The Renaissance International School maintains a Rolling Admissions policy. We admit students only after parents take a tour of the school and go through our Admissions process, as spaces become available.
Please note that we are unable to guarantee spots in classrooms in advance of parents progressing through our Admissions process.
Please contact Admissions for more information
TRIS FINANCIAL AID PROGRAM OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
The Renaissance International School (TRIS) has established a financial aid program in order to help it fully enact its vision. One of the missions of The Renaissance International School is to cultivate students from a very young age through elementary and even middle school. In order to accomplish this goal, TRIS has made a commitment to families throughout this time and wants to help families remain part of the community through periods of financial stress or uncertainty.
In addition, the school values creating an economically diverse student community with students from many types of backgrounds and is committed to helping students who come from families that cannot afford the cost of education at an independent school.
The school’s financial aid program is funded through a combination of resources including direct contributions from the parent community and allocations from general operating income. The school’s financial aid funds are reserved for families who have no alternative to requesting aid. The primary responsibility for financing education rests with the parents of the student. Financial aid is a supplement.
The Renaissance International School provides financial aid to a limited number of families who have demonstrated eligibility through an objective assessment of their financial position made by the School & Student Services (SSS) of the National Association of Independent Schools and by TRIS staff. The recommended family contribution computed by SSS is reviewed by TRIS and serves only as a guideline in making financial aid decisions. Financial need is defined as the difference between what it costs to attend TRIS and a family’s ability to pay. Not every family that is eligible for financial aid will receive it because of the school’s limited budget.
TRIS does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, national or ethnic origin, or sexual preference.
AWARDS
All financial aid will be awarded on a one-year basis only. Each family must reapply for financial aid each year. Generally, the greatest amount of financial aid that will be awarded to any student shall not exceed 50% of tuition. Financial Aid is granted to cover the 12-month tuition costs including all day care and summer school but not additional costs of attendance such as uniforms.
PRIORITIES
For families who have submitted all financial aid forms on time, aid will be granted based on a set of priorities. Families of Upper Elementary and Middle School students will be considered first in the following order: existing TRIS families seeking a renewal of aid, existing TRIS families who now require aid due to a change of circumstances, families of new applicants to Upper Elementary and Middle School who are coming from other Montessori schools and then families of new applicants from non-Montessori schools. Once those applications are reviewed and awards have been made then families of Lower Elementary students will be considered in the same order as above. Finally, families of Primary (3 to 6 year olds) students will be considered in the same order as above.
In all categories, families applying for financial aid who fit any of the below criteria will be given careful consideration and additional priority: families with students who are in under-enrolled age groups, families who have been with the school for many years, families who have made special contributions to the life of the school, and families with two or more children attending the school.
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
In the case of divorced or separated parents, both parents and their spouses must submit full financial information including submitting a Parent Financial Statement to the School and Student Service for Financial Aid of the National Association of Independent Schools.
In the case of other adults living in the household of the student (regardless of the marital status of the parents), TRIS requires full financial information from them. In addition the school reserves the right to ask for additional information from non-custodial households.
Families who own a business may be required to submit other documents such as cash flow statements, balance sheets, and any other information relevant to the business. We will not consider ordinary business or rental depreciation or loss in calculating financial need.
Both parents in many of our families work in order to maintain income sufficient to provide an independent school education for their children. It is unfair to ask these dual employment families to subsidize the educational costs of a family who chooses not to work at a level which their education and abilities permit. For this reason, TRIS will not grant financial aid to a family unless both parents work full time (defined as a minimum of 40 hours a week). Certain extenuating circumstances may be exempt.
Any financial support that may be available beyond the parents’ income and assets should be reported on the PFS for consideration by the school. These might include resources from grandparents and other relatives. It is expected that anyone who is making financial contributions to the household of the custodial parent will submit financial documents.
THE FINANCIAL AID PROCESS FOR 2023-24 SCHOOL YEAR
TRIS reserves the right to request additional financial information from you at any time.
Please also note, in order to be considered as a finanacial aid candidate for 2023-2024 school year, one must complete the full application process to TRIS for admission by Feb. 27, 2023, in addition to completing the financial aid application process as listed on this page.
For questions in regard to TRIS Financial Aid program, please contact Adriana Gee at the TRIS school office at (510)531-8566.
More Financial Aid Resources Available Online:
At The Renaissance School we have a very special way of transitioning children into our early childhood program. We believe that before a child can engage in meaningful activities in a new environment, the child must feel emotionally safe and socially engaged. Therefore, we transition one child at a time into our program! We never have more than one new child at a time in any given classroom. This allows the teachers to give the new child the attention that child needs, when s/he needs it the most. This allows the child to feel comfortable very soon. Then s/he is ready to explore our rich curriculum and start making friends.
The Transition Week is the week prior to the child's first day of school. We invite one of the parents or caregivers to bring the child to school in the afternoons for five days from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Schedule for Transition Week
The transition week allows the parent/caregiver to meet the teachers and to observe and ask any questions that might come up. A facility orientation is scheduled during that week to familiarize the parent/caregiver with practical operating procedures.
The child must be two years old prior to this transition week.
Obviously, no school can be all things to all people, nor can it be right for every child.
The goal of our admissions process is to ensure a good match between your family's values and objectives for your children and those of our school.
The Renaissance International School is a school community that holds values rare in today's world. We are looking for families with similar goals who are seeking a school that reflects their values and philosophy. We work closely with parents as an extension of the home.
Visit The Renaissance International School
We invite you to visit and see our students working. We hold school tours throughout the year as an introduction. This is the first step in the process. School tours are usually held in groups of parents (adults only, please), at 9:30 a.m. on different days of the week.
You will find that our tours are very comprehensive; plan to spend at least two hours at the school. At this time, you will have an opportunity to hear about the philosophy and curriculum, observe the classrooms, and ask any questions about our program. On the day of the tour, you will be given an application for enrollment. Parents are welcome to return to observe a classroom in session if desired. Simply call our office to schedule an appointment.
Apply to The Renaissance International School
If, after the school tour, you would like to apply for enrollment, please complete the application form and return it to the school, complete with the application fee stated at the bottom of the form. We cannot process an application without the fee, and we cannot accept faxed applications.
Preschool Application
For preschool-aged children, please be specific on the form about the date you would like your child to start attendance at The Renaissance International School. We incur a rolling admissions policy and enroll students at any point in the year, as long as space is available. Your child must be at least two years old prior to transitioning into the program. You may mail the application to us, or bring it to the school office.It is important to note that there is no deadline for applications for toddler and preschool-aged children.
Kindergarten, Elementary and Middle School
Students applying to our Kindergarten, Elementary or Middle School programs will need to spend two days in the classroom for evaluation and placement purposes. The visits must take place prior to the admissions appointment with the Head of School, which is the next step. Upon receipt of your application, our office will call you to arrange a time to meet with the Head of School, Leslie Hites. This appointment will take about two hours. Leslie will be interested in hearing about what makes your child unique, what your dreams are for your child, and how you feel s/he will thrive in our program. She will be happy to answer any additional questions you have at that time.
For children coming from another school or center, we request that the child's current or past teacher(s) complete a form telling us about their student. For children applying to our Elementary program, we will also need a copy of the student's full transcript and any test scores available. We receive most applications between October and February.
Notifications are mailed out in March. We consider each application as it is received, and develop a waiting list when all spaces have been filled for the particular year. Late applications and applications for mid-year admission are considered as space is available. After the admissions appointment, upon acceptance, you will receive a forms packet and a confirmation of your child's starting date. In order to secure placement for your child, the signed parent agreement and one month's tuition deposit must be returned immediately. We will be unable to proceed with enrollment without these items.
We are currently accepting applications for students at all levels of our program. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you soon.
The Renaissance International School September - August Tuition Schedule
After the admissions appointment, upon acceptance, you will receive a forms packet and a confirmation of your child's starting date. In order to secure placement for your child, the signed parent agreement and one month's tuition deposit must be returned immediately. We will be unable to proceed with enrollment without these items.
Oakland Campus
3650 Dimond Ave.
Oakland, CA 94602
Phone: 510−531−8566
Fax: 510-531-8055
Piedmont Campus
5201 Park Boulevard
Piedmont, CA 94611
Phone: 510-531-8566
Fax: 510-531-8055