Financial Aid

• In order to determine a family's eligibility to receive flexible tuition in a fair and equitable manner, McGehee requires all applicants to complete the Parents' Financial Statement (PFS) administered by a third party, the School and Student Services for Financial Aid (SSS), for each year of matriculation. Despite our dedication to helping those who demonstrate need, there are always more students who qualify for more funding than funding is available. Therefore, we encourage families to apply as soon as possible and before the application deadline, if possible.
  • PFS and ALL SUPPORTING documents must be submitted via the SSS portal by February 1, 2024. You can access the SSS portal by visiting https://sssandtadsfa.force.com/familyportal . There is a $51 fee required upon submission of your application. 
  • The Louise S. McGehee School Code is 4681.

• New applicants and current families who have previously received aid can apply by following these instructions.
• Current families who have not received aid before but who have experienced a significant change in their family's financial situation should contact Julee LaPorte, Director of Financial Aid or by calling 504-274-4919.  
• FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION BEFORE THE DEADLINE MAY RESULT IN THE LOSS OF A POSSIBLE AWARD. All applications received after the deadline will be considered on a first come, first served basis.

• Priority – Priority is given to current students receiving financial aid who complete the Parent Financial Statement (PFS) accurately, submit all required documentation via the SSS website and adhere to all deadlines. Next, consideration is given to new families and current families seeking aid for the first time, who complete the Parent Financial Statement accurately, submit all required documentation via the SSS website and adhere to all deadlines.
• Confidentiality – Recognizing the sensitivity of personal financial issues, the confidentiality of the process is highly protected by the school and families are expected to maintain the confidentiality of any award information. Failure to do so may jeopardize your award.
• Assets - custodial and non-custodial, natural and stepparents - must complete a PFS and submit all paperwork. If there are other adults in a child's life who make significant contributions to the family and/or the child's educational expenses (grandparents, other relatives, friends, etc), those should be noted on the PFS or in written communication to the Director of Financial Aid. A financial aid award will not be issued unless the required information from all parties has been submitted. Failure to provide such information before the deadline could result in loss of award.
• Renewal – Financial assistance is evaluated annually based on demonstration of continued financial need, as well as evidence that the recipients continue to exhibit satisfactory academic progress, good citizenship and favorable financial standing with McGehee's Business Office.
• For more information about policies and procedures related to Financial Aid, please see the attached document by clicking here.

You will have to complete the online Parental Financial Statement (PFS) on the Student and School Services by NAIS (SSS) website. The website can be accessed via https://sssandtadsfa.force.com/familyportal. Please click here for more detailed instructions for McGehee applicants. The SSS Parent Support Team is another great resource at your disposal, and they can be reached at (800) 344-8328 or [email protected].

The amount of your proposed financial aid award will vary greatly depending on a variety of factors, including but not limited to your family's unique financial situation as well as available funds in the financial aid budget. The average aid award given to students at McGehee for 2023-2024 was $8,110. The Financial Aid committee works hard to ensure that aid awards will enable eligible and mission-appropriate students to receive the benefits of a McGehee education.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide W-2 forms and 1040 forms (along with Schedule K1 and Form 11205 or 1065 for business owners). It may be difficult to provide these forms for 2023 before the February 1, 2024 deadline. As such, McGehee accepts prior prior year reports to support your application, meaning that you may provide us with the forms listed above for 2022 instead of 2023. Any significant changes to your income should be reported in accordance with the policies outlined in our Financial Aid policy document.

Families are required to renew their applications annually. They will receive priority for awards, but significant changes in a family's financial situation may affect their proposed award amount. The Financial Aid committee will make every effort to communicate substantial changes to your award amount, contingent upon your timely submission of the application and all necessary documents.

For all families, full participation is expected of both biological parents, stepparents and/or the adults with whom the child lives, has custody or has financial influence and responsibility in the student’s life. In the process of evaluating a family’s financial situation, the financial aid process requires the complete documentation of all parties and the full transparency of all those identified in the categories listed above, regardless of divorce, separation or estrangement.  A financial aid award will not be issued unless we have required information from all parties. McGehee is not bound by any decrees, agreements or legal documents excusing a parent from financial responsibility for his or her child’s education.

Recognizing that each family bears the primary responsibility for financing education costs, if one parent chooses not to seek employment, the School imputes an annual income for a non-working parent.  Exceptions are made if the parent is caring for a non-school age child or an elderly parent.

The deadline for PFS submission along with all supporting documents for the 2024-2025 school year is February 1, 2024. All applications received after the deadline will be considered once those applications received by the deadline have been considered, and we are not able to guarantee that there will be funds remaining after the initial round of awards have been allocated. However, changes in enrollment can often trigger changes in financial aid distribution, and all eligible late applicants are encouraged to apply.

New applicants and current families in Grades PK-12 may apply for Financial Aid. Financial Aid is not available for Little Gate students.

• Questions about Financial Aid may be addressed to the Director of Financial Aid, Julee LaPorte (email) or 504-274-4919.
• Questions about tuition payments may be addressed to Renee Sauber.