Admission

Tuition and Financial Support

Financial Support at St. Margaret's

St. Margaret’s is proud to offer a strong and supportive need-based financial aid program for families beginning in Kindergarten through Grade 12. For the 2024-25 Academic year, over 5 million dollars in need-based grants were awarded to enrolling students. We believe that having a diverse and equitable school is at the core of our institutional values. We see financial aid as a St. Margaret’s community strength. Our goal is to engage and guide capable and talented students from all socioeconomic backgrounds and make the opportunities of St. Margaret’s accessible to all.
 
Families are encouraged to apply for admission as well as need-based financial aid. After admission decisions are determined, completed financial aid applications are considered by the St. Margaret’s Financial Aid Committee. Need-based grants are shared to families at the time of Admission.
 
We encourage families to preview our financial aid application process listed below, and to contact our Office of Admission & Financial Aid at any time with follow up questions.  We are here to support your family, and we look forward to working with you.
 
Sincerely,
Phoebe F. Larson,
Director of Enrollment Management

Financial Support Program

Applying for Financial Aid for the 2025-2026 Academic Year

The Financial Support program at St. Margaret’s utilizes a need-based financial aid application process. All families apply annually for financial aid consideration through the Clarity financial aid platform. Clarity and the St. Margaret’s financial aid committee rely upon need-based methodology and national financial aid guidelines. To begin a financial aid application, each household completes the Clarity Online Financial Aid Application.

Important Dates for Families Applying for Financial Aid


RE-ENROLLING St. Margaret’s Families:

Please Submit the completed Financial Aid Application prior to November 15, 2024 – there are (2) steps to complete.

List of 2 items.

  • Please go to

    Clarity Application for Financial Aid to complete the annual Clarity financial aid application.

  • Please Acknowledge

    the "IRS Retrieval Tool" for 2023 taxes to be available for confidential FA Review.
**Please know, need based financial aid is awarded on a first come, first served basis. Re-enrolling Families meeting the FA application deadline will receive priority review. To receive a student’s re-enrollment contract, all re-enrolling Families do need to complete the necessary FA application steps by November 15, 2024. All re-enrolling financial aid grants will then be reviewed in December and released with a student’s re-enrollment Contract on Thursday, January 23, 2025. Please note: the financial support for your re-enrolling student will be adjusted in the Spring if you have an applying sibling student who has been newly accepted and offered financial support.

NEW to St. Margaret’s Families:

Please submit the completed financial aid application prior to February 15, 2025 – there are (3) steps to complete.

List of 3 items.

  • Please go to

    Clarity Application for Financial Aid to complete the annual Clarity financial aid application.

  • Please Acknowledge

    the "IRS Retrieval Tool" for 2023 taxes to be available for confidential FA Review.

  • Please upload

    all 2024 W-2 Forms for each household to the Clarity Portal.
For newly accepted students who have met the financial aid deadline of February 15, 2025, financial aid grant notifications will be released in the Clarity portal at the time of admissions decisions in early March.

Follow Up Questions about St. Margaret’s Financial Support Program:

For questions about completing and submitting the necessary FA documents, please contact the St. Margaret’s Business Office: melissa.norwood@smes.org.

All NEW families applying for admission and considering financial aid are encouraged to connect with the St. Margaret’s Office of Admission. If there are any additional questions about the Financial Support program, please email admission@smes.org

Tuition at St. Margaret's

The St. Margaret’s tuition and fees listed are for the current 2025-2026 school year. Whether a child is re-enrolling or entering St. Margaret's for the first time, a non-refundable deposit fee is required to guarantee a place in the school. The balance of the tuition is due in 9 payments or 2 payments (May 31 and August 31).

In addition, St. Margaret's Episcopal School requires participation in the Tuition Refund Plan underwritten by the Commercial Union Insurance Company, Boston, MA, for A.W. G. Dewar, Inc. The plan costs approximately 0.7% of tuition and protects the educational investment of the family should a student not complete the school year for any reason. The Tuition Refund Plan premium is included in the cost of tuition.

Financial Aid Deadlines

Financial Aid applications open on Clarity October 1, 2024

Financial Aid applications for currently enrolled families are due November 15, 2024
 
Financial Aid applications for new families are due February 15, 2025

Documents and Resources

Clarity Application Guides

Financial Aid Information for Separated or Divorced Families:
 
When working with separated or divorced families, the expectation is that both biological parents will participate in the full Financial Aid Application process.
 
Both parents need to a Clarity Financial Aid Application and acknowledge the IRS Retrieval Tool. Both household  documents would be part of the need-based Financial Aid Review and all information would remain confidential.
 
In addition, we ask that all divorced households forward their current Divorce Agreement - as they apply for need-based financial aid. All Divorce Agreement information is private and would need to be submitted to Alanna Cajthaml in the St. Margaret’s Business Office.

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School

31641 La Novia Avenue
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
(949) 661-0108
 
Translation? ¿Traducción? 翻译?:

An Independent Preschool Through Grade 12 College-Preparatory Day School in Orange County California

Non-Discrimination Policy
St. Margaret's Episcopal School does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, sexual orientation or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational, admission, financial aid, hiring and athletic policies or in other school-administered programs.