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The Cornerstone School recognizes that an independent education is a financial commitment made by our families who have students that attend. While tuition is the primary source of school funding, the actual cost of each child’s education exceeds that of which tuition covers. Because of generous fundraising efforts, all Cornerstone families are fortunate that tuition is offered at a reduced rate. 

The Cornerstone School offers several options to accommodate families with tuition payments including payment plans, Financial Aid Programs, and need-based Tuition Assistance.

Payment Plans

The Cornerstone School offers many payment options for our families.  Those options include payment in full, a 3-time payment plan*, a 10-month payment plan* (July - April), or a 12-month payment plan* (July - June). When completing the enrollment process, you will be directed to the payment portal to select your payment plan. Additionally, if you select the 10 or 12-month plan, you will be required to enroll in auto-draft payments.

When setting up your payment plan, we also encourage you to set up your Incidental Account.  This account will be used for other fees incurred throughout the year (lunches, field trips, athletic activities, after-school programs, aftercare, etc.). The incidental account may be set up as an auto-draft or you can elect to pay each invoice as they are received.

*Please note that the Board of Trustees requires that all families electing a payment plan participate in the tuition insurance plan. This plan has an annual fee of 2.5% of the annual tuition. If you select the payment in full option, tuition insurance is optional.

Financial Aid Programs

The Cornerstone School accepts several scholarships from the Florida School Choice program. If you have been awarded one of these scholarships, please notify the school as soon as possible.

  • Florida Tax Credit Scholarship - To expand educational opportunities for children of families that have limited financial resources and to enable children in this state to achieve a greater level of excellence in their education, the Florida Legislature created the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program in 2001. For more information please visit http://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/k-12-scholarship-programs/sfo/.

    • Step Up for Students - Step Up for Students is an income-based scholarship for Florida Students. All students must meet the financial guidelines set by the state and officially be awarded this scholarship. For more information please visit www.stepupforstudents.org.

    • AAA Scholarship - The AAA Scholarship program provides scholarships to low income and disadvantaged students. All students must meet the financial guidelines set by the state and officially be awarded this scholarship. For more information please visit https://www.aaascholarships.org/parents/florida/.

  • McKay Scholarship - The McKay Scholarships for Students Program provides scholarships for eligible students to attend an eligible private school of their choice. For more information please visit www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/k-12-scholarship-programs/mckay/

Tuition Assistance

Need-based tuition assistance is an option for families who are able to make payments but find themselves in need of assistance. Each year The Cornerstone School sets aside funding to help with families in need. This money can be applied to both current families and new families. All who require tuition assistance must complete the third party vendor application. Once the application is submitted and all financial documentation is provided, the tuition assistance committee will review the information and inform families of funding. Please understand that assistance is distributed on an as-needed basis and requires submitting information according to the deadlines in place.

new families

We request that new families interested in financial assistance first complete the admissions process for The Cornerstone School. No new families will be considered for tuition assistance until they have completed the admissions process. After you have completed the admissions process, please contact Annie Darley (adarley@thecornerstoneschool.org) in the Business Office to apply. Please apply between January and April of the school year prior to that request for admission by completing the Grant & Aid Application. You will be asked to create an account in order to complete the application. (Grant & Aid for the 2022-2023 school year is open.)

current families

Sometimes the unexpected happens, and we don’t want to impact a child’s education as a result. The Cornerstone School encourages current families in need of immediate tuition assistance to complete the Grant & Aid Application. Please contact Annie Darley (adarley@thecornerstoneschool.org) in the Business Office to apply. You will be asked to create an account in order to complete the application. Once you have created an account, you will be able to use this account for future Grant & Aid requests. For renewal of tuition assistance, current families will be notified when the application is available. (Grant & Aid for the 2022-2023 school year is open.)