MACON, Ga. — A Macon private school says it's lowering tuition costs to help meet the needs of their families and boost enrollment.
Rob Betzel has two daughters attending Tattnall Square Academy. He's happy with the school's response to the pandemic with both safety guidelines and tuition costs.
"I'm impressed to see a school take the time to consider its fiscal needs and those of the families, and really understanding that sometimes we don't need to increase the cost," Betzel said.
"Nationally, in America the cost of tuition in private school has gone up about 50% over the last 10-15 years," said Interim Head of School Susannah Allen.
Allen says the school's Board of Directors decided to cut their rates through their Tuition Reset Plan. Now, the school's base tuition rate will be just under $12,000 a year.
"If you look at our base tuition, they dropped 20% off of that, so basically what would have cost someone this year about $14,500...next year for high school will be $11,800 I believe is what the number is," Allen said.
The $3,000 price drop will start this fall. This year, Allen says they have about 550 students, which is up 25 from last year. She says many families are looking for the face-to-face option.
"So many public schools are virtual right now and because we were able to maintain that [face-to-face instruction], we've had a lot of people express interest in our school," Allen said.
The price drop also makes Tattnall the least costly of Macon's four biggest private schools. Board of Trustees Member Mark Rowland hopes the reset plan will meet their families' needs.
"Whether it be COVID or otherwise, we just felt like, 'Let's be the most affordable opportunity to provide them with that option,'" Rowland said.
Tattnall's prices are now lower that First Presbyterian Day School, Stratford Academy and Mount de Sales, based on their tuition rates listed on their websites.
Stratford Academy has a varied tuition plan that ranges from $8,000-$16,000 for high school depending on a family's financial application.
For more information on the tuition reset plan, visit Tattnall Square Academy's website.
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