Tuition Assistance
TUITION ASSISTANCE INFORMATION
A core element of our mission is to make St. Stephen’s Episcopal School accessible to any child who wishes to attend. A robust tuition assistance budget supports our commitment to a socioeconomically diverse school community.
Approximately two thirds of the student body receives some form of financial aid. Assistance varies according to family circumstances as presented and evaluated in their tuition assistance application, the school's tuition assistance policy, and the school's ability to meet requested need.
Tuition Assistance is awarded based on a family's demonstrated need and is employed using objective standards. The SSES Tuition Assistance Committee uses this information to determine aid based on the committee's guidelines and priorities.
The Tuition Assistance Committee consists of three community members who assist the Head of School in determining the allocation of funds. Families who wish to apply must complete the tuition assistance application provided by our third party provider. This application must be accompanied by the family’s income documents by the deadlines provided. All information will be kept confidential.
As there is a limited amount of funding available, the following criteria have been created for eligibility:
Tuition from prior years must be current and/or paid in full.
Financial need, determined by income information for the previous year, will be the basis for consideration.
Aid will only be granted to kindergarten through 8th grade students.
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School (The School) does not discriminate in financial aid practices on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability and familial affiliation or any other characteristic protected by law.
Tuition assistance Application Dates
April 1st, 2025
Returning Students
This is the deadline for returning students. If the financial aid application is not filed by this date, families will not benefit from first round funds. The financial aid committee will meet monthly and families will receive notice of their aid amount within two weeks of the financial aid committee's decision.
May 1, 2025
New Students
The second round of tuition assistance awards will be determined and distributed for our new families who file the application by this date. Any returning family applications will be accepted and assistance determined according to remaining funds. Families will receive notice of their assistance amount within two weeks of the application’s submission and/or deadline.
Any financial aid applications received after the first round of disbursement will be awarded aid determined upon the amount of funding remaining.
Rolling Applications
New Students
Any financial aid applications that are received after April 16 will be awarded aid determined upon the amount of funding remaining. Families will receive notice of their aid amount within two weeks of the application’s submission.
To apply for tuition assistance
Thank you for inquiring about financial aid. Please complete the Tuition Assistance Application. You will need your latest tax information.
Please note that applications for financial assistance will not be processed until a completed registration form, appropriate fee is received, and the deadline for 1st round awards has passed.
If you have any questions concerning the above information, please contact the school office at 717-238-8590 or contact our business manager at dparan@sseschool.org.
Private Scholarship Opportunities
The Foundation for Enhancing Communities
https://www.tfec.org/scholarships/eitc-opportunity-scholarship/
For students residing in a district of one of the lowest 15% achieving schools as determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to receive funding to attend an out-of-district or private elementary, middle, or high school within Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lebanon, and Perry counties, and the Dillsburg Area.
Award: Number of recipients vary/Amount varies
Deadline: April 15 (March 15 deadline for families who received the scholarship for the previous year)
TFEC Early Education Scholarship Fund
This scholarship provides opportunities to eligible Pre-K students ages 3 to 5 years old to attend a quality early learning center or preschool program located in Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lebanon, and Perry Counties as well as the Dillsburg area of Northern York County. Students must be enrolled in an early learning center or preschool program by September. Read more.
Award: Number of recipients vary/Amount varies - Up to $2,500 per child
Deadline: August 1
Children's Education Opportunity Fund of America
Children must currently be in PUBLIC SCHOOL wishing to transfer to PRIVATE
You are NOT eligible if your child is already in Private school.
Total parent/guardian income cannot exceed 60,000 dollars yearly
Scholarships are for children going into grades 2-11.
Please take the time to visit the following website: www.newpa.com. This is the Department of Community and Economic Development’s homepage and it provides information on the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program as well as other scholarship organizations that work within the EITC/OSTC programs. Under the topic of EITC, there is a document that you can download called Scholarship Organization List that will list all of the other organizations that may be able to provide assistance to your family.