Think again. Sarasota Christian School proudly offers Variable Tuition. Tuition at SCS is not a “one-size-fits all.” It’s a range. A range that spans from 40-90% of the full cost of education. Variable Tuition adjusts tuition rates to meet your family’s unique financial position. No family at Sarasota Christian School pays the full cost of education.

Variable Tuition is a way for Sarasota Christian School to help families understand the true cost of enrolling at SCS. No family at SCS pays the full cost of education; 10% of the cost associated with educating our children comes from external efforts, including fundraising, and more than 75% of our families receive some form of financial assistance, tuition discount, or assistance from state funding sources.

Variable Tuition will allow families to apply for and receive a tuition amount that is right for their family’s financial situation. It incorporates the factors that can affect a family’s tuition responsibility, such as household income, number of students enrolled, corporate church membership, alumni status, and other factors. Thus, Variable Tuition helps make an SCS education accessible to many qualified students who could not otherwise join our school community.

Any family (current or new) of a kindergarten through twelfth grade student will be considered for Variable Tuition. Factors that impact a family’s tuition rate include financial need, size of family/number of students enrolled at SCS, alumni status, corporate church membership, and other factors.

Regardless of financial need, parents should initiate the admission process as early as possible. Families will have their Variable Tuition amount finalized only after they have applied for admission to the school.

If you are a current SCS family and have previously received a tuition grant from SCS, you will simply need to complete the FACTS application as you have done previously. Other factors that affect your Variable Tuition rate have already been verified by the Admissions Office upon your acceptance to SCS. If you have a change in any factor, such as if you are enrolling an additional student, please contact the Admissions Office to have your new Variable Tuition rate verified.

If you are applying for Variable Tuition based on your family’s financial need, you will need to submit a FACTS tuition grant application online every year.

No. Only families who feel they may not able to pay the full amount of the Variable Tuition range should submit an application through FACTS.

If your family would like to be considered for Variable Tuition based on financial need, there is a cost of $30 to apply for a tuition grant through FACTS, our confidential third-party vendor. However, other factors, such as multiple student discount, are automatically considered for every student without any additional cost.

No. SCS does not award financial need-based tuition grants that cover the full amount of tuition. Our commitment to providing Variable Tuition means that we are sharing in the investment of your child’s education with you.

It is not possible for a family or the school to estimate the tuition rate for which a family qualifies without completing an SCS application for enrollment. To be considered for Variable Tuition based on financial need, families must complete an application with FACTS, a third-party agency. FACTS evaluates the application based on criteria set by independent third party standards and makes a recommendation to the school’s Variable Tuition team. Families are notified of the tuition rate for which they qualify from the school’s Business Office.

Variable Tuition amounts will be determined once SCS has documentation from any additional funding sources the family may have. Families who qualify for other sources of funding, such as Step Up for Students or McKay scholarships, will need to bring in a copy of their award letter as soon as they receive it to have their Variable Tuition rate determined. Families can still apply for a financial need-based tuition grant through FACTS in addition to their Step Up for Students or McKay scholarship.

If your family has financial need, you will typically hear from SCS within 2 weeks of providing all required documentation to FACTS, our confidential third party service. Other factors such as the multiple student discount can typically be verified within 2 business days of a completed prospective student application being submitted to SCS.

Yes. A family who does not qualify is welcome to reapply the following year.

Yes. For new students, the application to Sarasota Christian School and the application for Variable Tuition are two separate processes. However, new families may complete both application processes simultaneously.

A wide range of families with a variety of circumstances qualify for the program, from those who are able to pay close to the full rate of Variable Tuition to those who are at the entry level of the range. Many factors are evaluated, including income, assets, unusual expenses, and the size of the family.

For more information about Variable Tuition, please contact Director of Admissions, Elizabeth DiMartino at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or (941) 371-6481.