Financial Assistance

• The Louise S. McGehee School Financial Assistance program is designed to make a McGehee education possible for all families based on demonstrated financial need and the availability of funds. McGehee is proud to use the Clarity Application to determine a family’s level of financial need based on the information that families share in the application which includes assets, income, expenses, and debts.
   
• To get started, please go to the Clarity website and create an account. The application typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete. The Clarity Application is also mobile-friendly so you can complete it from anywhere. You are also able to save your progress and return at any time. At the end of the application, there is a $60 fee to submit, and you can share your application with additional schools that accept the Clarity Application for no additional charge. Simply use the drop down menu in the application to select those schools.
   
• Please remember to return to your dashboard after you complete and submit your Clarity Application, as McGehee may require you to upload additional tax documentation.
   
• The deadline for completing the financial aid application, including relevant supplemental documents, is January 31, 2025.
   
• If you need support during the process of completing your application, there is in-app support available through the “Help” button in the bottom left of the screen, as well as email and phone support at [email protected] or 206-210-3752.
   
• Current families who have not received assistance before but who have experienced a significant change in their family's financial situation should contact Shannon Menge, Director of Financial Assistance, or by calling 504-274-3980.  
   
• 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 assistance 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 assistance 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 Assistance. A financial assistance 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 Assistance, 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 assistance 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 assistance budget. The average assistance award given to students at McGehee for 2024-2025 was $8,310. The Financial Assistance committee works hard to ensure that assistance 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 2024 before the January 31, 2025 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 2023 instead of 2024. Any significant changes to your income should be reported in accordance with the policies outlined in our Financial Assistance 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 Assistance 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 assistance 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 assistance 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 2025-2026 school year is January 31, 2025. 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 assistance distribution, and all eligible late applicants are encouraged to apply.

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