Afford
- Tuition for Academic Programs
- Fees
- Extended Care
- Additional Programs
- How to Apply for Financial Aid
- Deadlines to submit complete Financial Aid application
Tuition for Academic Programs
The below tuition rates are the annual tuition rates based on a 10-month payment plan in which the payments are due on the 1st of every month with the first payment due July 1, 2024 and the last payment due April 1, 2025. For convenience, families may elect to pay their financial obligation on an annual basis (due July 1, 2024) or a semiannual basis (due July 1, 2024 and Dec. 1, 2024). If families choose to pay either annually or biannually, the payment will be discounted 2% for biannual payments and 4% for annual payments. If applicable, these discounts will be applied to a family's Tuition Management account once their contract has been processed.
Infant (All-Day): $23-510-$27,410
* This range reflects the difference in cost between a 3pm and 5:30pm pickup time.
Half-Day Toddler (5-day): $17,780
All-Day Toddler (5-day): $23-510-$27,410
* This range reflects the difference in cost between a 3pm and 5:30pm pickup time.
Early Childhood (Half-day, 5-day; see extended care details below for After School rates): $16,000
Kindergarten: $22,710
Elementary School: $24,680
We encourage families to apply for financial aid (read the below panel on "How to Apply for Financial Aid". The Financial Aid Committee holds all submitted information in strict confidence. Montessori School of Durham does not share families’ financial information with any other party; equally, families granted financial assistance are expected to treat all financial assistance details confidentially. Montessori School of Durham reserves the right to amend awards in the event of a breach of this confidentiality.
If you need assistance throughout the year with additional MSD expenses such as yearbooks, pizza days (trip fundraiser run by the Upper Elementary students), etc., please contact the Head of School for consideration.
Fees
Application Fee: $100
This fee is payable online at the end of your application process.
Acceptance Fee: $1500
The Acceptance Fee is a one-time, non-refundable payment due when a student accepts an offer of admission, that is not applied to the contracted tuition due. The Acceptance Fee is discounted to $750 for siblings, if the first child enrolled at MSD is still at MSD or if the first child has graduated from 6th grade at MSD, and so long as the parents’ account with the school is in good standing.
Extended Care
Early Childhood After School Care Fees for 5-days a week: $5450-$9160 annually depending on pick-up time
Elementary After School Care Fees for 5-days a week: $1810-4590 annually depending on pick-up time
After school care is available through 6:00pm for children enrolled in Early Childhood, Kindergarten, and Elementary levels. Early Childhood students staying for After School will remain in their own classroom until 3:00pm. Those staying until a 4:00pm or 6:00pm pick-up time will transition to the After School building with the Kindergartners that are staying for After School Annual costs depend on the age level, number of days per week and hours per day selected.
Before School Care Fee: $790 annually
This fee is for care beginning from 7:45 a.m. for all programs.
Additional Programs
How to Apply for Financial Aid
MSD encourages families to apply for financial aid. Applicants’ information is processed and standardized by Blackbaud Financial Aid Management, so that we can make equitable comparisons of need. Offers of financial aid are made when admission is offered to a family so a family understands the tuition due before enrolling. If a family qualifies for financial aid, the awarded amount is listed in the contract deducted from the tuition rate of the applicable level. Our Financial Aid Committee only reviews financial aid applications for families who have applied for admission.
With questions and/or for support in the financial aid process, contact financialaid@msdurham.org.
Access the Financial Aid Application
Blackbaud School ID#: 15364
Blackbaud Financial Aid Application Fee: $45
Required Supporting Documentation
Applications submitted without documentation will not be processed.
- Most recent paystubs
- Most recent W-2 forms for all jobs.
- Most recently filed federal tax returns: 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ with all schedules.
- Most recently filed business tax return: 1120, 1120S, 1065 (if applicable).
- Supplemental income documentation: Social Security income, Welfare, Food Stamps, Child Support, 1099-M Forms,
- Worker’s Compensation, Unemployment, Veterans Benefits, Housing Allowance, etc.
- If you are unable to provide any of the aforementioned items, please submit a Special Circumstance Letter indicating which document(s) you are unable to provide and why. This information will be shared with MSD for consideration.
Accessing Your Account
Please visit the financial aid application and login entering the Blackbaud Financial Aid Management or Blackbaud ID email. As you complete your Financial Aid application, you will be prompted in enter the following information:
- Household Information:
- Parent/Guardian: Enter the parent or guardian’s contact information.
- Dependent: Enter all dependents that live in the household. When selecting a grade for the 2025-2026 school year in this section, select PS for Toddler and PK for 3/4 year-olds. For dependents in college, select the “attending another private school” status option. Aid is not available for the Infant program.
- Selecting A School: Enter MSD’s five-digit code (15364) or name in the search box. Make your selection by checking the select check box. Once MSD is selected, you will then need to select the student(s) you wish to apply for aid at MSD. After MSD has been selected, you will then need to select the upcoming grade for the student. This will be their more specific, MSD based grade level vs. the grade code you previously entered. This field reflects the actual level structure of MSD. The tuition that auto-populates based on your grade selection is the current tuition rate for the 2024-25 school year. Any awards for the 2025-26 school year will be processed based on the 2025-26 school year tuition once those rates have been finalized.
- Income & Expenses: Enter any income the household receives, employment, business or supplemental. If the work status is selected as ‘employed’, ‘self-employed’, ‘unemployed, receiving benefits’, or ‘disabled, receiving benefits,’ you will be required to enter this income source in the appropriate section before moving through the application. Please enter all expenses as they pertain to your household.
- Assets & Debts: Enter all assets and debts as they pertain to your household.
- Special Circumstances: Check off any special circumstance that pertains to your household. If no option available best describes your household’s circumstance, please check ‘other’ and describe your situation. This information is confidential and will only be available to the MSD Financial Aid Committee and Blackbaud Financial Aid staff.
- Submit: Agree to Blackbaud Financial Aid’s terms and conditions, then click SUBMIT to complete your online application.
Please be sure to enter all fields with accuracy.
Submitting Documentation
Documentation should be submitted at the time the application is completed. Please be advised that each document must be uploaded separately under the appropriate document type in order for your application to automatically move into the review status.
Application Rollover
If you created a Blackbaud Financial Aid account to apply for financial aid in a prior year, your application will roll over into the next school year. Your login credentials will remain the same, as well as your application ID number (except for the first two digits as that indicates the school year). The Parent/Guardian and Dependents section of the application will auto-populate. You will only need to confirm the information before advancing to the next sections of the application. If any information from the Parent/Guardian and Dependent section needs to be updated, please make the necessary changes.
Blackbaud Financial Aid Contact Information
- Phone Support: (800)-360-8027
- Email Support: financialaidsupport@blackbaud.school
Notification of Financial Aid
Once your application is processed, a financial aid recommendation will be generated for MSD. All final financial aid decisions, including notification of an award amount (if any) will be made by MSD. If you have not received notification regarding financial aid during the admission process, contact the MSD office prior to signing your tuition contract.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Who should complete this aid application?
- A: Whomever the child resides with should complete this application whether it is a parent, grandparent, aunt/uncle, or legal guardian. There is a section within the application where you can enter contributions from non-custodial parents and relatives.
- Q: Why do I need to input my spouse’s information if I am remarried and they are not legally responsible for my children?
- A: Blackbaud Financial Aid’s calculation works off of the total household income, therefore including all income, whether the party is legally responsible for your children or not. Our system, however, does take into effect your spouse’s expenses as well as their income. It is important to list all expenses that are asked of within the application.
- Q: I do not have the required tax documents. HELP!
- A: Include the most recent tax documentation you have available. If you are asked for a specific line from a tax document that you have not yet completed, please estimate the projected amount.
- Q: How will I know if I qualify for aid or not?
- A: Blackbaud does not disclose information about the results of your application. All final tuition aid decisions, including notification of an award amount (if any); will be made by MSD. Financial aid awards are communicated when enrollment contracts are offered.
- Q: What if I want to edit my application?
- A: Once an application has been submitted and paid for it can no longer be edited by a parent. However, if changes are necessary a written statement with the change (including the application ID), should be sent to financialaidsupport@blackbaud.school.
Deadlines to submit complete Financial Aid application
January 13, 2025: Current families
January 17, 2025: Prospective families wishing to be considered in the first round of admissions
Later financial aid applications can be accepted with later admissions applications. Any remaining funds will be awarded to those who qualify as admission is offered to the applicant.
Montessori School of Durham does not discriminate in awarding financial assistance on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, family structure, or national or ethnic origin.