Admissions

Affording an Armstrong Education

Affording an Armstrong Education

Charles Armstrong School recognizes the effort and financial significance of enrolling a student in our transformative educational program. Through our generous tuition assistance program, we are committed to providing access to an Armstrong education and maintaining socioeconomic diversity as part of a healthy and dynamic learning environment. We encourage families to apply for tuition assistance if they feel affording the full tuition may be out of reach.

List of 7 items.

  • Tuition Assistance Process & Notification +

    • Families who need assistance are encouraged to apply for tuition assistance
    • The tuition assistance application is independent of the admissions process
    • Applications for admission and tuition assistance may be completed concurrently
    • Tuition assistance applications will be reviewed after families are notified of their acceptance to the school
    • Tuition assistance awards are used in calculating deposits and tuition refund insurance and are included in student enrollment agreements

  • Tuition Assistance Application Steps +

    All families applying for tuition assistance must complete an application through Clarity, a third party that provides objective and consistent analysis used by many schools in the Bay Area and beyond. The application typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete and is mobile-friendly so you can complete it from anywhere. You can save your progress and return at any time. Please follow the steps below to apply for tuition assistance. Madonna Ballesteros, HR & Tuition Specialist, is available to answer any questions you may have regarding tuition assistance. 
     

  • Application Deadline

    Please complete your Clarity application by:
    • January 21, 2025, for returning families
    • February 1, 2025, for new families

    Divorced or separated parents must each submit a separate application and tax documents.

  • Clarity Application Steps

    1. Create an account on the Clarity Application.
    2. Enter household & student information. Select Charles Armstrong School.
    3. Sign and submit a Form 4506c to give Clarity permission to pull your 2023 tax returns, so you will not have to upload them yourself. IRS verification can take 3-5 business days.
    4. Complete your financial information, including income, expenses, assets, and debts.
    5. Under Other Considerations, share any additional information that you would like to be considered that may not be evident in your application.
    6. Pay the $60 submission fee. Fee waivers are automatically applied for families that qualify.
    7. Check your “Document Requests” panel to upload all required tax documents.

  • Documents Needed to Complete Application

    The following documents must be uploaded to the Clarity portal before your application is considered complete. 

     
    Deadline
    Document
    By application deadline:
    January 21, 2025, for returning families

    February 1, 2025,
    for new families
    Final paystubs from 2024
    (final paychecks received in 2024
    for all wage earners in your household)
    February 1, 2025
    2024 W-2s
    April 15, 2025
    2024 Form 1040 
    April 15, 2025
    For Business Owners: 
    • Form 1120, 1120S, or Form 1065
    • Form K-1 if applicable
     

     

  • Application Support

    If you need support during the process of completing your application, 
    • Use Clarity’s in-app “Help” button at the bottom left of the screen 
    • Email support@clarityapp.com or call 206-210-3752 (English and Spanish available)

  • Feedback

    If you are open to giving us feedback on the tuition assistance process, please click here to share your contact information for a future survey.

FAQs +

List of 3 items.

  • What are the additional costs to attend Armstrong?

    • Application fees for admission and tuition assistance; waivers may be available for both, pending review of eligibility
    • Tuition refund insurance, is required for all new students and returning students on quarterly or monthly payment plans
    • New uniforms; free used uniform bank is available
    • Lunch, SchoolFoodies is available for pre-order 
    • Transportation to and from school
    • Student activity fee for Outdoor Ed program for grades 5th through 8th
    • Aftercare program
    • A portion of the 8th-grade field trip to Washington, D.C.

  • What are the payment plan options?

    • Annual - 1 full payment due by May 5th
    • Quarterly - 4 payments due by May 5th, August 5th, October 5th and January 5th
    • Monthly - 10 payments due by the 5th of each month from May through February

  • What are supplemental resources for tuition assistance?

    The Basic Fund is a privately funded 501c3 organization whose mission is to advance education equity for low-income families by helping offset the cost of tuition at private schools in the Bay Area. Please go to their website for qualification requirements. Applications open in mid-January, and their deadline to apply is at the end of March each year.
If you have questions regarding the application process for Tuition Assistance, please email Armstrong’s HR & Tuition Specialist, Madonna Ballesteros, at mballesteros@charlesarmstrong.org.

What is the comparable value of the Armstrong experience?

There are many different strategies that families may utilize to assist dyslexic students. At Armstrong, we believe we offer the best option of specialized and expert remediation within the school day, which also comes with a full independent school experience–inside and outside the classroom.

Charles Armstrong School

1405 Solana Drive
Belmont, CA  94002-3653
P: (650) 592-7570
F: (650) 591-3114