<p>I’ll resurrect this discussion again as PhotoMom linked it in a recent response on another thread. I know the main purpose of this thread is to talk about planning for “extras,” but you also need to plan for those pesky annual tuition increases. It might be useful for parents who have been through multiple increases to give new parents an idea of what to expect. Of course, the trustees at every school decide increases based on the financials of their particular school, and each school will indicate a ballpark percentage that parents can expect, but perhaps it would be useful to share some actual numbers.</p>
<p>Our experience at Choate:</p>
<p>2011-2012 $47,260
2012-2013 $48,890 (3.5% increase)
2013-2014 $51,240 (4.8% increase)
2014-2105 $52,840 (3.1% increase)</p>
<p>These are the annual baseline mandatory totals that reflect: tuition, room/board, tech fee, health fee. Also, Choate bakes tuition insurance into the cost of tuition.</p>
<p>I know FA is reviewed annually and adjusted accordingly, but it would be helpful if others could chime in to indicate the type of percentage increases, if any, that they have experienced with EFC/FA (not actual numbers, of course).</p>
<p>Thanks for resurrecting the thread, ChoatieMom. I see my own old posts here about what to buy for friendlydaughter before she headed to SPS. Now I can tell about our experience and hopefully others will benefit.</p>
<p>Just as everyone said, at least half of what we bought before school started was never worn. Luckily we didn’t buy much! FD’s style got much preppier once she got to school so clothes she wouldn’t have considered before bs suddenly got very sought after. Bean boots are the best example of this. Don’t buy too much ahead of time!</p>
<p>There’s a lot of clothes swapping that happens and a few items get worn over and over, so don’t worry too much about quantity. </p>
<p>One thing that gets to be big ticket is the team-wear. It seems like every sport has their own jacket/sweatshirt/etc. Those come out of FD’s clothes allowance. </p>
<p>There are a few formal dances each year and those seem to “require” different dresses each time. After making the initial purchases, we told FD that these also needed to come out of the clothes budget. For the most recent dance she rented a dress through a website she found, which appeals to me on both the financial and environmental levels!</p>
<p>On the whole, I would say that there are some students at BS who are so far out of FD’s league financially that she’s not even tempted to try and compete. She knows that designer clothes etc are not going to be in the picture. In a way this is actually easier than it would be if she stayed home, where the fashion/gadget/etc benchmark would be more attainable (but still not at a level that we can or want to reach).</p>
<p>@friendlymom I was wondering about the team clothes, thanks for telling us about that!</p>
<p>As I’m reading through this thread I am thinking that many of the costs cited are not all that different from any high school. Class trips, clothes for special events, uniforms and equipment, etc. Those seem the same as any high school. “Allowance for pizza, movies, impulse buys” doesn’t seem unique to BS. Am I being naive?</p>
<p>@stargirl3, just to clarify, the team uniforms are included - some sports with special bells and whistles (like my daughter’s downhill skiing) have an extra fee, but team members are provided with uniforms. I’m talking about the team swag that the participants decide to get.</p>
<p>booklady, you’re correct that there are costs to staying home too. In our case, the costs that are specifically tied to boarding school include travel, winter clothes, and more formal clothes than we would otherwise buy. I would say that travel is the biggest ticket item (no pun intended). On the flip side, some costs that we could have at home are part of the package. For example, other than the aforementioned skiing fee we don’t pay for extracurriculars.</p>
<p>@friendlymom I know! Thanks for clarifying. :)</p>
<p>Agree that travel is a huge additional cost for boarders, but not sure I’d categorize that as ‘unexpected’ going in. Maybe more underestimated than unexpected? …my kid is applying as a day student, so don’t kill me! 
</p>
<p>In our case we stand to save a ton on ECs, to which almost all of our discretionary income is currently allocated. </p>
<p>For boarders who have to fly, the land transport to the airport can be substantial. Another hidden cost for long distance boarders is summer storage costs if it isn’t feasible for Mom & Dad to come in the minvan to collect your stuff before summer break. </p>
<p>For athletes who are participating in championship tournaments, the tournaments always seem to fall during a break and require hotel (dorms are closed) & travel costs. For GMTson’s last break-time tournament, we were billed 500 bucks by the school.</p>
<p>Spring training can be a budget buster, too. One year we received a letter encouraging parents to come along. I remember thinking… Yeah, we’re past meaningful Florida Tourism at this point so we’ll be sitting this one out… but thanks for thinking of us! We’ll just stay home and continue worshipping at the altar of Kraft Mac and Cheese. </p>
<p>^^ Thankfully our kids would absolutely hate it if we tagged along. One thing that always shocks me are the food bills when they’re home. I always know the grocery bill will jump… but not to the point when I have to ask: Do they feed you at school? I know that’s a small one compared to all the other things… but with Spring Break around the corner, I feel like I’m bracing for Food Fest 2014. I’ve been home cooking up a storm… freezing meals! Spring Training might end up costing less… </p>
<p>Do they tell you ahead of time what these things cost? What about kids on significant FA; do they get some help with extras such as spring training trips?</p>
<p>Good point about the transportation to the airport and the summer storage. We’ve found a workaround on summer storage (known as “grandma and grandpa’s garage”). As for the ground transportation, we send friendlydaughter on the bus that the school arranges, which is a pretty nominal cost. Some kids arrange for car services but I’m not interested in paying for that when the bus is available.</p>
<p>+1 on the food expenses, and that’s with a girl! I can only imagine what it’s like trying to feed a boy who’s used to unlimited cafeteria food 
</p>
<p>Don’t forget sports equipment. If you are lucky, your kid will play soccer and all you need are cleats. On the other hand, they might take up sailing or ice hockey and need the full kit! </p>
<p>PS We also take advantage of the school’s bus to the airport. Usually it means LondonKid has a 3-4 wait for the flight, but hey she’s on vacation! </p>
<p>@twinsmama- Yes. Often the costs for FA students are completely underwritten (or drastically offset) for Spring Training. The Coach or Department Head will send out a letter to offer assistance if an athlete wants to go. Most schools handle it this way and it usually works out great for the athlete and their family!</p>
<p>Ditto for other kids of trips. My DD is going on a spring break service trip and students with FA are subsidized.</p>
<p>At son’s school, many school sponsored trips are subsidized, but spring training is not, because the school is not supposed to be involved in pre-season training, I thought because of athletic rules. This makes me surprised that it’s subsidized elsewhere…ah well. </p>
<p>The reason I consider travel a hidden cost is because (a) the shuttle from the school to the airport is expensive and not subsidized for FA students and (b) the narrow parameters for when students must leave campus and must check in have made it nearly impossible to get the best rates on airline tickets, no matter how far away we reserve them. I estimate that my son’s plane tickets have been, on average 2-3 times as expensive as tickets I reserve for myself, with a looser arrival/departure window. </p>
<p>To reply to ChoatieMom’s earlier post about escalating tuition, D’s school, like most boarding schools, charges in the neighborhood of $50,000 a year for boarding students. D has received substantial FA but it has remained the same while tuition has increased close to $2,000 each year. So as we head into her third year we are now expected to pay $4,000 more than we did for her first year.</p>
<p>D loves her school and we are delighted to be receiving the FA we are, as her school is one with a lesser endowment. I’m guessing some schools increase their awards as tuition rises? Just something to keep in mind as you see the school’s initial offer of FA—your share may increase over time due to tuition increases.</p>
<p>Totally agree with classicalmama about paying more to fly kids back and forth. When I first do a expedia search to see how fares are running, there are always good fares. But when I go to book I find out that those cheap fares arrive (at the school end) at midnight, or (coming home) depart at 6 am, which would require D to wake up (?) at 2 am!</p>
<p>And of course the kids are always traveling at peak times. I’d say the airlines have finely tuned their prices relative to time of day, day of week, etc., and if you can’t be flexible you better have deep pockets.</p>
<p>On another note, I don’t like the new cc format either. In general I like white space but it seems there’s more white space than posts, and it seems harder to quickly scan thread listings. I’ve tried to give it some time but I still don’t like it.</p>
<p>RE: Summer Storage
SAS allows students to store stuff for free, but the bookcase and coat stand we put in definitely looked worse for wear when we retrieved them in the fall. So if you use “school sponsored” storage (as opposed to some off site storage unit), be very selective about what you store. The more durable, the better, IMO.</p>
<p>Re flights, look at southwest and JetBlue. They dont come up in the expedia et al searches and they fly out of most major airports. You have to book through their websites. They also dont have unaccompanied minor charges for age 13 or 14.</p>