Lake Forest Academy is committed to making our education available to all qualified students, and we seek to attract an economically diverse student body. To that end, Lake Forest Academy provides financial assistance to qualified students whose families cannot afford the school's full charges.

For many families, monthly payment plans are not sufficient to enable their children to attend Lake Forest Academy. We realize this and offer need-based financial aid to bridge the gap between what a family can afford and the actual cost of tuition.

Need-based financial aid at Lake Forest Academy comes in the form of grants. A grant is an award that does not need to be repaid. For the current school year, Lake Forest Academy committed more than $3 million in need-based aid to more than 25 percent of the student body. The average award is approximately 60% of total tuition.

You may begin to apply for financial aid starting on November 1, 2011, as described below. To be eligible for consideration for financial aid at Lake Forest Academy, you must complete your application by January 15, 2012. We will communicate decisions about financial aid at the same time admission decisions are rendered in early March.

We use School and Student Services (SSS) to process our financial aid applications. SSS is a service of the National Association of Independent Schools. Based on the financial information you provide, SSS gives us an estimated amount that your family should be able to contribute to educational expenses. This helps our school make fair and objective financial aid decisions.

To begin your financial aid application for the 2012-13 enrollment year, follow these steps below:

1. Beginning November 1, 2011, go to: sss.nais.org

2. Click on the prompt to begin your Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS). You only need to complete one PFS even if you have several children applying to our school.

3. You will be given a username and password that will allow you to return to your PFS at a later date before submitting it. Please remember this information.

4. You will be given instructions about submitting back-up documents. At Lake Forest Academy, we require that you send a complete copy of your most recent 1040 tax return, including all schedules and W-2 forms directly to SSS. Additionally, parents who own a business are required to submit a Business/Farm Statement from SSS directly to Lake Forest Academy.

Note: If you apply for financial aid online, your information will be delivered accurately and quickly to our school, allowing us to make a quicker decision about your eligibility for financial aid.

1. To request a copy of the printed Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) form, call our school at 847-615-3265 or send an email to Caroline Pugliese, Assistant Director of Financial Aid at cpugliese@lfanet.org

2. Complete the PFS and return it along with a complete copy of your most recent 1040 tax return, including all schedules and W-2 forms, to SSS by NAIS, P.O. Box 449, Randolph, MA 02368.

3. Parents who own a business must also submit a Business/Farm Statement from SSS directly to Lake Forest Academy.