Financial Aid Guidelines
The Board of Trustees and the Annual Giving Committee of Northstar Academy are please to make tuition assistance available each academic year. In order for us to allocate our resources wisely and fairly, we have enlisted the help of Independent School Management's FAST (Financial Aid for School Tuition) 
program. ISM's FAST does not decide whether financial assistance will be given or how much to give; rather FAST provides a need-based financial aid analysis service. FAST provides the school with a report, which includes a recommendation of what a family should reasonably contribute toward tuition. All information from FAST is kept confidential. Applications are reviewed by the confidential Financial Aid Committee and the Head of School. Upon collective approval, financial aid offers are sent to families.
While no financial aid procedure can be entirely equitable—there are simply too many individual factors and extenuating circumstances—the process that has been established has served Northstar Academy well. Please read the Principles of Good Practice for Financial Aid, published by the National Association of Independent Schools, as they have implications for both the school and parents. Northstar Academy intends to be guided by these principles to the extent that resources and conditions permit.
Financial Aid Procedures
PROCEDURES FOR PARENTS:
- Parents please access the F.A.S.T. Program website specifically for Northstar Academy applicants by clicking on the FAST logo. Once there, click the Get Started button at the bottom of the first page. All your financial information should be entered directly through the secure server. Space is also provided to fill out additional information that may be pertinent to your application. In addition, a copy of your most recent tax return should be mailed directly to the Business Office at Northstar Academy.
- There will be a fee of $25.00 required to process this application. Once completed the application will be available immediately for the Financial Aid Committee’s review. You may be contacted by the Business Office if additional information is needed.
PROCEDURES FOR NORTHSTAR ACADEMY:
- Once the application is entered the Financial Aid Committee can access your application.
- The Financial Aid Committee then meets to review each family’s completed online application. The Board of Trustees allocates a certain amount of total aid to the committee and gives guidelines about how this should be divided between returning and new students.
- The Financial Aid Committee recommends to the Head of School allocation of financial aid resources for the next year. Upon approval by the Head of School financial aid offers are sent to families.
- Financial data submitted for review by the Financial Aid Committee may be retrieved from the Business Office after notification of your award. Please request data in person from the Business Office
Financial Aid Deadlines
The deadlines for applying for financial aid for the 2008-09 school year are as follows:
- April 30, 2008 -- current Northstar families for re-enrolling students
- June 15, 2008 – Grades K-12 applicants
Once these deadlines have passed, families can still apply for aid, with the understanding that financial aid offers may not be extended by the time enrollment contracts are due.
