Tuition
Financial Aid
Amherst Montessori School is committed to making its educational programs accessible to families of all socioeconomic backgrounds. To accomplish this, we set aside funds in each year's budget for assisting families with paying tuition. Typical financial aid awards range from 5%-50% of the tuition, and include a limited number of spaces reserved for families with child care vouchers through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Financial aid awards at Amherst Montessori School are need-based, and are determined through a thorough evaluative process beginning with a family's application through FAST (Financial Aid for School Tuition). FAST, created by Independent School Management, is a secure online program that evaluates a family's ability to pay tuition based on a variety of factors. Among the factors considered are income, net worth, housing costs, number of children paying tuition, and cost of living for our area.
Upon receiving the FAST recommendation, Amherst Montessori School's Financial Aid Committee evaluates the recommended award based upon our applicant pool and available dollars. We evaluate each application on a case-by-case basis and review all applications comparatively to ensure equity and fairness in our decisions.
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.
The deadline for priority financial aid applications for 2023-24 is February 19, 2023.
To apply for financial aid:
- Complete your FAST application. The application will take 30-45 minutes to complete. Once you begin, you will create a user name and password that will allow you to exit the application and return at a later time, if needed. It may be helpful to read the FAST Aid Parent User Guide before diving into your application.
- To complete the online application, you will need your 2022 Federal and State income tax returns, as well as other financial information such as household income and expenses, utility information, insurance costs (home, life, auto, medical), medical expenses, etc.
- Hard copies of your filed 2022 Federal and State income tax returns are required as part of your FAST application, and must be sent to FAST by February 19, 2023. We encourage you to schedule your tax preparation early so that it is completed by this deadline.
- An application fee of $45 is required and can be paid to FAST online by credit card.
- Financial Aid Applications to Amherst Montessori must be submitted in their entirety by February 19, 2023 for priority consideration. Applications received after this date will be reviewed in order of date received, if funds remain for disbursement.
Please see the tables below for more details about our tuition rates, or you can download a PDF of our 2023-24 tuition & fees here.
Infant Tuition & Fees
Infant (3-15 months) |
Monthly Plan (10 monthly payments) |
Semi-Yearly (2 payments/year) |
Yearly (1 payment) |
---|---|---|---|
Five Day Program | |||
8:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | $1,897 | $9,485 | $18,970 |
8:15 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. | $2,225 | $11,125 | $22,250 |
Toddler Tuition & Fees
Toddler Schedule & Payment Options |
Monthly Plan (10 monthly payments) |
Semi-Yearly (2 payments/year) |
Yearly (1 payment) |
---|---|---|---|
Three Day Program | |||
8:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | $1,186 | $5,930 | $11,860 |
8:15 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. | $1,397 | $6,985 | $13,970 |
Four Day Program | |||
8:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | $1,508 | $7,540 | $15,080 |
8:15 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. | $1,784 | $8,920 | $17,840 |
Five Day Program | |||
8:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | $1,747 | $8,735 | $17,470 |
8:15 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. | $2,075 | $10,375 | $20,750 |
Children's House Tuition & Fees
Children's House Schedule & Payment Options |
Monthly Plan (10 monthly payments) |
Semi-Yearly (2 payments/year) |
Yearly (1 payment) |
---|---|---|---|
Lunch | |||
8:15 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | $1,512 | $7,560 | $15,120 |
School Day | |||
8:15 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. | $1,815 | $9,075 | $18,150 |
Elementary Tuition & Fees
Elementary Schedule & Payment Options |
Monthly Plan (10 monthly payments) |
Semi-Yearly (2 payments/year) |
Yearly (1 payment) |
---|---|---|---|
School Day | |||
8:15 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. | $1,815 | $9,075 | $18,150 |
Extra Hours
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. | $156.50 | $782.50 | $1,565 |
After Care | |||
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m | $202.50 | $1,012.50 | $2,025 |
After Care | |||
3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | $431.50 | $2,157.50 | $4,315 |
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 (formally known as Smart Tuition):
- Annual - Payment due in full on June 1, 2023
- Semi-annual - Half payment due on June 1, 2023, half payment due on November 1, 2023
- Monthly - 10 month billing option, beginning June 1, 2023 and concluding March 1, 2024