Tuition & Fees

 Tuition for the 2026-27 school year

We look forward to another full year of in-person education for our students!

    We have the tuition payment plans detailed below.  These are, as usual, full-year, full-semester, and monthly plans.  We have a 2% increment in tuition, to $10,100 per year. This compensates partially for inflation and a pay raise for our hard-working teachers, after having held tuition unchanged last year. With the help of LCA parents we expect notable gains in student enrollment that support growing programs and help hold tuition affordable.

    Please note that the first payment for the monthly plan is in June; it’s the same schedule as last year.  This gives us time to talk with parents who will be continuing their children’s enrollment about the plans for the next academic year.  Thus, we can plan for teacher time and for any new class structures that meet the needs of every individual student.

    The table below is useful for seeing the structure of our payment plans. As last year, the 11-month installment plans begin with the first payment in June but continue through July, so that the final payment is in April, 2027. 

Please note that:

• By IRS regulations, tuition is not tax-deductible, except at the college level (IRS form 1098-T)
• Tuition for the early kindergarten program is not tax-deductible as day care payments (IRS form 2441) because our early K program is fully academic.  If we claimed student attendance as day care we would violate other federal laws and regulations and our own Articles of Incorporation.

* Full-year or full-semester payments get a 2% discount for ease of billing and bookkeeping.

** We accommodate late enrollment, while strongly encouraging early enrollment that lets us plan schedules and teacher time effectively.

*** We adjust the payment plan for late enrollment (after June of the preceding academic year). For example, in 2025-26 we had a 10-payment plan, at $990 per month) for students enrolled after June but no later than 1 August.  With due caution we accept enrollment after the academic year has started; we create pro-rated plans.

We send invoices the first of each month, and they’re due on the 15^th of that month. You can pay directly from the invoice via Zelle or ACH. Please do not use QuickBooks Payments; they charge a fee. Of course, checks and cash work.

If you choose the 11-month plan, we ask you to consider automatic payment when your financial institution allows it (some institutions do not).  This reduces bookkeeping, the problems of missed and late payments, and general stress on you and on us.  Please contact us for help in setting up autopay. In any event, payment monthly or one-time by check, Zelle, or ACH works well.  Our main bank is WAFD Bank at 301 W. Amador, with routing number 325 070 980. If paying from your bank to WAFD is problematic we also bank at FirstLight Federal Credit Union. Please contact us at 575-571-2269 or vince.gutschick@gmail.com for information.

Donations: We budget each year for improvements to our programs and for the major initiatives that will keep us going for the long term.  Tuition is crucial but only provides about 92% of our budgeted income.  Like all other private schools with no state funding, we ask that all families donate to their ability to do so; we have a goal of $30,000 each year, or about $650 per student, though up to half that is met by friends of the school.  Some families have donated more, while others have given what they could; the Annual Fund meets the abilities of all families.  We thank you for such generosity! Please note that donations are tax-deductible.

Volunteering time and expertise is another donation.  By enrolling at least one student, each family agrees to assist in school activities.  This might include driving students on field trips, chaperoning oir walking field trips, assisting in the classroom or after school as requested by teachers, etc.  The efforts volunteered by our LCA parents are remarkable.

Tuition payments are nonrefundable except in unusual circumstances.  Withdrawing a student by choice rather than necessity such as a move or financial problems reduces our income without reducing our financial commitment to our teachers.  It also can leave us with a place in which we could have enrolled another student who was on a waiting list.  We trust that you understand our position.

Fees

We have no extra fees for books, other supplies, and class activities, including science demos.  Some events or expenses are optional – modest fees for after-school clubs that your student can choose and field trips with significant travel expenses. 

Admissions application fee

The current fee is $50.  The fee is payable with a credit card in the online application for admission.

Scholarships

We offer a small number of need-based scholarships. Applications, available here, are required and are evaluated by a scholarship committee. Our Head of School, Dr. Lou Ellen Kay, can confer with you in advance if finances are critical in considering enrolling your child.