Increasing Affordability for Low- and Middle-Income Families

(From The 74) As tuition costs continue to increase, many independent schools are finding novel ways to welcome low- and middle-income families and reduce the tuition burden parents face, according to a recent report from Bellwether Education Partners, a research and consulting nonprofit. How are some independent schools keeping costs down? Bellwether pointed to a variety of revenue models, including:

• Philanthropy-based financing.
• Microschools, which typically enroll fewer than 50 students.
• Sliding-scale tuition based on both family income and number of children per family. 
• Work-study programs, wherein students work at local businesses and a portion of the wages go toward tuition expenses.
• Blended-learning, such as investing in iPads and shifting to online coursework to reduce the number of teachers.

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