Tuition & Tuition Assistance
Tuition Assistance 
The Amherst Montessori School Tuition Assistance program is designed to make an AMS education possible for all families based on demonstrated financial need and the availability of funds. Amherst Montessori School is proud to utilize **Clarity Financial Aid** to determine a family’s level of financial need based on the information that families share in the application which includes assets, income, expenses, and debts. The application is mobile-friendly and fully translated into Spanish.
Complete the following steps by February 15, 2027 for priority review.
Step 1
Go to https://app.clarityapp.com/sign-up
Step 2
Begin your application and add Amherst Montessori School to your student applicant entry. You can save your application and log out at any time and return later to complete it.
Step 3
US taxpayers: Complete the Clarity Enhanced Tax Verification (ETV) process to release your W2 and personal tax return transcripts from the IRS. You'll be asked to authorize the sharing of your tax transcripts and verify your identity. This is a one-time security measure required by the IRS to protect against identity theft and the compromise of personal information. Only those filing US taxes will be prompted to complete this step. Clarity offers two options for enhanced tax verification process: “Clarity” and “IRS”. Please reference the Tax Verification Guide to preview the steps of this process.
Parents/guardians who successfully completed this process last year, will not be asked to go through this process again. Upon submission of their application, the IRS will automatically release their tax transcripts to us based on last year’s authorization.
The IRS pathway is significantly faster, allowing for the tax documents to transfer to Clarity within 24 hours. For this reason, any applicant who applies after February 15, 2027, will need to select the IRS pathway in order to meet our priority deadline. Clarity has found that families who have an **IRS.gov* account before starting the Clarity Application have a much easier time completing the process.
Step 4
Enter your financial information, review your application, and pay the $65 Clarity application fee.
Step 5
Submit your Clarity application and follow the link to return to your dashboard. Here you will see any additional supporting documents requested by schools. Upload your supporting documents by February 15, 2027. Keep in mind that at a later date, you may be prompted by the school via Clarity to upload additional documentation as needed.
Clarity Support
If you need support during the process of completing your application, there is in-app, phone and email support available through the “Help” button in the bottom left of the screen. Additional resources:
- Clarity Family Application Guide
- Guía de Aplicación Para Las Familias
- Clarity Application Quick Reference Guide
- Guía de Referencia Rápida
Family Application Webinars by Clarity
Clarity offers family information webinars each fall. These webinars review the family application and tax verification process. Attendees can ask questions via chat. Families need to register to receive the Zoom link.
Tuesday, December 8, 8:30pm ET
Lastly, there are a limited number of spaces available through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts child care assistance voucher program. Please click here for eligibility requirements.
For parents who are currently enrolled or are expected to be enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, child care tuition assistance may be available.
Deadline: The deadline for priority tuition assistance applications for 2027-28 is February 15, 2027. Applications received after this date will be reviewed in order of date received.
Please see the tables below for more details about our 2026-27 tuition rates, or you can download a PDF of our 2026-27 tuition & fees here.
Infant Tuition & Fees
|
Infant (3-15 months) |
Monthly Plan ($50 billing fee applies) |
Semi-Yearly ($50 billing fee applies) |
Yearly (1 payment) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five Day Program | |||
| 8:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | $2189.80 | $10,949 | $21,848 |
| 8:15 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. | $2,567.70 | $12,838.50 | $25,627 |
Toddler Tuition & Fees
| Toddler Schedule & Payment Options |
Monthly Plan ($50 billing fee applies) |
Semi-Yearly ($50 billing fee applies) |
Yearly (1 payment) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three Day Program | |||
| 8:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | $1,370.90 | $6,854.50 | $13,659 |
| 8:15 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. | $1,614.00 | $8,070.00 | $16,090 |
| Four Day Program | |||
| 8:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | $1,741.80 | $8,709.00 | $17,368 |
| 8:15 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. | $2,059.80 | $10,299.00 | $20,548 |
| Five Day Program | |||
| 8:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | $2,017.10 | $10,085.50 | $20,121 |
| 8:15 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. | $2,394.90 | $11,974.50 | $23,899 |
Children's House Tuition & Fees
| Children's House Schedule & Payment Options |
Monthly Plan ($50 billing fee applies) |
Semi-Yearly ($50 billing fee applies) |
Yearly (1 payment) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | |||
| 8:15 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | $1,746.50 | $8,732.50 | $17,415 |
| School Day | |||
| 8:15 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. | $2,095.40 | $10,477.00 | $20,904 |
Elementary Tuition & Fees
| Elementary Schedule & Payment Options |
Monthly Plan ($50 billing fee applies) |
Semi-Yearly ($50 billing fee applies) |
Yearly (1 payment) |
|---|---|---|---|
| School Day | |||
| 8:15 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. | $2,095.40 | $10,477.00 | $20,904 |
Extended Day Programs (all levels)
| Fees added to Day School Tuition |
Monthly Plan (10 monthly payments) |
Semi-Yearly (2 payments/year) |
Yearly (1 payment) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before Care | |||
| 7:30 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. | $174.20 | $871.00 | $1,742* |
| After Care | |||
| 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m | $225.30 | $1,126.50 | $2,253* |
| After Care | |||
| 3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | $480.20 | $2,401.00 | $4,802* |
*prices reflect a five-day schedule and will be pro-rated for partial week schedules
Other Fees
Application fee - $50
Enrollment deposit - $1,500
Sibling Discount
AMS offers a 5% discount for additional siblings, eligible only for families who are not already receiving financial aid.
Payment Plans
For tuition, we offer three payment types through Blackbaud Tuition Management:
- Annual - Payment due in full on June 1, 2026
- Semi-annual - Half payment due on June 1, 2026, half payment due on November 1, 2026
- Monthly - 10 month billing option, beginning June 1, 2026 and concluding March 1, 2027