student Life Beyond the Classroom
Student life at Archer goes beyond the classroom setting; whether it is purchasing uniforms or attending an Arrow Week trip, learning paired with hands-on experiences make up a complete Archer education. Archer offers a wide range of clubs, sports, dance, and other activities to ensure that students feel like they can be part of the community.
Addressing Concerns and Stigmas
Some students have expressed concern about the servery expenses not being covered in the Flexible Tuition program. The servery, similar to a student store, is a place where students can buy snacks or hot lunch plates throughout the school day. Archer is exploring ways to address this issue and make the servery more accessible to students receiving Flexible Tuition.
Some students have also expressed that there is still a stigma not only here at Archer, but in other independent schools or even in colleges when talking about scholarships that makes people feel shameful for having flexible tuition.
tags: #archer #school #for #girls #tuition #fees
