Tuition and Financial Aid

At Headwaters Academy, all financial aid is awarded in the form of need based grants. The financial aid program makes tuition more affordable for families who believe in the mission of the school, whose children qualify for admission, and who also qualify for financial aid based on their income. Each year our school provides more than $100,000 in need-based awards to our families. 

Where do the funds for financial aid come from?

• Our financial aid program is funded internally from tuition, annual giving through the Headwaters Fund and other charitable donations. 

If I qualify this year, what happens next year?

• It is our goal to continue to provide a financial aid package as long as a family’s financial situation demonstrates need. Financial aid recipients must re-apply for financial aid each year through SSS for consideration. 

How does the financial aid process work?

• The financial aid review committee uses SSS by NAIS. It is a third-party system that formulates financial aid for Headwaters Academy.  A family applying for financial aid will go to the SSS website, and complete an application that includes income along with assets and liabilities. SSS computes an estimated family contribution toward tuition. 

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• The review committee uses the SSS computation as a guideline for determining an appropriate financial aid award. However, because our school does not have unlimited resources, the financial aid award may not match the SSS estimated family contribution. Generally, families pay more in tuition than what the SSS computation suggests, as we are working to stretch available funds among as many eligible students as possible.

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Who makes financial aid decisions?

• Financial aid decisions are made each year by the financial aid review committee. Any and all information they receive is held in the strictest confidence. In return, we ask that financial aid grants awarded to a family remain private as well. 

If I am separated or divorced, will the financial aid process be different?

• To maintain fair and equitable assessment of both parents’ ability to contribute, each parent must complete the Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) for his/her household. Completing separate PFS’s allows each parent to maintain confidentiality regarding his/her financial situation. Parents also are afforded the extra assurance that each parent’s information will be treated and evaluated in the very same manner. Headwaters Academy will receive individual Reports of Family Contribution from each parent, which can be used to make a final determination of the ability for both parents to pay education-related costs.