Tuition - Franciscan Montessori Earth School
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Tuition
TUITION SCHEDULE 2026-2027
Fees (not applied toward tuition)
New
Students:
$395 application fee due at time of application (refunded if student is not accepted).
Returning Students:
$200 per child due April 15, 2026 (non-refundable). Payment may be made by cash/check or through Blackbaud Tuition Management. Unless you notify Sister Therese Gutting of withdrawal by due date, you will automatically be billed the re-enrollment fee.
Children’s House half-day (ages 2.5 to 4+ years)
Half-day (8:30am-noon) $9,288/year
Children’s House full-day (ages 2.5 to 6+ years)
Full day (8:30am-2:30pm) $12,000/year
Elementary (1st-6th grade ages 6-12+ years)
8:30am-3:30pm* $13,776/year**
Middle School (7th-8th grade ages 12-14+ years)
8:30am-3:30pm* $15,660/year
2:45pm early dismissal on Wednesdays; included in tuition is classroom supervision until 3:30pm.
**
Elementary
Tuition
includes
the
cost
of
the
two
overnight
‘Earth
Experience’
trips
students
take
each
year.
Not
included
with
tuition
is
the
annual
$75 classroom
fee;
Montessori
Aspect/MA
(before/after
care);
athletics
and
any
other after-school programs.
Blackbaud
Tuition
Management
is
our
online
billing
and
payment
system.
Blackbaud
Tuition
Management charges
$28 annual administrative fee per family account. Their monthly bills will include any of the following charges that may apply: Tuition; Classroom Fees ($75); and any monthly MA (before/after care) fees that may be due.
For Middle-School families, bills will also include the two-week Residential Experience. (Blackbaud Tuition Management does not bill for
After-School
programs).
Sibling
Discounts:
Families
with
attending
children:
5% discount on total tuition
Families
with
attending
children:
7.5% discount on total tuition
Families
with
or
more
attending
children:
discount determined by Sister Therese Gutting
(*** FMES Tuition has increased on average only 2.4% annually since 2020 vs CPI at 3.9%+ annually during that time.)
TUITION PAYMENT OPTIONS
Annual
(2%
discount)
One payment in full for tuition and any annual fixed fees, due July 15, 2026, by cash/check. There is a
$30
fee for failed transactions. MA (before/after care) may be billed monthly through Blackbaud Tuition Management, if preferred. There is a
$28
annual Blackbaud administration fee.
Semi-annual
(1%
discount)
Two payments of one-half tuition and any annual fees, due July 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027, by cash/check. There is a
$30
fee for failed transactions. MA (before/after care) may be billed monthly through Blackbaud Tuition Management, if preferred. There is a
$28
annual Blackbaud administration fee.
Monthly
12 monthly payments; July 15, 2026, through June 15, 2027, online via Blackbaud Tuition Management. There is a
$28
annual Blackbaud administration fee.
Monthly payments are invoiced 15 days before your due date through e-mail from Blackbaud Tuition Management. If not paid by the due date, a late fee of $40 per month will apply.
Payments are accepted through Blackbaud Tuition Management via checking account, savings account, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express.
ACH Payments will have a platform fee of 1% + $.30 per transaction, with
maximum
of
$2.50
per
transaction.
The
$2.50
cap
applies
to
any
transaction
of
$220
or
more.
Credit/debit card transactions incur a 3.12% usage fee.
For failed transactions, Blackbaud Tuition Management bills a $30 fee.
Other ‘Monthly Payment Plan’ fees invoiced through Blackbaud will include: MA charges incurred (aka before/after care); $75 Classroom fees; and the Middle School 2-week Residential Experience.
For students moving to a new level or starting school after the first instructional day, a prorated tuition is assessed based on the number of instructional days remaining in the school-year.
Tuition
contract:
Contracts
are
sent
early
May
via
email.
Be
sure
to
sign
and
return
the
contract
via
mail,
e-mail
or
fax.
MONTESSORI ASPECT (BEFORE/AFTER CARE)
Hours
of
operation
7:00am-8:15am and either 2:30pm-6:00pm (Children’s House) or 3:30pm-6:00pm (Elementary)
Rate
$8.00 per hour, per child ($3.00 per minute, per child after 6:00pm) billed monthly.
Pre-registered
time
cancellation
policy
During school breaks parents must pre-register for Montessori Aspect/MA. If illness or family emergency requires absence, a 24-hour notice of cancellation is required for fees to be waived. Without advance notification, fees associated with the pre-registered time will be billed.
RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE SCHOOL’S ANNUAL APPEAL FOR DONATIONS
All families are expected to contribute a minimum of
$200
to the school’s Annual Appeal each year. These funds help close the 8-15% gap between tuition rates and the total annual cost of educating each FMES student. The funds also help with tuition assistance, which supports lower-income/financially distressed families, and members of our staff with students attending FMES.
Full participation in this effort each year by our student families is also of particular importance to larger outside donors/grantors, who consider this a very quantifiable factor when deciding which of numerous applicants are most deserving of their support.
EARLY WITHDRAWAL POLICY
We require a 30-day written notice before a student is withdrawn. Complete early withdrawal policies are outlined in the FMES Parent/Student Handbook and summarized as follows:
loss of tuition paid in July and August, plus the repayment of any original discounts (e.g. 2% full payment discount)
loss of paid fees
a charge of one additional month’s tuition to help defray the school’s fixed annual costs
payment of all Montessori Aspect (MA) and other accrued fees
completion of all exit paperwork
TUITION ASSISTANCE
Financial assistance for our families is intended to be temporary and is limited to, and reserved for, students beyond their first year of attendance. Parents should consult with Sister Therese Gutting for more information and help in completing their request. All requests are due by April 15, 2026.
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