Financial Assistance
Financial Aid
The purpose of need-based financial aid is to enhance the student body of Fort Worth Country Day. The school attracts and retains deserving and talented children whose families qualify for such assistance. The admission decision is based solely on each student’s academic and personal qualities independent of the family’s ability to meet the cost of a Fort Worth Country Day education. Thus, admission to FWCD and the awarding of financial aid are two separate decisions.
List of 4 items.
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Determining Family Need
FWCD uses School and Student Service for Financial Aid in determining a family’s need for aid. This service provides the school with information and guidelines for making financial aid awards fairly and equitably on the basis of need. The family includes, but is not limited to, parents (natural or adoptive), stepparents, guardians, grandparents and married or unmarried domestic partners.Using the Parents’ Financial statement (PFS) as a guideline, the Financial Aid Committee takes into consideration several financial factors including:- Total family income (and if applicable earning potential of non-working parent)
- Family size and number of children attending tuition-charging schools
- IRS forms, schedules, W-2’s/1099’s
- Investments and indebtedness
- Assets, such as home equity
- Discretionary expenditures, such as private clubs, vacations
- Unusual Expenses
- Awards are reviewed annually
Keep in mind that the recommendation from School and Student Services by NAIS (SSS), based on information from the PFS, serves only as a guideline. The final decision on aid awards is made by Fort Worth Country Day School’s Financial Aid Committee. -
Applying for Financial Aid
Step 1: Starting September 1, the Parents' Financial Statement (PFS), the application for financial aid, must be submitted online at solutionsbysss.com. A Spanish-language version of the PFS is also available. Applications for first-time Kindergarteners are due by February 1. Applications for prospective and returning students grades 1-12 (including returning families with siblings applying for Kindergarten) are due by February 15.- $55 application fee. Solutions by SSS grants fee waivers based on their own criteria regarding a family’s income level and applies it automatically.
- You must include the FWCD ID number, 3232, on your PFS application.
Step 2: Upload the following required documents to SSS between October 2 and February 5 (Kindergarten) February 15 (Prospective & Returning Families).- Signed copy of the filed 2020 IRS form 1040 with all applicable schedules and attachments
- Copies of all 2020 W-2 form(s) and/or 1099(s)
- Copies of all 2021 W-2 form(s) and/or 1099(s)
- Signed copy of the filed 2021 IRS form 1040 with all applicable schedules and attachments when completed
New Applicant additional requirements- Signed copy of the filed 2019 IRS form 1040 with all applicable schedules and attachments
- Copies of all 2019 W-2 form(s) and/or 1099(s)
If applicable:- Current Mortgage/HELOC balance statement(s)for all properties owned
- Copies of 2020 and 2019Business Tax Return(s) and or K-1s
- IRS Form 4506-T ( if requested by Financial Aid Office)
Please note, limited funds may prevent the Financial Aid Committee from offering assistance to all qualified deserving applicants. Therefore, families to whom financial assistance is awarded are expected to accept or decline the award by the due date on their Financial Aid Agreement. In the event the family fails to comply with this and other reasonable requirements, the Financial Aid Committee reserves the right to award the aid to an alternate candidate.Families may appeal a financial aid decision or an award amount if they can provide supplemental information which would be pertinent to the computation of the award. -
Requirements for receiving Financial Aid
To receive aid for the first time, a student must already be enrolled in or be accepted for admission to Fort Worth Country Day. Parents are asked to complete the enrollment process and pay a $100 deposit (per child). In addition, the student must exhibit exemplary citizenship and a positive classroom attitude reflected by above average grades. The student must also have actively participated in the life of the school community. Finally, the Parents' Financial Statement must show demonstrated financial need. To receive aid in subsequent years, the student must continue to meet the above requirements and parents must submit a PFS and include all tax documents each year. -
Payment plan for families receiving Financial Aid
Ten equal monthly electronic payments, per the financial aid agreement, beginning June 20. (Plan D)
Please note: PFA fee, tuition refund and accident insurance are all required and part of the financial agreement and monthly payments. Additional allowance for books and incidentals expenses for grade 5-12 are included and adjustments are applied to the 10th payment.Financial aid applicants pay a reduced enrollment deposit ($100) with enrollment or re-enrollment contracts.
Scholarships
Fort Worth Country Day offers merit/need-based named scholarships. Every year we offer need-based financial aid. Please refer to the financial aid section above for more information about the process.
Scholarship available for the 2022-23 school year:
- More information to come
Financial Aid Frequently Asked Questions
List of 8 items.
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What is tuition assistance?
Tuition assistance is a grant, not a loan. This grant does not need to be repaid. It is given to qualified families based on financial need to offset the cost of FWCD education. -
Does FWCD offer Financial Assistance for costs beyond tuition and required fees?
Students receiving financial aid can also receive funds to offset the cost of expenses such as iPads/laptops for Middle and Upper School, sport fees, musical instruments and community wide events.We want to help recipients and their families participate fully in life at FWCD while feeling comfortable in our community. -
Do I need to apply for assistance every year?
Parents must complete the financial aid application each year and submit the required documentation as requested. If a family’s financial picture remains about the same from year to year, a family can expect a similar financial aid award relative to the annual tuition increase. -
Does FWCD offer a sibling discount?
No. Families who believe in the benefit of having multiple children with us are encouraged to file an application for tuition assistance. -
Are wages imputed for a non-working parent/guardian?
Financial Aid decisions are based on dual incomes for a two-parent household. Exceptions would include families with children younger than kindergarten age or other dependents in the home needing full-time care, or some physical/health limitation that prevents a parent from working. If a parent chooses not to work without having any of these extenuating circumstances, the school will add the equivalent of a 40-hour per week, minimum wage income to the total family income for the year. Childcare costs, as always, will be taken into account. -
If I am divorced or separated do both parents need to apply for financial aid?
Because financial aid is based on a family's ability to meet the cost of an education at Fort Worth Country Day, a family will be defined as consisting of both natural parents of the applicant, any step-parent, plus any children from the original marriage along with any children produced by the current marriage. The school will not be bound by the assertion of one parent, including a divorce decree, that he/she is not responsible legally or otherwise for educational expenses. Thus, both parents must provide the information that is requested on the Parents' Financial Statement that is filed each year with the School and Student Services. If this information is not available at the time the application is evaluated, it may cause an arbitrary assessment of financial need to be made by the school. This may result in a lesser award or no award at all. The financial aid contract will be sent to both parents, who must decide how to divide the parents' contribution, and it will be both parents' responsibility to ensure that Fort Worth Country Day receives payment. If my child’s other biological parent cannot be found or contacted, please contact the Financial Aid office at 817-302-3254. -
Is my financial information confidential?
Yes, All information is held in strict confidence by SSS and the financial aid committee to protect your privacy. FWCD expects that financial aid recipients and their families will honor this confidentiality. -
Are Loan Programs available?
More and more families are using educational loan programs to help them manage the cost of an independent school education. While there are millions of dollars and scholarships available to students for college tuition, funds for independent schools are limited to the endowment and assets of the individual school. Even though we do not endorse or promote any particular lending institution, the following has sent us information about their student loan programs for a K-12 independent school education:Your Tuition Solution(800) 920-9777
Questions?
For general questions, contact the Admission Office at 817.302.3209 or email yolanda.espinoza@fwcd.com.
For questions regarding financial aid, contact Angela Benson, Financial Aid and Support Services Coordinator, at financialaid@fwcd.com.
Fort Worth Country Day (FWCD) is a JK-12 private, independent, coeducational, nondenominational college-preparatory school located on approximately 100 acres in Fort Worth, Texas. The mission of Fort Worth Country Day School is to foster the intellectual, physical, emotional, and ethical development of capable students through an academically rigorous college preparatory program that integrates the arts and athletics.