Affording LCA: Indexed Tuition
Our desire is that families who are committed to the philosophy and values of Legacy Christian Academy are able to partner with us to provide their children with an excellent Christian private school education. Because of that, we offer a personalized approach to tuition through our Indexed Tuition model for families with students in Kindergarten through Grade 12. Your tuition will be set based on your family’s income and expenses as well as your family’s assets.
Think You Can't Afford a Quality Christian Education?
THINK AGAIN.
Tuition is no longer a one-size-fits all model at Legacy Christian Academy.
Legacy Christian Academy is thrilled to partner with your family. We understand that there is great diversity in families’ incomes and assets. Our Indexed Tuition program recognizes those differences and provides a range of tuition so that we charge the rates that are right for our families. Application for Enrollment must be submitted (but not completed) in order for Indexed Tuition determinations to be shared with prospective families.
Indexed Tuition applications for the 2023-2024 school year opened on December 1.
Does my Family Qualify?
LCA evaluates the entirety of a family’s financial situation, such as annual income, assets and debts, and the number of students attending tuition-paying K-12 schools to determine their tuition rate. This immediately allows families to see the potential cost of their education.
Please find an example of indexed median tuition rates below. If you see your income reflected in one of the tiers, you may qualify for indexed tuition depending on your personal financial circumstances. Below we have provided median tuition rates based on our 2022-23 data to illustrate what you can anticipate paying if you qualify for an Indexed Tuition rate.
*Average tuition amounts are not guaranteed. Indexed Tuition allows families to qualify for a tuition rate based on their unique financial circumstances. *LCA has a generous Indexed Tuition budget; however, it is not unlimited. *Tap here to view Tuition Information.
Case Studies
To help you gain a better understanding of how Indexed Tuition may work for your family, we have provided case studies based on actual LCA families that represent a variety of incomes, assets, and family sizes. We encourage you to click on each case study for more information surrounding each family.
This is a divorced family with one student attending LCA. The parents' combined gross income is $118,815. Mom rents her home and pays $25,200 annually. Dad also rents his home and pays $24,600 annually. Parents' combined assets, including savings, stocks, bonds, and CD's, are $14,000.
This is a family of two, with one working parent and one child attending LCA. The parent's gross income is $31,980. There were no federal taxes due. The family rents their home for $16,980 annually. Assets, including savings, stocks, bonds and CD's are $500. The family has no retirement account.
This is a family of three, with two working parents and one child attending LCA. The combined gross income of the two parents is $85,049. Federal taxes withheld amounted to $5,510. The family owns their house, valued at $480,000. Mortgage and property taxes are $30,612 annually. Assets, including savings, stocks, bonds, and CD’s are $4,800. Retirement account valued at $42,000.
This is a family of four, with two working parents and two children attending LCA. The combined gross income of the two parents is $113,103. Federal taxes withheld amounted to $18,099. The family owns their house, valued at $495,000. Mortgage and property taxes are $32,100 annually. Assets, including savings, stocks, bonds and CD’s are $13,000. Retirement account valued at $74,000 (retirement accounts are protected and not considered when determining tuition rates; only liquid assets such as stocks, bonds, and CD’s are taken into consideration).
FAQs
What is Indexed Tuition?
Indexed Tuition is a program that reflects LCA’s commitment to providing access to Christian education for families of all income levels. Indexed Tuition allows families to qualify for an indexed tuition rate based on their unique financial circumstances.
This is not a loan program. The amount of reduced tuition will never need to be “repaid.”
How is Indexed Tuition beneficial to LCA?
We understand that there is great diversity in families’ incomes and assets. Our Indexed Tuition program recognizes those differences and provides a range of tuition so that we charge the rates that are right for our families.
Peer schools with similar models have found that it changes perceptions about affordability and increases the number of prospective families considering a private Christian education, which in turn enriches a school's student body and the overall community.
How does Indexed Tuition work?
Any prospective or current family with students in kindergarten to grade 12 may apply for Indexed Tuition if they are concerned about affording the full tuition rate at Legacy Christian Academy. Tap here to view Tuition Information.
To determine if a family qualifies for Indexed Tuition, Legacy Christian Academy partners with FACTS, a third party financial processor of Indexed Tuition applications for independent schools across the country. FACTS determines a family’s ability to pay tuition based upon on an “Estimated Family Contribution” (EFC) calculation that takes into account many of the factors that make up a family’s overall financial picture, including but not limited to income, assets, household size, unusual expenses, and family size.
The Indexed Tuition Committee evaluates each application in a fair, consistent, and confidential manner. We take time to understand the nuances and unique circumstances of each family.
How do we apply for Indexed Tuition?
LCA partners with FACTS to process Indexed Tuition applications. Every year families submit a Parent Financial Statement (PFS) to FACTS, which processes the information and provides an analysis.
- Complete instructions are provided on the FACTS website and the Indexed Tuition Application Process.
- Legacy Christian Academy provided over $1,600,000 to 12% of the student body for the 2022-2023 academic year.
- LCA has a generous Indexed Tuition budget; however, it is not unlimited. To be considered in the first round of tuition indexing, please apply and have all supporting documentation submitted by January 15, 2023. Beyond this initial date, applications are considered on a rolling basis. Indexed tuition rates are communicated to applicants within 2 weeks of submission of the application and all supporting documents. It is required that families follow the Indexed Tuition timeline in order to receive full consideration.
Is Indexed Tuition available for all grades?
No. Indexed Tuition is available for families with students in grades Kindergarten through 12. It is not available for pre-kindergarten students. The availability of Indexed Tuition may vary based on the entering grade level, space in a grade, number of applicants, and budgeted funds. To be considered in the first round of tuition indexing, please apply and have all supporting documentation submitted by January 15, 2023. Beyond this initial date, applications are considered on a rolling basis. Indexed tuition rates are communicated to applicants within 2 weeks of submission of the application and all supporting documents. Families must apply within the established deadlines and qualify to receive Indexed Tuition.
Will applying for Indexed Tuition diminish the chances of my child being accepted to LCA?
No. Admission applications and Indexed Tuition applications are reviewed separately, and submitting an application for Indexed Tuition has no bearing on an applicant’s admissibility.
If we qualify for Indexed Tuition this year, will we pay the same amount in future years? Do we need to apply again?
Families who receive an Indexed Tuition rate can expect to receive similar amounts of funding each year if their financial circumstances remain the same. However, every family must reapply for Indexed Tuition each year and meet all stated deadlines. If the current financial picture for a family changes significantly, the amount of Indexed Tuition will be adjusted accordingly to reflect the new amount of demonstrated need.
Are all students who are offered admission automatically offered Indexed Tuition if their parents qualify?
Unfortunately, not. While LCA makes a considerable investment in the program each year, we are not able to offer Indexed Tuition to every student who qualifies for both admission and Indexed Tuition due to a finite amount of funds available.
How do families in multiple households apply for Indexed Tuition?
LCA requires that, to be considered for Indexed Tuition, each parent/guardian household must submit a separate Indexed Tuition application along with all tax documents and forms. Consideration of all available resources from both parents/guardians and their spouses is based on the principle that a family’s contribution for education is a reflection of “the ability to contribute, not the willingness to contribute,” which is standard FACTS policy.
After LCA determines an Indexed Tuition rate for the student, it is the responsibility of the parents to determine a payment schedule structure.
If a parent is no longer involved in the life of the child in any way, please speak directly with LCA’s Indexed Tuition coordinator, Whitney Younts, at 972-987-1096 to determine how to proceed.
Will My Application be Confidential?
All Indexed Tuition applications are confidential. Faculty and administrators are not privy to any family’s financial materials, nor are they aware of which families apply for Indexed Tuition.
In the case of applications from multiple households, all financial information is kept strictly confidential, and at no time will one household have access to the others’ information.
In fact, LCA considers all Indexed Tuition decisions to be confidential agreements between the school and the recipient family and expects both parties to treat them that way.