Admissions

Affording Armstrong

Affording Armstrong

Charles Armstrong School recognizes the effort and financial significance of enrolling a student in our transformative educational program. Through our generous tuition assistance program, we are committed to providing access to an Armstrong education and maintaining socioeconomic diversity as part of a healthy and dynamic learning environment. We encourage families to apply for tuition assistance if they feel affording the full tuition may be out of reach.

List of 7 items.

  • Tuition Assistance Process & Notification

    • Families who need assistance are encouraged to apply for tuition assistance
    • The tuition assistance application is independent of the admissions process
    • Applications for admission and tuition assistance may be completed concurrently
    • Tuition assistance applications will be reviewed after families are notified of their acceptance to the school
    • Tuition assistance awards are used in calculating deposits and tuition refund insurance and are included in student enrollment agreements

  • Tuition Assistance Application Steps

    All families applying for tuition assistance must complete an application through Clarity, a third party that provides objective and consistent analysis used by many schools in the Bay Area and beyond. The application typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete and is mobile-friendly so you can complete it from anywhere. You can save your progress and return at any time. Please follow the steps below to apply for tuition assistance. Madonna Ballesteros, HR & Tuition Operations Manager, is available to answer any questions you may have regarding tuition assistance. 
     

  • Application Deadline

    Please complete your Clarity application by:
    • January 23, 2026, for returning families
    • February 2, 2026, for new families
    Divorced or separated parents must each submit a separate application and tax documents.

    Tuition Assistance applications are welcome after February 2, and will be evaluated as received on a rolling basis.

  • Clarity Application Steps

    • Log in or Create an account on the Clarity Application. If this is your first time applying, you will need to create an account.
    • Enter household & student information. Select Charles Armstrong School.
    • Complete the financial information section, including income, expenses, assets, and debts.
    • Provide additional context under the Other Considerations and School Questions sections. Share any information you would like the Tuition Assistance Committee to take into account that may not be evident elsewhere in your application.
    • Sign and submit Tax Verification. There are two options on the Clarity platform:
      • Applicants can complete Forms 8821 and 1177 to authorize Clarity and their tax transcript provider, Halcyon, to retrieve their 2024 tax returns.
      • Alternatively, if you have an IRS.gov account you can authorize the release of information directly with the IRS.
    • Pay the $60 submission fee. Fee waivers are automatically applied for families who qualify.
    • Review your “Document Requests” panel and upload any required tax documents. 

  • Documents Needed to Complete Application

    The following documents must be uploaded to the Clarity portal before your application is considered complete. 

     
    DeadlineDocument 
    By application deadline: January 23, 2026 for returning families Final Paystubs from 2025 (final check received in 2025 for all wage earners in your household)
    February 2, 20262025 W-2


    If we have question on your application, we may ask for additional documentation including your 2025 Form 1040 and/ or business tax forms. 

  • Application Support

    If you need support during the process of completing your application, 
    • Use Clarity’s in-app “Help” button at the bottom left of the screen 
    • Email support@clarityapp.com or call 206-210-3752 (English and Spanish available)

  • Feedback

    If you are open to giving us feedback on the tuition assistance process, please click here to share your contact information for a future survey.

FAQs

List of 5 items.

  • What are the additional costs to attend Armstrong?

    • Application fees for admission and tuition assistance; waivers may be available for both, pending review of eligibility
    • Tuition refund insurance, is required for all new students and returning students on quarterly or monthly payment plans
    • New uniforms; free used uniform bank is available
    • Lunch, SchoolFoodies is available for pre-order 
    • Transportation to and from school
    • Student activity fee for Outdoor Ed program for grades 5th through 8th
    • Aftercare program
    • A portion of the 8th-grade field trip to Washington, D.C.

  • What are the payment plan options?

    • Annual - 1 full payment due by May 5th
    • Quarterly - 4 payments due by May 5th, August 5th, October 5th and January 5th
    • Monthly - 10 payments due by the 5th of each month from May through February

  • What are supplemental resources for tuition assistance?

    The Basic Fund is a privately funded 501c3 organization whose mission is to advance education equity for low-income families by helping offset the cost of tuition at private schools in the Bay Area. Please go to their website for qualification requirements. Applications open in mid-January, and their deadline to apply is at the end of March each year.

  • Can I deduct tuition paid to Charles Armstrong School on my taxes?

    Payments made for the special education provided at Charles Armstrong School may be deductible medical care expenses under the Internal Revenue Code. Whether tuition expenses for Armstrong will be deductible in a particular case will depend upon the facts and circumstances of each individual student’s situation. Before claiming a tax deduction for expenses relating to the special education of a student, we highly recommend that you consult with a tax lawyer or accountant about whether your payments to Armstrong may qualify for medical expense tax deduction.
     
    Alternatively, taxpayers participating in tax-advantage plans through work for funding medical expenses, such as flexible spending accounts, may use these accounts to finance medical expenses on a pre-tax basis.

  • Can I use a 529 College Savings Plan?

    Account owners of 529 College Savings Plans can make withdrawals to pay for qualified K-12 tuition expenses up to $10,000 per year per student.
If you have questions regarding the application process for Tuition Assistance, please email Armstrong’s HR & Tuition Operations Manager, Madonna Ballesteros, at mballesteros@charlesarmstrong.org.

Clarity Family Application Webinar!

Clarity is offering an Application Webinar for families on December 9, 2025, at 5:30pm Pacific Time. The Clarity Team will walk through what you need to know when completing an application and answer questions live!  Click here to register.

What is the comparable value of the Armstrong experience?

There are many different strategies that families may utilize to assist dyslexic students. At Armstrong, we believe we offer the best option of specialized and expert remediation within the school day, which also comes with a full independent school experience–inside and outside the classroom.

Charles Armstrong School

1405 Solana Drive
Belmont, CA  94002-3653
P: (650) 592-7570
F: (650) 591-3114