Other Christian schools are able to offer lower tuition (and still cover growing expenses) for one or two reasons that do not apply to TRA: (1) their operating budget is subsidized by the church or denomination they are affiliated with (so tuition does not need to cover the entire cost of providing an education at that school), and/or (2) they do not collect enough tuition to cover annual operating expenses and rely on end of year fundraising to cover the additional costs (or go into debt). At TRA, we are an independent Christian school, not affiliated with or financially supported by any church. TRA used to follow model (2) above, but made a strategic decision seven or eight years ago to move toward charging the actual tuition needed to cover costs rather than relying on fundraising to make up the difference. Last year was the first year that TRA charged and collected the actual cost of providing an education; permitting end of year fundraising to go towards tuition assistance instead of operating expenses (covering payroll). It is a reason to celebrate the financial health of our school!
As the tuition was raised incrementally over the years to finally cover the actual cost of providing a TRA education, we knew that more families would need to be encouraged to seek and receive tuition assistance. It was a decision the board welcomed as the school now provides a tuition discount only to families who aren’t able to pay the full cost of a TRA education. However, the new tuition model only works well when families in need of tuition assistance are aware of it, and actually apply, so we are able to keep all of our mission-fit families we love so dearly, as well as bring in new ones. The entire TRA community grows and benefits when everyone who wants their kids to receive a classical, Christ-centered education is able to participate and receive one. This is our desire for our community.
So how does tuition assistance work? TRA contracts with a national third party organization (FACTS) that analyzes a family’s financial situation and gives the school a recommended amount of tuition reduction based on each family’s unique financial situation (income, number of students, major expenses, etc.). Families are encouraged to apply for tuition assistance each year they may need it as the awards are annual and award amounts can change from year to year. Some families receive tuition assistance some years and not others, or different amounts of tuition assistance for different school years, based on a number of factors. Families also are encouraged to write a narrative response where that option is presented in the online tuition assistance application, as that can help the three-person tuition assistance committee better understand any temporary financial needs that may not be reflected in all of the numbers. All financial information and the identity of families receiving assistance are held in strict confidence.
We realize that inflation is affecting you all and your ability to provide for your families, and that a tuition increase makes it even more of a sacrifice to send your children to TRA. We do not want to lose any families who love what we are doing here. We have such a sweet and beautiful school community and don’t want anyone to have to leave who wishes their students could stay. Please don’t decide to leave based only on the higher cost and without looking into our tuition assistance offering. We strive to keep every family here who really wants their kids to receive a TRA classical, Christian education.
-Lisa Hysom, Interim Head of School
