Understanding Sage Academy Tuition Fees: A Comprehensive Guide

Choosing the right educational institution for your child is a significant decision, and understanding the associated costs is a crucial part of the process. This article provides a detailed overview of Sage Academy's tuition fees, payment policies, and financial aid opportunities for the 2025-2026 academic year. Sage Academy aims to instill in children a passion for learning, to foster a sense of social responsibility, and to build interpersonal skills needed to help students become leaders in our community. The faculty believes that the best education takes place in a warm and nurturing environment. A rigorous curriculum combined with a dedicated faculty and involved parents, enables each individual student's abilities and potential to be maximized. The curriculum emphasizes the basics, provides enrichment, and integrates the arts, technology, science laboratory, and physical education. The primary focus at Sage Academy is to nurture children's natural inquisitiveness, develop their self-confidence in their intelligence and in their ability to succeed, and teach them to be responsible and independent learners.

Tuition and Fees Management

Sage Academy partners with FACTS, a tuition management company, to provide families with a convenient online platform for managing tuition and fees. Through FACTS, families can establish payment plans, review charges, and make payments. It is mandatory to link a checking/savings account or credit card to each family account. It is important to note that FACTS assesses a service fee of approximately 3.75% for credit card payments.

To streamline the billing process, the lump-sum tuition payment amounts include all Sage School fees. However, lunches, before/after school care, tutoring, and Speech and Language therapy services are invoiced separately through FACTS and are not included in the tuition payment plans.

Enrollment and Re-Enrollment Fees

A one-time enrollment fee of $1,500 is required with each student’s enrollment packet. This fee is non-refundable, unless the student is not accepted for admission. However, the enrollment fee is applied as a credit to the last tuition payment for the school year.

For students enrolling mid-year, the tuition will be calculated proportionally from their first day at Sage until the last day of school. The final payment for mid-year enrollees is due on January 24th, 2026.

Read also: Tuition and Academics at Sage Hill

SB 10 Payment Policy

The SB 10 payment policy applies to families utilizing single or two-payment tuition plans. The amount listed on the SB 10 2025/2026 award letter will be applied toward the total tuition balance before the parent payment is made.

If the actual 2025/2026 SB 10 payments are less than the amount stated in the award letter, the remaining balance will be due on May 1st, 2026. Conversely, if the payments exceed the award letter amount, a refund will be issued on May 31st, 2026.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Sage School offers partial scholarships and financial aid to qualifying students. Families seeking financial assistance must complete an application within the FACTS SIS Portal and upload the required financial documentation for review by the Finance Committee.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for financial aid, families must meet the following criteria:

Demonstrate Financial Need: Complete a financial aid application and provide all required documentation. Sage utilizes the FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment Service to evaluate a family’s household income and expenses using a mathematical formula. This service calculates an estimated need, which is then compared against the needs of other families requesting aid to ensure an equitable distribution of available funds.
Maintain a Current FACTS Account: Families with delinquent FACTS balances (overdue by 45 days or more) will not be considered for financial aid until the account is paid in full.

Scholarships are reviewed and awarded three times per year, with submission deadlines on February 14th, July 1st, and December 1st. New financial aid applications are considered monthly. To apply, families must create a FACTS account via the provided link.

Read also: A Guide to Clary Sage

Apogee Policies

Funds received from Apogee, or any other Student Scholarship Organization (SSO), will be applied to the FACTS balance due. If the Apogee payment exceeds the FACTS balance, a refund will be issued. If the family has already paid in full, a refund will be issued.

It is the parent/guardian's responsibility to determine eligibility and apply for an Apogee Scholarship. The State has defined parameters as to who is eligible to receive an SSO scholarship. Children eligible to enroll in a GA qualified (public) school Pre-K, Kindergarten, or 1st Grade program Students who are currently enrolled at GA public school qualify. From 2nd grade and beyond, Georgia policy requires that a student must have attended at least 45 days of public school immediately prior to enrolling in a private school in order to be considered eligible. Home School students, KIPP School students, Charter School students are also eligible. Once a student receives an Apogee scholarship, they remain eligible for the balance of their career through 12th grade.

Returned Payments and Overdue Balances

Sage Academy relies on timely tuition payments from all families. For returned payments, FACTS charges a $30 NSF fee, in addition to any fees charged by the family's bank. Sage Academy also charges a $25 fee per occurrence on late tuition payments and assesses a 2% per month late fee. Grades and report cards will not be released until the family’s FACTS account is paid in full.

If neither the payment due nor satisfactory arrangements have been made within 60 school days after the due date, the student may be withdrawn from classes. To re-enroll, the full registration process must be followed. Chronically past-due accounts may be turned over to a collection agency, with all collection fees becoming the responsibility of the student’s parents or legal guardians.

Once a payment plan is finalized within FACTS, adherence to the payment dates is expected. One change to a mutually agreed-upon due date is permitted without penalty. Subsequent changes will incur a $100 charge per occurrence. Registration for an upcoming year is contingent on balances for the current year being paid in full.

Read also: A Guide to Russell Sage College

Early Withdrawal Policy

Initial acceptance and re-enrollment contracts with Sage School represent a binding agreement between a family and the school for the contract period, which is one school year. Because teacher contracts, school services, curriculum, and supplies are funded and purchased at the beginning of each school year based on student enrollment, honoring the one-year contract period is necessary to ensure the school delivers the services agreed upon after students are enrolled. Prorated tuition for early withdrawal is the exception, and any family who desires to withdraw their student prior to the end of the school year is expected to honor the financial commitment for the one-year contact period. Exceptions are handled on a case-by-case basis, and any requests for prorated tuition must be made in writing to the Head of School.

Additional Information about Sage Academy

Sage Academy is a charter school located in Phoenix, AZ, within a large city setting. The school serves students in grades K-8. The student population of Sage Academy is 114.

Student Performance and Demographics

At Sage Academy, 17% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 32% scored at or above that level for reading. The school’s minority student enrollment is 64%. The student population is made up of 54% female students and 46% male students. The school enrolls 53% economically disadvantaged students.

Comparison to District and State

Compared with the district (89414), the school performed about the same in math and reading. In Arizona, 38% of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 33% tested at or above that level for math, indicating that Sage Academy performed worse in both subjects compared to the state average.

Nearby Schools

Other schools in the vicinity of Sage Academy include Accel (2 miles away) and Casa Academy (2 miles away).

Flexible Tuition Program at Sage Hill School (Reference Information)

While the primary focus is on Sage Academy, information regarding Sage Hill School's Flexible Tuition program provides valuable context for understanding financial aid options in independent schools. Sage Hill School is committed to maintaining a diverse student body reflective of all socioeconomic backgrounds. The Flexible Tuition program is a need-based financial assistance program that allows families to qualify for reduced tuition based on their unique financial circumstances.

On average, Sage Hill allocates $4.5 million toward the Flexible Tuition program, with 16% of its students participating. Families concerned about affordability are encouraged to consider the Flexible Tuition program.

Application Process for Flexible Tuition at Sage Hill

Complete the admission application. Flexible Tuition applications are not reviewed unless an admission application is completed.
Meet with Sage Hill’s admission team during the student’s admission interview to learn about the Flexible Tuition program.
Create an account on the Clarity Application platform. The application typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete and is mobile-friendly.
Submit the application with a $60 fee. The application can be shared with additional schools that accept the Clarity Application for no additional charge.

If a household member owns 10% or more interest in a corporation, partnership, or trust, the entity's returns must be uploaded.

Key Factors in Determining Flexible Tuition Awards

The Flexible Tuition application is a confidential process between the School’s financial aid committee and the family. Several key factors determine a family’s financial strength and the appropriate Flexible Tuition amount:

Assets: Family assets may include taxable wages, self-employment income, dividend and interest income, alimony or child support received, pensions, annuities, rent, royalties, estates or trusts, household expenses paid by a separated or divorced spouse in lieu of alimony, unemployment compensation, capital gains, taxable IRA distributions, business profits, Social Security benefits, real estate, vehicles, bank accounts, and other investments.
Expenses and Debt: Typical expenses and debt include educational expenses, medical/dental expenses, debts for investments, unemployment, prolonged illness, past business debts, legal fees, nursing home/assisted living care, child support, costs for a child with special needs, and child care.
Filing Status: Awards will not be considered unless complete financial information is received from both parents or guardians. The Admission Committee reviews and recommends applicants for admission without regard to their financial assistance status.

Sage Hill School considers that both parents have a financial obligation to contribute to their children's educational expenses and takes into account the assets and income of both natural parents. If either parent has remarried, the income of the step-parent is also considered.

While currently enrolled Sage Hill students receive priority, no other outside factor affects the Flexible Tuition amount.

Stay-at-Home Parents

To treat families with stay-at-home parents equitably compared to families in which all parents work outside the home, Sage Hill typically attributes a small income for stay-at-home parents to the Flexible Tuition calculations. Exceptions to this policy may occur if a parent is caring for a child not yet of school age, a child with a disability, a seriously ill child, parent, or grandparent, or if a parent is disabled and cannot work.

Families must reapply for Flexible Tuition each year. Awards are given for one academic year at a time. A family whose financial situation remains relatively unchanged can generally expect the same percentage of their tuition to be covered by Flexible Tuition from year to year. If there is a significant increase in family need, Sage Hill School will seek to accommodate that need.

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