Tuition & Financial Aid
A Private School Education is Within Reach!
A leader in private school accessibility, Independence Mission Schools customizes each student’s tuition to align with their family’s resources to ensure affordability.
Additional financial aid and scholarship opportunities make a safe, structured and high achieving education for your child(ren) more attainable than ever.
Estimate Your Tuition Package
With an equitable, income-based tuition scale, cost is not a barrier to enrolling your child in our schools. Through the generosity of our donors and state tax credits programs, we are able to provide a top quality education for your child, at a fraction of the normal cost.
Use the calculator to estimate your tuition package for students enrolling in grades K through 8.
Tuition FAQs
How much does tuition typically cost?
At Independence Mission Schools, we do everything in our power to ensure that cost is not a barrier to enrollment.
Thanks to our generous community of donors, Pennsylvania tax credit programs, financial aid awards and scholarship opportunities, families contribute, on average, just $2,100 towards tuition per child, per year, spread evenly over 10 months. Because of our equitable, sliding tuition scale, this amount varies per family. What a family contributes towards their child’s tuition ultimately depends on a variety of data points including household income, social security income and more.
For additional detail, see the “How do I determine my ‘Family Income’ and calculate my estimated ‘Parent Contribution?’” FAQ below.
Does IMS have a minimum tuition amount that families must pay?
All families must contribute at least $500 toward their child’s tuition per year. In some cases, the rest of the tuition cost is covered by financial aid awards and scholarships.
How do I determine my family income and calculate my estimated contribution towards tuition?
To determine your family income, combine the total annual value of the items below:
- W2 income
- Social Security income (SS or SSDI)
- Social Security benefits
- Food stamps (SNAP)
- Cash assistance (TANF)
- Child support
- Pensions/annuity
- Other income
Use this total in the calculator above to estimate your expected contribution toward your child(ren)’s tuition.
What happens if my family income changes throughout the year?
Because what you contribute toward your child(ren)’s tuition is partly determined by your annual tax returns, mid-year changes to your overall family income will NOT impact your tuition obligation for the current year. However, when you re-enroll your child(ren) for the following school year, what you contribute towards tuition may change.
How often will I get billed for tuition?
Most tuition agreements are set up on a 10-month cycle, so you will be billed a regular amount once per month, for 10 months, from August through May. If you enroll a student after August, the total tuition will be billed in nine (9) installments.
I don’t see Pre-K on the tuition scale. What is the tuition for Pre-K 3 and 4?
Pre-K 3 and 4 tuition is a set dollar amount of $4,495 and is NOT subject to our K-8 tuition scale.
If you have additional questions, we’re happy to help. Please call your school or school of interest and ask to speak with the Enrollment Director.