Private school offers families free tuition for first year

Families contemplating a private school education have a new reason to consider Trinity Lutheran School.

The school will waive tuition fees for the 2010-11 school year for new families. Jodi Jonasson, Trinity's development director, said the goal is to develop a new and affordable recruitment program, and increase enrollment at Trinity.

Currently, 180 prekindergarten through eighth grade students attend the school.

“We want to give families the opportunity of discovering what Trinity has to offer without the worries of how they'll fit tuition into their budget,” Jonasson said.

Trinity's program is based loosely on similar programs at other Lutheran schools throughout the country. Jonasson said the program resulted in increased enrollment.

“It is widely believed that once students and parents experience our school, it is likely they'll return the following year,” she said.

Tuition at Trinity costs $3,300 per year per student. Families with multiple students at the school receive a discount.

The school's one-year tuition waiver doesn't cover application fees, registration fees, lunch fees, and field trip costs.

The program will be offered for an initial two year period in order to track the re-enrollment rates. After that, it will be reviewed on an annual basis.

“We usually see 15 to 20 new students a year,” Jonasson said. “We hope this program will double that.”

The waiver isn't limited to Trinity church families or even those of Lutheran faith. The program is open to all. The school doesn't have an enrollment deadline, nor is it limiting the number of students who can apply for the program. Instead, class sizes will determine how many students are accepted at each grade level.

“Some of our classes are close to the maximum limit, so I wouldn't wait,” Jonasson said.

Eighth grade students are exempt from this offer, unless they are part of a new family enrolling at Trinity with siblings in other grades. All students in one family must be new to Trinity to qualify.

Pre-enrollment interviews with the family, application acceptance, and testing of students must be conducted as a screening method for determining compatibility. Enrollment will be done via an initial wait list and opened up following registration of the traditional tuition-based students.

For more information, or to schedule a tour of the school, call (319) 362-6952.