One Rolling Hills Prep Way

San Pedro, CA 90732

310.791.1101

info@rhps-k12.com

Any student interested in Rolling Hills Prep School should apply for admission regardless of the family's financial situation. Because the school is committed to a diverse student body from varying backgrounds, Rolling Hills Prep School has a strong need-based financial aid program that provides flexible tuition to families who otherwise cannot afford the full tuition cost. To view the schedule of fees for the 2010-2011 school year click here.

It is our continuing goal that economic standing should not be a factor in admission to Rolling Hills Prep School. We therefore encourage families to apply for flexible tuition, and many families receive some form of tuition adjustment. RHP follows the guidelines for tuition adjustment set forth by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Tuition adjustments are made on the basis of need as determined by the School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS) in Princeton, New Jersey.

A Rolling Hills Prep's education is an investment in your child's future. We understand the sacrifices our families to make send their children in an independent school.

As with other independent schools, tuition covers approximately 80 percent of the cost of educating a student at Rolling Hills Prep School. The generosity of our families and friends of the school enables RHP to provide the quality education, resources, and environment necessary for students to succeed and achieve their goals both now and for future generations to come.

RHP is one of approximately 1,000 schools belonging to NAIS, National Association of Independent Schools. By definition, an independent school is not governed by an elected school board. Student admission, curriculum, faculty and policy decisions are made by the school administration and an independent, volunteer Board of Trustees. RHP is neither supported nor subsidized by any government, religious or private organization. As a result, while cost increases are anticipated as accurately as possible, an annual gap between tuition income and expenses does occur.

To close the tuition/expense gap, we turn to current parents, past parents, alumni, trustees, faculty, friends, foundations and corporations for charitable support. At RHP, the annual development efforts come in several forms: Annual Fund, Scrip, the Dinner/Auction and the Golf Tournament. These annual parent-sponsored fundraisers provide enhanced classroom equipment, programs and faculty development. Facility Fee and Capital Campaigns are initiated for specific purposes and overall institutional advancement, such as the building of our gymnasium/multipurpose facility in 1995 and the current Capital Campaign which will raise funds for new buildings on our permanent campus. Another way of looking at these fundraising events is: the Annual Fund, Scrip, the Dinner/Auction and Golf Tournament provide funds for the School's annual operating budget and, like checking accounts, provide immediate funds. Capital Campaigns provide funds for bricks and mortar and special projects and are like savings accounts.

Rolling Hills Prep School is fortunate to have in its community a parent population who understand that their support of the school, whether through time, talent or resources is essential. Most of our parents volunteer for large and small assignments equaling thousands of hours of vital support.

Annual Fund is the only fundraiser at RHP in which we ask that every family participate. Each year the school strives for 100% participation of Families, Faculty, Administration and Board.

These are the responsibilities and expectations we count on to make Rolling Hills Prep School flourish, to engage you along with your child in the spirit of this community, and to provide your child with the finest education we, together, can create and provide.

Deadline for flexible tuition application is March 31.

We recommend that families interested in flexible tuition apply for admission and flexible tuition as early as possible. The pool of money available for tuition assistance is limited, and as the admission season passes, our ability to offer flexible tuition decreases.

In order to apply for flexible tuition, you may call us and request a packet of information and forms or you may begin the process online:

• Starting on November 1, 2009, go to sss.nais.org http://sss.nais.org/.
• Click on the prompt to begin your Parents' Financial Statement (PFS). You only have to complete one PFS even if you have several children applying to our school.
• You will be given a password that will allow you to return to your PFS at a later date before submitting it.
• You will be given instructions about submitting required backup documents by mail. All documents are to SSS. RHP requires your 2008 and 2009 tax return and a monthly budget worksheet. The monthly budget worksheet is called the school/organization financial application on the sss website. This form will come in our flexible tuition packet or is available here as a PDF. Your documents will be handled with the utmost level of security. To read more about SSS's document security, go to sss.nais.org.
• Mail all the required documents to: SSS by NAIS, Application Processing Center, P.O. Box 449, Randolph, MA 02368-0449. (For overnight mail, use this address: SSS by NAIS, Application Processing Center, 437 Turnpike Street, Canton, MA 02021.)

Note: If you apply for financial aid online, your information wil be delivered more quickly to our school, allowing us to make a faster decision about your eligibility for financial aid.

Flexible Tuition Award Process

The admission decision is treated separately from the flexible tuition award process, and the admission committee must accept the application for admission before the flexible tuition award process can take place. This is in accordance with the NAIS Principles of Good Practice (found at www.nais.org).

Once the results from SSS and all your information is submitted, the file will be ready for the Flexible Tuition Committee. In most cases, the admission acceptance letter is sent first and the enrollment contract containing the amount awarded in flexible tuition follows under separate cover. Please contact the admission staff if you have any questions about your flexible tuition application status.

A non-profit organization, RHP admits students of any race, color, religious affiliation, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students. We do not discriminate in our admission policies, tuition assistance programs, or other school-administered programs.

Complete confidentiality throughout the flexible tuition application process is assured.