For assistance in managing the financial aid application process, including the timely receipt of all supporting documentation, please contact Kimberly Cummings, Database Manager/Financial Aid Coordinator.

List of 1 members.

  • Photo of Kimberly Cummings

    Kimberly Cummings 

    Admissions Database Manager/Financial Aid Coordinator
    914-366-2673
For any additional questions about the financial aid process please contact Madeleine Metzler, Director of Financial Aid and Associate Director of Admissions.

List of 1 members.

  • Photo of Madeleine  Metzler

    Madeleine Metzler 

    Director of Financial Aid and Associate Director of Admission
    914-366-2648
Admissions
Affording Hackley

Financial Aid

Hackley School’s financial aid program embodies the school’s mission-driven commitment to enroll and support students with financial need, who by virtue of their character, talent, backgrounds, and perspectives enrich the community and its educational environment. Financial aid grants are administered to ensure that all students benefit from the full range of Hackley’s educational program and offerings. 

Our founders believed that meeting different kinds of people creates more opportunities for understanding, inspiration, and wisdom. In that spirit, we seek students who will learn as much from one another’s families as they learn in class.

At Hackley, the need threshold begins with the first dollar of tuition that stretches a family’s finances beyond manageability; this means we provide tuition support across a wide spectrum of incomes. This year, the median average annual household income for financial aid recipients was $185,000, with an average award size of $43,000.

Interested families must submit a financial aid application through School and Student Services for Financial Aid (SSS) no later than December 31, 2023. The application is composed of the Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) and additional tax documentation to support the information contained therein. SSS allows families to apply to multiple independent schools for financial aid. Please note that SSS assesses a $60 fee for a family with any number of children submitting information to any number of schools. If you would like to request a need-based waiver for the SSS fee, please contact Kimberly Cummings in the Financial Aid office at FA@hackleyschool.org.

Need-based financial aid is granted at the school’s discretion and takes into account each family’s unique financial situation as demonstrated through income, assets, expenses, etc. The Financial Aid Committee will finalize awards only after the SSS file is complete.  We will be unable to grant financial aid to families who do not submit both the SSS and supporting tax documents including the 1040, W2, and other documents as needed. Financial aid grants are for one year. Families must submit current financial data each year to be considered for a renewal of their financial aid award. Click here to see Hackley’s Financial Aid Requirements or to download our “Financial Aid Application Requirements” flyer.

We welcome and encourage families to inquire about the possibility of need-based aid. Please contact Madeleine B. Metzler, Director of Financial Aid and Associate Director of Admission, at mmetzler@hackleyschool.org or 914-366-2648 with questions or for more information.

Financial Aid FAQs

List of 9 frequently asked questions.

  • Who is eligible for need-based tuition assistance?

    Any family can request need-based financial aid for students in Grades K-12. Hackley’s Financial Aid Committee will calculate each applicant’s demonstrated need based on the information provided in the SSS financial aid application. Demonstrated need is the calculated difference between the cost of tuition and fees and the amount that a family can be expected to contribute to the cost of a student's education. Grants are financial awards that do not need to be repaid; however, grants cover only a portion of tuition and fees. Families are financially responsible for the remaining tuition and fees, as well as other charges that are not covered by Hackley Extracurricular Support. Please read on for more information about this program.
  • What does Hackley collect to determine financial aid eligibility?

    Any family, new or returning, who wishes to be considered for need-based financial aid must complete and submit a PFS (Parents’ Financial Statement) and supporting documents (1040, W2, applicable schedules, etc.) through the School and Student Services (SSS) financial aid portal. Typically, financial aid grants are based on a family's previous year's income. Thus, families applying for the 2024-2025 school year will receive awards based on 2022 tax-year data. In exceptional circumstances, income projections may be taken into account. Families must re-submit an updated PFS and documents annually to demonstrate eligibility.
  • Who determines financial aid grants? Is the process confidential?

    The Financial Aid Committee, under the supervision of the Head of School, determines eligibility. The Committee includes the Director of Financial Aid, Director of Enrollment Management, and the Director of Finance. The Board of Trustees sets the short- and long-term school budgets, which include the financial aid budget.

    Hackley safeguards the confidentiality of all financial information supplied by applicants and does not publicly identify recipients of financial aid. Only those persons directly involved in the financial aid process or in its administration will review this information.
  • How does the Financial Aid Committee account for non-working parents?

    For families with infants or preschool age children, a non-working parent does not affect the financial aid calculation; however, if all children in a family are school-aged, income is imputed, meaning some level of income is assumed and added to the family's income, for the non-working parent.
  • Does Hackley offer merit-based or athletic scholarships?

    No, Hackley offers only need-based financial aid to eligible families with supporting documentation.
  • Does financial aid cover expenses beyond tuition?

    Hackley helps financial aid recipients participate fully in the academic and extracurricular life of the school through Hackley Extracurricular Support, which is an extension of the financial aid program. This program provides limited additional assistance for financial aid recipients to help every student benefit from Hackley’s extensive academic and extracurricular offerings. Support reflects the same percentage of financial aid that a student receives. For instance, a student receiving 50% financial aid could receive $50 towards the cost of a $100 trip.
  • What is covered by Hackley Extracurricular Support?

    Financial aid recipients enjoy reduced rates (equal to the percentage of the financial aid grant) for bookstore purchases, Hackley-sponsored bus transportation, extended day, etc. In addition to the benefits listed above, financial aid recipients are entitled to $800 through the Extracurricular Fund (EC) of approved expenses per student per year to support their participation in activities sponsored by Hackley and led by its faculty and staff.  Approved EC expenses include, but are not limited to:

        • Hackley academic and athletic team trips;
        • Lower and Middle School enrichment clubs;
        • Standardized test preparation and fees;
        • Hackley cultural exchange programs;
        • Hackley Music Institute Fees; and
        • Tutoring (when recommended by a student's current teacher and approved by the division director)
  • I am concerned that I cannot afford the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) listed on my Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) or that an existing financial aid grant is not enough to make (re)enrolling an option. What should I do?

    The EFC is an estimate calculated by SSS that is designed to be adjusted by individual schools. As a result, some families new to the financial aid process feel overwhelmed and worried when receiving their EFCs, which do not reflect any adjustments by Hackley. For example, Hackley adds a Cost of Living Adjustment, which can decrease the EFC. Hackley may also make other similar adjustments to the EFC, which is why the school asks for supporting documentation beyond the PFS. 

    If you have questions or concerns about your financial aid application or grant, please contact Madeleine Metzler, the Director of Financial Aid at mmetzler@hackleyschool.org or 914-366-2648.
  • Aside from financial aid, what are additional resources that we might consider to cover the cost of tuition?

    Loans and payment plans are also available to assist families with tuition.
    1. Two Installment Payment Plan: Families may opt to pay tuition in two equal installments with half the tuition and fees less the deposit due mid-July and the remainder of the tuition and fees less the deposit due mid-November.
    2. Ten-Month Payment Plan: Families may opt to participate in a ten-month payment plan. The first of ten equal payments of tuition and fees less the deposit is due on May 1st. The remainder of the payments are due on the first of each month, with a final due date of February 1st.
    3. Plitt Loan: Plitt Loans may be available to Upper School financial aid applicants who either did not qualify for a grant or who qualified for too small a grant to attend Hackley. These loans allow Upper School parents to pay for educational costs in regular monthly installments at a lower than usual interest rate over an extended period of time.
    4. Commercial Loans and Third-Party Scholarships: Some families choose to pursue third-party scholarships or bank loans to finance tuition.

List of 3 news stories.

  • Artist: Melissa Chervin '13

    The Portrait of Financial Aid

    By Chris McColl, former Director of Admission

    I’ve been working in Financial Aid for almost 14 years. In that time, I’ve learned that Financial Aid involves two fundamental principles:

    FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF FINANCIAL AID
    1. Nobody likes talking about money, especially with strangers.
    2. Applying for financial aid requires people to talk about money with strangers.
    In keeping with Principle #1, then, I’ll temporarily avoid this conversation by discussing Hackley’s Visual Arts program.
    Read More
  • Dianne (Sullivan) Fahy ’92

    Dianne (Sullivan) Fahy ’92

    The portrait of financial aid at Hackley is both extraordinarily complicated and, at its core, very simple. Complicated because there is no “type.” There is not even a particular economic stratum, in the sense that families at Hackley receive financial aid packages both large and small. For some, the need is large. For others, a little help is what it takes. It’s simple, though, because those receiving financial aid are simply great Hackley kids. And sometimes those great Hackley kids grow up to be great Hackley teachers.
    Read More
  • Dave Andignac ’65

    Dave Andignac ’65

    Early Headmaster Walter Gage believed that the more privileged Hackley students benefitted from knowing what he called "rough and tumble" boys from backgrounds unlike theirs. In some ways, Dave Andignac's background fit that description, but but more significantly, he taught his classmates about the meaning of the American Dream.
    Read More
© Hackley School | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use & Nondiscrimination Hackley School is a registered 501(3)c