Tuition Calculator Guide

This calculator will:

• Show estimated tuition for your child’s classroom and schedule.
• Show how deposit, payment-plan fees, and card fees change payments due.
• Estimate proration if your child starts after school begins.

Before you start

Have these ready:

• Your child’s classroom/program.
• Preferred daily schedule.
• Whether you want Summer Camp included.
• How you want to pay (Pay in Full, Semester, or Monthly).
• Payment type (ACH, Check, Credit Card, or Zelle).
• Start date (only if enrolling after school starts).

Input fields (what each one means)

1) Classroom

Choose your child’s classroom (for example: Nido, Early Years, Children’s House, Elementary/Middle).

How this affects results:

• Changes the base annual tuition according to the selected program.

2) Daily Schedule

Choose Half-Day or Full-Day.

How this affects results:

• Changes the base annual tuition according to the selected schedule.

3) Summer Camp

Choose:

• No (Academic Year Only)
• Yes (Academic Year + Summer Camp)

How this affects results:

• Yes uses full-year tuition.
• No uses academic-year-only tuition.

4) Payment Schedule

Choose:

• Pay in Full
• Semester Payments
• Monthly Payments

How this affects results:

• Pay in Full: no payment-plan fee
• Semester: adds Plan B or E fee*
• Monthly: adds Plan C or F fee*

*See Tuition Fees page for specific plan details 

5) Payment Type

Choose:

• ACH
• Check
• Credit card
• Zelle

How this affects results:

• ACH/Check/Zelle: no credit card processing fee
• Credit card: the card-issuer processing fee is added to offset charges to the school (see Section 6 below).

6) Processing Fee Percentage (%)

This field appears when Credit card is selected.

• The pre-selected default is 3.0%.
• You can enter your own % if your card issuer rate is different.

How this affects results:

• Higher % increases credit card fees and total payments.
• Lower % decreases credit card fees and total payments.

Example:

• If card fee changes from 3.0% to 3.5%, your card fee totals increase.
• This fee is a payment processing charge (not tuition), passed on because the school is charged by your card issuer.

7) Automated Payments (Yes/No)

This appears for Monthly Payments.

• Yes: reduces fixed finance fee for monthly payments
• No: calculates finance fee based on percentage of annual tuition

How this affects results:

• Changes Payment Plan Fee.
• Does not change the base Annual Tuition Fee.

8) Enrolling after school starts?

Select this option for a late start.

• If selected, enter Anticipated Start Date.
• Calculator prorates tuition by remaining school days.

How this affects results:

• Adds a proration note on tuition.
• Lowers tuition basis for late starts.
• Deposit rules may change based on late-start policy. (See Deposit section below.)

9) Calculate button

Click Calculate after selections are complete.

How this affects results:

• Refreshes all outputs using your latest choices.

Output section (what each line means)

Program title

Example: Nido - Full Year - Pay in Full (Full-Day Schedule)

• Confirms the program options used for the calculation.

Annual Tuition Fee

• Base educational tuition for the selected program.
• If prorated, a note appears for prorated days remaining.

Payment Plan Fee

• Shows only when the payment schedule adds a fee (Semester or Monthly).
• The payment plan fee is in addition to the base tuition.

Deposit

• Your deposit is credited toward total tuition.
  • If your child is enrolling after the start of the school year, the calculator will indicate a waived deposit. (NOTE: the actual deposit amount may depend on program availability, time remaining in the school year, and other factors. We recommend you call our office to verify the deposit waiver.)

Tuition + Finance Fee

• Gross amount before deposit is subtracted.
• Hidden when there is no finance fee (for Pay in Full).

Total Due After Deposit

• Final school balance after subtracting deposit.

Payment Summary (Due Now)

Shown when deposit covers the full current balance.

• Displays deposit due now.
• If paying by credit card, shows card fee on deposit and total charge.

Payment Schedule table

Shown only when there is a remaining balance and the plan is not Pay in Full.

• Shows each payment number.
• For credit card, shows base charge + card fee per payment.

Output summary

May include:

• Tuition
• Payment Plan Fee
• Total Credit Card Fees
• Total Payments

This is a quick summary of total projected out-of-pocket cost.

Example (Monthly + Automated)

Scenario:

1. Classroom: Nido
2. Daily Schedule: Full-Day
3. Summer Camp: Yes
4. Payment Schedule: Monthly
5. Payment Type: ACH

The tool calculates:

• Annual Tuition Fee stays as the base tuition for that program.
• Payment Plan Fee changes based on Automated Payments:
  • Automated = fixed fee
  • Manual = percentage fee
• The finance fee should be itemized, not merged into base tuition.

More than one child?

If you have more than one child:

1. Run the calculator for Child A and note totals.
2. Run again for Child B.
3. Add the two Total Payments values for a family budget estimate.

Common questions

Why did my numbers change after I changed start date?

When your child starts at a date after the beginning of the school year, we calculate tuition based on the school days remaining until the end of the school year. 

Why do credit card results change when I change the Processing Fee Percentage?

The total card fees charged by the issuer are calculated from the Processing Fee Percentage. The processing charge is determined by the card issuer.

Why do I not see a Payment Schedule table for Pay in Full?

When you select Pay in Full there are no recurring payment installments, so no Payment Schedule table is needed.

Does the calculator set up billing automatically?

No. This is an estimate tool only. Billing setup is completed through the school process. (DISCLAIMER: Use this calculator ONLY for estimating payments. Final billing will be verified through the school billing process.)

Thank you!

Thank you for your interest in the New School Montessori Center. If you have any questions about our fees or program options for your child, or if you have any suggestions or feedback on the Tuition Calculator, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.