Affording New Roads

New Roads School was founded on the fundamental principle of inclusion. We actively seek a mosaic of authentic diversity in our community — diversity of talents, interests, achievements, races, cultures, and economic and ethnic backgrounds — and our generous tuition assistance program affirms our commitment to investing in this foundational element of our transformational educational model.
 
Every year, New Roads School devotes between 30% and 40% of its tuition budget to need-based tuition assistance. This enables us to provide tuition assistance to more than 45% of our New Roads families. Because we believe education is a partnership among parents, students, and faculty, every family makes some financial contribution, consistent with their means, to their child’s tuition. 
 
New Roads' tuition assistance program follows several guidelines:
  • The decision to offer admission to a student is made prior to, and independent of, decisions to grant tuition assistance.
  • All tuition assistance applications are confidential.
  • Tuition assistance funds, while generous, are nonetheless limited; demonstrating need does not guarantee support.
  • Tuition assistance is reviewed annually. All returning New Roads families must reapply for tuition assistance for each new school year. If a family's financial need continues, assistance is typically renewed. However, as tuition and costs rise, families should anticipate an increase in their financial contribution.
Factors considered in determining tuition assistance include:
  • Economic need of the requesting family. 
  • Socioeconomic diversity of our student body.
  • Other children in elementary or secondary private school. Since loans are readily available for college and university study, New Roads does not consider the expense of college education for other family members in making tuition assistance decisions.
  • Savings – including those a family may designate as “college savings”. 
  • Expenses for “lifestyle” choices such as vehicles, homes, vacations, club memberships, etc. 
  • Healthcare expenses.
We make every effort to be fair and consistent in all of our deliberations and decisions at New Roads School. Tuition assistance decisions are particularly difficult since we wish every qualified student could attend New Roads; unfortunately, this is not possible. Our Tuition Assistance Committee must choose among many competing requests. In making these challenging decisions, New Roads School reserves the right to consider additional factors not specifically set forth above.

Tuition Assistance Application Process
New Roads School partners with Clarity, a third-party service, to facilitate the tuition assistance application process. Clarity helps determine a family’s level of financial need based on the information provided in the application which includes assets, income, expenses, and debts. Once your application is completed with all required documents, Clarity performs an initial assessment of your financial aid eligibility. This information is then reviewed by New Roads’ Tuition Assistance Committee to make final determinations regarding a family’s qualifications. 

To apply for tuition assistance:
  1. Please go to the Clarity application to create an account and begin the process. If you have previously submitted an application through Clarity, please log in to your pre-existing account.
  2. Upload the additional required income documentation upon completion of your Clarity application.
Additional documentation for all tuition assistance applicants:
  • 2025 Income Verification. Please upload any of the following, as applicable, for 2025: End-of-Year Paystub, Profit & Loss Statement, W2s, 1040s, End-of-Year Bank Statements, for all parents/guardians.
  • 2024 Form 1120S, Form 1120, or Form 1065 (if applicable).
Clarity offers a streamlined and user-friendly application process that can take less than 30 minutes to complete. It is mobile-friendly, so you can complete your application on your phone or tablet. Furthermore, your 1040 and W2 documents from 2024 will be automatically transferred from the IRS when you complete the verification step, so you will not need to upload those documents manually. 
At the end of the application, there is a $60 fee to submit, and you can share your application with additional schools that accept the Clarity Application for no additional charge. Simply use the dropdown menu in the application to select those schools. Please remember to return to your dashboard after you submit your Clarity application to upload additional documentation that is required. 
Tuition Assistance Aid Deadlines (including all required tax and income documentation):
For returning families (current students) 
January 9, 2026
For new families (incoming students) 
January 23, 2026
 
Applications submitted without completed tax and income documentation will not be reviewed by the Tuition Assistance Committee. Parents are assured that all information submitted will be kept in the strictest confidence. If an award is not satisfactory, an appeal may be made to the Tuition Assistance Committee. Non-custodial parents may be required to complete the tuition assistance process, depending on circumstances.
 
If you need support during the process of completing your application, there is in-app support available through the “Help” button on the bottom left of the screen. Email and phone support are also available at support@clarityapp.com or 206-210-3752, in both English and Spanish. Please note that Spanish translation is also available for the application itself.
Clarity Application Resources:

List of 9 frequently asked questions.

  • Does New Roads offer payment plans?

    Yes. New Roads offers the following payment plan options:
    Single payment plan (due June)
    Two payment plan (due June, December)
    Ten payment plan (monthly from June to March)

  • Is tuition assistance a loan?

    No. When making tuition assistance determinations, families receive a reduction of the cost of Tuition and the Student Activity fee, based on their demonstrated need.

  • What other expenses are included if I am granted tuition assistance?

    Families receiving tuition assistance may also qualify for a reduction in cost with the following:
    Aftercare/Enrichment Programs (Grades K-5)
    Book Costs (Grades 6-12)
    Summer Program (Grades K-12)
    Additionally, there are no added costs for athletics, art supplies, school trips (day and overnight), or yearbooks. These costs are included in your total cost for the Student Activity Fee.

  • When are tuition assistance award notifications issued?

    For newly accepted families, tuition assistance awards are included in the acceptance notification. Admissions decisions for the 2026-27 school year will be issued on March 13, 2026.

  • Does applying for tuition assistance impact the Admissions decision?

    No. Tuition assistance decisions are independent of Admissions decisions. Once an admissions decision has been made, the Tuition Assistance Committee is then alerted to move forward with tuition assistance review.

  • Do I have to complete a separate tuition assistance application per child?

    No. Tuition assistance applications should include all students/applicants that reside in the same household.

  • What if parents reside in separate households?

    For applicants with parents/legal guardians who live in separate households, each parent/legal guardian must complete a separate tuition assistance application. If a parent/legal guardian is remarried, step-parents that reside in the same household and share household expenses, must be included on the tuition assistance application.

  • What if I cannot afford the tuition assistance application fee?

    Clarity automatically qualifies families for fee waivers based on meeting certain income and asset-based criteria. If you qualify for an automatic fee waiver, you will be able to submit your application without paying. If not, please email financialaid@newroads.org to request a tuition assistance fee waiver form.

  • Do I have to reapply for tuition assistance for every school year?

    Yes. We require all families receiving tuition assistance to reapply for each new school year. Tuition assistance is not guaranteed for each school year, however, unless there are significant financial changes, New Roads does its best to maintain a family’s tuition assistance award and cost for tuition for the duration of a student’s enrollment. As costs and tuition increase each school year, families can expect increases in their tuition obligations.
New Roads School is a college preparatory K-12 private independent school in Santa Monica, CA, serving over 514 elementary school, middle school and high school children from the greater Los Angeles area. New Roads School provides an inspired educational program from which an authentically diverse student population, mirroring the rich diversity of Los Angeles, develops a personal dedication to learning, a respect for independent thinking, and an expanding curiosity about the world and its people.
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS New Roads School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.