How Much Does It Cost?

We all work together to pay for our children's education at Golden Independent School. We are committed to making this small community school an affordable choice for families in the west Denver Metro area. For 2007-08 we have raised our tuition back up to the true cost of the education we provide. The amount represents only a 2.3% increase per year since the school opened (equal to the cost of inflation). Through a sliding-scale tuition structure, fundraising, a barter-exchange system, and alternative payment plans, we reach out to all types of families. We believe everyone deserves a chance to choose an independent (private) school for their children's excellent elementary education.

Costs: Full tuition is $7200.00 per year. That is, for every child at Golden Independent School, it costs $600.00/month for 12 months for the school to thrive. This is similar to what large public school districts spend per child, and significantly lower than most other independent schools. Thanks to diligent fundraising and grant writing, we are able to offer even lower tuition to those who need it, on a sliding scale basis. Families who earn more money do not subsidize families who earn less, rather we want the "affordability to feel similar for families in diverse economic circumstances. The minimum each family contributes is $360.00/month, through cash and barter-exchange services.

Volunteer Service: Each family also contributes at least 20 hours of volunteer service per year, or 2 hours per month. You may buy out your volunteer hours at a rate of $20.00/hour, though we would rather encourage your participation. There are many types of volunteer service and any family member may provide them. Flexible day, evening and weekend hours are available.

Payment Plans: Most families choose to pay in 10 monthly installments, August 1st - May 1st, and no tuition insurance is required. However, we offer a $200.00 savings per child for paying in full by October 1st, and 12-month payment plans are available (July - June). Payments are non-refundable and enrollment is expected for the entire school year.

Tuition Reduction: Any family may apple to reduce their tuition through need based financial assistance, and/or our Barter-Exchange program. If you feel your family's finances do not allow you to pay full tuition, please do not rule out private education for your children! Instead, begin a conversation with us and fill out an application for financial assistance and/or Barter-Exchange. Because our school is still growing, we want every family for whom progressive education is a good fit to be able to join us. Financial assistance offers take into account all aspects of your finances, including the number of children enrolled, the number of people in your household, and the amount of income you have from outside sources. Please call for an application!!

Barter-Exchange: If you would prefer to offer time instead of money, and you can provide necessary service that are in our expense budget, or provide services that generate growth and income for the school, we value these services at $20.00/hour. You may barter up to 80 hours per year per child in an approved school job to reduce y9our tuition by $1600.00 per child. The value you receive from this tuition reduction is reported to the IRS as income and you are responsible for paying all applicable taxes.

Space is available in all grades, K-6th.

 We encourage interested families to visit us any time!  Friday morning at 9:15 AM is a particularly good time to visit, as we gather as a whole school for shared music, presentations, and announcements. 

Full-time Enrollment:

After-school Care:
We are now offering before and after school care as part of a parent co-op program. Parents can volunteer to supervise the kids and apply the hours to their required volunteer hours. The cost is $5.00/hour per child.

Family involvement: 
We encourage parents to be involved in their children's education as much as they wish.  We need parents to drive and chaperone on field trips, we love it when parents and friends share their expertise and hobbies with us, and there are many community projects to join in with as you desire.   At a minimum, each family will be required to participate in two fundraising events, two Family Work Days, and two parent-teacher conferences.