Understanding Eagle Hill School Tuition and Affordability

Eagle Hill School, situated in Hardwick, Massachusetts at 242 Old Petersham Road, is a co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school. It is dedicated to providing individualized education for students with diverse learning profiles, including those identified with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and ADHD. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the tuition costs associated with attending Eagle Hill School, as well as available financial aid options and alternative funding methods.

Eagle Hill School: An Overview

Eagle Hill School serves a population of students from grades eight through twelve. Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), Eagle Hill is also recognized for its expertise in developing customized courses of study for students and is an IB World School offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

What makes Eagle Hill School fundamentally different than other schools is that we genuinely understand that each student's path to the future will be unique, that some of our students will imagine futures for themselves that have never been imagined before. It is our understanding of and appreciation for the vastness of human diversity-sometimes elsewhere understood as disabilities-that is the indispensable idea on which our curriculum and instruction are built. We are a community that honors individual genius and values diversity. At Eagle Hill, we understand that our students are blessed with multiple learning abilities and that it is our responsibility as educators to identify, celebrate, and support each student in capitalizing on his or her individual genius. Moreover, instead of merely providing support within a traditional classroom setting, Eagle Hill School designs classes around each student's particular strengths and needs. By emphasizing individualized attention within the context of a small classroom environment, Eagle Hill provides for the academic, social, and personal growth of each student. We believe in finding our students' strengths and teaching to them.

Key Features

Individualized Education: Eagle Hill School provides personalized 1:1 reading tutorials with intentional instruction led by teachers trained in Orton-Gillingham and Structured Word Inquiry
Small Class Sizes: The school offers a 4:1 student-to-faculty ratio, with small classes for personalized learning, averaging six students apiece.
High College Attendance and Graduation Rates: 96% of students attend a four-year college, and 76% graduate from the college where they began.
IB World School: Eagle Hill is an IB World School that offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in addition to our traditional high school diploma.
Summer Program: Eagle HIll School offers a four-week summer session is for students ages 12-16 and offers academics and activities designed to help students have a fun-filled summer while building confidence and paving the road for academic success in the fall.
Boarding and Weekend Life: 93% of students board at Eagle Hill School, and 70% stay on campus each weekend.
Location: Eagle Hill School is located in the State of Massachusetts of USA. Boston, the capital and largest city of Massachusetts, is the cultural and financial heart of New England.

Campus and Facilities

Eagle Hill School is located in scenic Hardwick, Massachusetts, on a sprawling 300-acre campus.

Extracurricular Activities

Eagle Hill School offers a wide range of extracurricular activities and clubs, including:

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Adopt a Grandparent Club
Arts and Crafts Club
Community Art Show
Create Expressively with Unusual Materials
Cultural Diversity
Design and Make Jewelry
Develop Critical Thinking
Donate and Develop a Sense of Responsibility
Gardening and Plant Care
Go Green
Jewelry Club
Karaoke Club
Mock Trail Club
Music Jam Club
Novel Club
Nutrition and Healthy Snacks
Paint Ball
Photo Yearbook Club
ReadWriteThink
Reading and Speaking
Red Cross Blood Club
Respect
Self Discipline and Concentration
Spend Time Exercising in the New England Woods
Sportsmanship
Take Photos for Publication
Teamwork
To Improve Cognitive Ability
To learn About and care for all Living Organisms
To Sing Different Genres of Music and Have Fun
To Write Scripts and Convert into Storyboards
Wood Shop
Zoo Keepers Club

The school also has strong arts and music programs, with the music and drama departments joining together for two full-scale productions a year.

Tuition Costs

Understanding the tuition structure is crucial for families considering Eagle Hill School. The school offers both boarding and day student options, each with its own associated costs.

Yearly Tuition (Boarding Students)

The yearly tuition for boarding students is $97,000. This comprehensive fee covers not only the academic program but also room and board, access to campus facilities, and various student services.

Yearly Tuition (Day Students)

For day students, the yearly tuition is $67,525. This fee covers the academic program and access to school facilities during the day.

Additional Expenses

In addition to tuition, families should be aware of potential extra costs. Each family is required to maintain a separate student spending account for their child. The account covers such personal expenses as laundry and dry cleaning, weekly allowance, weekend activities, travel expenses, etc. The anticipated expenditure per boarding student for the academic year (10 months) is $4,500, and the average expenditure for day students is $1,000. This number could fluctuate higher or lower depending on the activities in which your child participates.

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Financial Aid and Affordability Options

Eagle Hill School recognizes that tuition is a significant expense for many families and offers various financial aid and affordability options to help make the school accessible.

Need-Based Financial Aid

Eagle Hill School’s financial aid program is based solely on a family’s demonstrated need. The school does not offer scholarships or grants based on merit or athletic ability. A family’s ability to afford Eagle Hill’s tuition, and their application for financial aid, does not influence admission committee decisions in any way. After the admission committee accepts an applicant to Eagle Hill, financial aid awards are made based on a family’s demonstrated need and the availability of funds. Unfortunately, applicants accepted for admission and qualifying for financial need far outnumber those we can afford to support.

To help evaluate demonstrated need, Eagle Hill subscribes to the nationally standardized system for analysis offered by the School and Student Services (SSS) for financial aid, which is a service of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Eagle Hill’s financial aid program is administered fairly and is consistently applied in accordance with the principles and practices of NAIS and the mission of Eagle Hill School.

The Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) must be completed by each family who intends to apply for financial aid. Eagle Hill does not discriminate in the administration of its financial aid on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender. All information relating to applications for financial aid will be held by Eagle Hill in the strictest of confidence and will not be released to any third party.

Eagle Hill School utilizes School and Student Services (SSS) to process our financial aid applications. SSS is a service of the National Association of Independent Schools.

Applying for Financial Aid

To apply for financial aid, families must complete the Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) through School and Student Services (SSS). Eagle Hill School requires that all applicants complete the full financial aid process each year that a student wishes to matriculate at the school. Awards are evaluated annually based on the most recent year’s financial information, as well as on the student’s continued academic effort and good citizenship at Eagle Hill. The committee will review and make adjustments appropriate to changes in financial resources and tuition increases.

Eagle Hill uses Clarity to help manage our tuition assistance application process. The application typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete and is compatible with both mobile devices and tablets. You are also able to save your progress and return at any time. Note that there is a $65 application fee and you can share your application with multiple school. In the case of exceptional circumstances, Eagle Hill reserves the right to ask for additional financial documentation.

Factors Affecting Financial Aid Decisions

Several factors can influence financial aid decisions, including:

Divorced or Separated Parents: If parents are divorced, the custodial and non-custodial parents are both required to apply for need-based financial aid and submit the required forms. If the custodial parent has remarried, the Committee will consider the assets of the step-parent, keeping in mind the obligations he/she has to his/her children from any prior marriage.
Voluntarily Reduced Income: Need-based financial aid may be reduced or declined if a parent voluntarily terminates employment, chooses to start a business, return to school or change careers.
Non-Working Parent: Two-parent families are expected to be employed full-time if home and health situation permit. This does not apply if a parent is caring for an elderly parent, caring for children not of school age, or unable to work. In most cases, it is assumed that both parents will help fund educational costs to the best of their abilities before seeking financial aid from the School.
Changes in Finances: It is assumed that if there is a change in financial circumstances, parents will notify the school and take responsibility for an adjusted amount of tuition and fees.

Renewal of Financial Assistance

Awards are made for the current academic year only. All applicants must complete a need-based financial aid application each year they request aid.

Alternative Funding Options

In addition to need-based financial aid, families can explore other options to help finance their child's education at Eagle Hill School.

Public Funding: Eagle Hill’s District and Parent Liaison, Kathy Redmond, works with Eagle Hill parents to help them maintain a collaborative working relationship with their home school districts. Kathy is a former President of the EHS Parents Association, former Trustee of EHS, as well as an Alumni Parent. She has extensive experience working with public school districts, advocates, and attorneys, in both Connecticut and New York, serving as a resource for Eagle Hill families. Families can also refer to this Q&A from Understood.org for more information.
529s, HSAs, FSAs: Following the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, families can use a 529 to cover expenses for their child attending a private elementary or secondary school. Under the new rules, families can use up to $10,000 yearly-per beneficiary-to pay for tuition at a private K-12 school. Only private school tuition is eligible. Other education-related costs, such as computers or uniforms, must be purchased with non-529 funds. Education tuition is not typically considered a qualified expense under an FSA (flexible spending account) or HSA (health savings account). However, if you have a letter of medical necessity (LMN), special needs education tuition may qualify for reimbursement.
Grandparent/Benefactors: Grandparents or generous benefactors who pay private school tuition avoid any gift tax on a direct tuition payment, no matter how large it is. The gift tax excludes payments made directly to an educational institution on behalf of an individual. Grandparents/Benefactors must make their payments directly to the education institution.
Tuition Insurance: Eagle Hill offers tuition insurance through Protect My Tuition. Your enrollment contract withthe school financially obligates you to pay the full amount of tuition and fees for your child to attend regardless of withdrawal for any reason. Tuition insurance can partially protect you against unforeseen events including a medical withdrawal, academic or disciplinary discharge, unemployment, and more. Note that the policy does not protect against loss of your initial deposit or cover any financial aid award you receive.

Tax Deductions

Payments made for the special education provided at Eagle Hill School may be deductible medical care expenses under the Internal Revenue Code. Whether tuition expenses for Eagle Hill will be deductible in a particular case will depend upon the facts and circumstances of each individual student’s situation. There are also percentage limitations applicable to otherwise deductible medical expenses, depending on the parent’s adjusted gross income.

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