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Tuition & Financial Aid

Invest in More than an Education

Valley Christian offers outstanding academic and extra-curricular programs for students, retains an exceptional faculty and staff, and manages two beautiful campus locations with excellent facilities. We balance this with our desire to make a Valley Christian education as affordable as possible and accessible to any family who desires to be a part of our community, while also not compromising our opportunities and programs. We strongly believe that no family should feel like they’re sacrificing any aspect of their child’s education in order to attend a Christian school. Tuition and fees are an investment – one that pays off in achievement, preparation, spiritual formation, lifelong community, and impact across the world.

In the state of Arizona, families are blessed to benefit from multiple tuition assistance options, including School Tuition Organizations (STOs) and Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs). Between these options and others, every VCS family should be able to cover between 40-100% of their out-of-pocket tuition costs. And we are intent on helping families identify the best tuition assistance option for them.

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A majority of our annual budget (60-70% each year) supports our amazing faculty and staff; for every dollar you pay in tuition, $0.60-$0.70 pays for our beloved staff members’ salaries/benefits. Valley Christian’s tuition typically increases by 3-7% each year (sometimes higher during periods of high inflation) in order to provide a cost-of-living increase for our #1 resource, our staff.

ONLY AT VCS: ALL-IN TUITION

VCS tuition includes nearly everything needed to provide a quality education for each student. It includes any required books, technology/iPads, athletic participation, lab/field trip fees, class specific required apparel, initial school supplies at the elementary campus, initial chapel uniforms, etc. Our goal is to make tuition as all-inclusive of a number as is reasonable, allowing families to use tuition assistance and scholarship opportunities towards each piece of tuition, minimizing out-of-pocket expenses. Items that may be excluded are identified below.

ROBUST INTERNAL DISCOUNTS

In addition to STOs and ESAs, we currently provide more than $1.1 million in internal discounts and scholarships each year to our families. This includes discounts for alumni, multi-student families, pastors, Christian educators, and staff, as well as internal financial aid and merit-based endowment scholarships.

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"EVERY FAMILY" TUITION ASSISTANCE GOAL

We believe that every family at VCS should participate in one of the tuition assistance options available to Arizona residents, typically either STOs or ESAs.

AVERAGE TEACHER SALARY

VCS teachers are our #1 resource and are compensated based on their total years of experience and academic credentials. Teacher and staff salaries are funded completely by tuition dollars, and 60-70% of our annual budget is made up of salaries.

Tuition & Fees

2024-25 TUITION (TOTAL COST OF EDUCATION)
ANNUAL TUITION
Before Financial Aid
Kindergarten$11,700
Elementary (1-6)$12,600
Junior High (7-8)$14,200
High School (9-11)$17,900
High School (12)$18,600
  • Annual payers commit to paying their tuition in full by July 1.
  • Semester payers pay tuition in two installments that are due July 1 + December 1.
  • Monthly payers pay in 11 installments on the first of each month, July 1 – May 1.
  • When a student enrolls or withdraws after the start of school, tuition is pro-rated by the month based on a 10-month school year.
  • Tuition for High School seniors includes the fall leadership retreat and the end of the school year senior trip.
  • In most cases, VCS does not charge fees for athletics, fine arts, technology, or parking.

Additional Fees & Optional Programs

VCS tuition is intended to include nearly everything needed to provide a quality education for each student. Listed below are fees or optional programs that incur an additional cost.

New Students

Application Fee – $225

One-time, non-refundable fee paid at time of initial application to VCS. There is a cap of $450 per family in initial application fees if enrolling multiple students at VCS for the first time.

Enrollment Fee – $200

This is due when submitting your application for enrollment and holds a spot for the student at VCS. It is non-refundable unless the student moves more than 30 miles away from VCS prior to the first day of school.

Re-Enrolling Students

Re-Enrollment Fee – $200

This is due when submitting your application for re-enrollment (February each year) and holds a spot for the student at VCS. It is non-refundable unless the student moves more than 30 miles away from VCS prior to the first day of school.

Special Education (V.I.N.E.) Support & Tuition

Can be paid for through STO funds.

V.I.N.E. (Valley’s Individual Needs Enhancement) fees are charged on a 10-month cycle to match the number of months in classes.

Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) are developed for each student enrolled in the V.I.N.E. Program, based on their unique individual needs, in order to provide the support that will help them become confident, competent, and successful learners. V.I.N.E. tuition is in addition to the school’s base tuition.

High School Support

  • Up to 3 V.I.N.E. classes – $450 per month additional tuition ($4,500/year)
  • Each additional V.I.N.E. class – $100 per month additional tuition ($1,000/year)
  • Accommodation Plans: $525 one-time fee for students not already enrolled in V.I.N.E.

K-8 Support

  • Includes V.I.N.E. content classes, where available, and access to V.I.N.E. teachers including our interventionist – $300 per month additional tuition ($3,000/year)

Third Party Tutoring

  • VCS partners with several third-party vendors to allow on campus tutoring for needs like dyslexia. The rates for these services will vary depending on what is being offered. For most of these services, families will pay the vendor directly. For families with STO awards in excess of their tuition, tutoring can be paid for through STO funds.

*For information on STOs, please see #1 below or speak to your Admissions Manager.

Sports, Activities, Fine Arts, and Clubs

While VCS does not charge any general athletic or activities fees, there are some additional charges for a few sports (i.e. football), summer sports camps, trips (Engage/Choir tours, Senior Trip), extracurricular activities (after school clubs), or advanced placement testing. These are charged in addition to tuition because of the limited participation rate or the cost of the activity. There may also be incidental charges that parents are responsible for purchasing, such as the cost of shoes, swimsuits, instruments, etc. that accompany an activity. If those items remain the property of students, VCS will typically charge for them or task parents with purchasing them. We try to keep these fees to a minimum. Participation in these activities is not mandatory and questions about these additional fees should be directed to the coach/director of the activity.

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but some of the items you can expect to pay for separately include:

  • Football participation
  • Choir tour
  • Instrumental tour
  • Engage trips
  • Bus service
  • Summer sports camps
  • Personal equipment that will remain personal property: shoes, swimsuit, poms, golf clubs, etc.
Withdrawal

Withdrawal Fee – $750

A family who withdraws a student during the school year – whether voluntary or involuntary – will be charged the full tuition for the month withdrawn, plus a $750.00 withdrawal fee per student. This fee is used to reimburse VCS for digital textbook licenses and other resources VCS commits to during a student’s enrollment.

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Tuition Assistance & Scholarship Opportunities

#1: Individual Tax Credit Program
  • The individual tax credit program is facilitated by STOs (school tuition organizations).
  • Valley Christian’s preferred STO is ACSTO (Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization).
  • Once you apply with ACSTO and are enrolled in a Christian school, you immediately qualify for STO funds. That said, a majority of funds that get disbursed to families are funds that come with a “recommendation” for your student(s). It does take some work in asking friends and family to participate – but it is well worth the effort!
  • The shortest and clearest way to present this program for the first time to friends and family is:

Arizona allows you to take the money you’d normally pay in state taxes to Arizona and instead give it to my student’s Christian school tuition! You simply make a donation through ACSTO and recommend him/her, and you get a dollar-for-dollar credit back from the state, meaning it doesn’t cost you anything besides cash up front.

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  • Our highest recommendation is to make a donation yourself (of any amount) to another student, so you know exactly how it works.
  • Traditionally, 85% of our families have participated in this program. 11% of our students are fully funded through this program alone.
  • You can read even more about this program on ACSTO’s FAQ page, or by attending a workshop (typically hosted quarterly). 
#2: Corporate Tax Credit Program

There are two Corporate Tax Credit Programs:

LOW-TO-MODEST INCOME PROGRAM

  • A student is eligible to receive corporate scholarship funds if they meet two criteria (must meet one of the criteria under #1 and meet #2):
    1. Either a “switcher” (coming from a public or charter school the previous school year), a Kindergartener, a dependent of a military member, or have previously received an Overflow or Corporate scholarship.
    2. Family must have a low-to-modest income (for 24-25, that is $88,369 for a family of 3, $106,782 AGI for a family of 4, $125,195 for a family of 5, $143,608 for a family of 6, etc… this is listed here).
    • Note that each Corporate STO has their own deadline and application requirements, so we’d recommend researching each and keeping an eye on their requirements.

DISABLED/DISPLACED PROGRAM

  • Disabled – These are scholarships for disabled students who have received an IEP,504, or MET Plan issued by an Arizona public school.
  • Displaced – These are scholarships for students who are or have been placed in the Arizona Foster Care System at any time before the student graduated from high school.

 

#3: Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA)
  • The new Universal ESA program (H.B. 2853) expands educational opportunities for eligible students outside of the public school system, provides public funding that can be used for a wide variety of educational expenses, and pays for private school tuition, educational therapies, tutoring, and more.
  • This bill expanded the ESA program to all students in Arizona. The only requirement is that the student lives in Arizona; there are no income, testing, or other requirements.
  • Kindergarten Students will receive approximately $4,000, while 1st through 12th grade students will receive approximately $7,000. These funds are paid to each family quarterly.
  • Families who sign an ESA contract with the State of Arizona are not eligible to utilize STO scholarships to pay tuition (either Individual [#1] or Corporate [#2]) during the same period.
  • ESA applications are accepted year round and complete applications will be processed within 30 days of submission.
  • To apply please visit https://esa.azed.gov/Account
  • This program is run completely through the State of Arizona; VCS is not able to advise beyond anything listed on the Arizona Department of Education’s webpage at azed.gov/esa.
  • Students who meet any of the following criteria may be eligible for additional funds.
    • K-12 student with or without a disability (Universal ESA), Preschool student with a disability, student with a parent who is active duty military or was killed in the line of duty, student with a parent who is legally blind, deaf, or hard of hearing, student resides within a Native American reservation, student attends a D or F rated school, student is a sibling of a current or previous recipient or was a previous recipient, student was a Ward of Court.
  • For category requirements, please visit: https://www.azed.gov/esa/eligibility-requirements
#4: Internal Financial Aid
  • This is financial aid provided by VCS out of our operating budget, dispersed based on financial need through FACTS Grants & Aid Assessment.
  • These awards can certainly be helpful, but are limited based on the school’s operating budget. We typically recommend applying for this if there is a significant financial need; just note that the first three opportunities – Individual STOs, Corporate STOs , ESAs – have a much higher “ceiling” in terms of overall disbursements.
  • The funds for this program are evaluated and determined in the summer prior to the school year, with the first disbursement awarded in September. These funds get applied as a “discount” spread out over the course of the year.
  • To apply, your student must first be enrolled. Then:
    Click on the following link: https://factsmgt.com/parents
    Create an account
    FACTS ID# 25408 | District Code VCHS-AZ

     

    • NOTE: On the FACTS website, scroll down and select APPLY NOW under the heading Apply for Financial Aid with Facts Grant & Aid Assessment.”
  • Looking to request transportation-specific financial aid for the East Valley bus service? Complete the steps above, then one additional step: specifically note “Requesting transportation-specific aid” in your application.
#5: Courtesy Discounts and Competitive VCS Scholarships
  • Valley Christian Schools offers a number of internal courtesy and competitive scholarships.
  • Read below for more information on Courtesy Discounts.
  • Visit valleychristianaz.org/endowment for more information on competitive scholarship. 

Courtesy Discounts

Pastors

The Pastoral Discount program was established in order to bless local pastors and welcome them into the VCS community. The Pastor Discount is a flat discount based on the grade level of the VCS student:

Grade Level Discount
K $2,000
1-6 $2,500
7-8 $3,000
9-11 $3,500
12 $4,000
   

Pastors may stack this discount with other available discounts (multi-child, alumni, etc.). Read Full Terms.

VCS Alumni

A $500 scholarship will be provided for any student of a high school alumnus. Full terms.

Sibling/Multi-Student

Enrolled siblings will receive a $500 discount of their tuition. The first enrolled student does not receive the multi-child discount, and is considered to be the student enrolled at the highest grade-level. The multi-student discount begins for the 2nd enrolled student.

Christian Educator

A $500 discount of tuition will be provided to any student of an educator or administrator currently working full-time in a Christian school that has a reciprocal educator agreement with VCS.

*As of 2023-24, courtesy discounts may now be “stacked.” For example, the first student of an alumnus will receive the $500 alumni discount; the second student of an alumnus will receive both the $500 alumni discount and the $500 multi-student discount for a total of $1,000.

Competitive VCS Scholarships

Read more about our competitive scholarships at valleychristianaz.org/endowment.

Endowment Scholarships

Still concerned about affording a Valley Christian education?

We’re serious about our goal of helping every family that wants a Valley Christian education to receive one. Our Admissions Managers regularly meet with prospective families for an individual “VCS Scholarship Consultation.” This 50-minute, personalized consultation will help you understand how your family can cover tuition through scholarship opportunities.

Request a scholarship consultation today. Consultations can be done in person on one of VCS’ campuses or via an online meeting.

Scholarship Consultation