APPLICATION FEE: $50 is paid in full when the application form is submitted. This is a non-refundable fee.
MATRICULATION FEE: This non-refundable fee is paid in full for all students prior to the start of each school year, and is due in May of each year for returning students. For new students, it is due upon enrollment with the entrance fee and family fee.
ENTRANCE FEE: Every new student will be assessed a one-time non-refundable entrance fee. The charge will be applied as follows: the amount will be due in full upon enrollment in grade levels 1st through 12th. Students enrolling for the first time in grades PK-Prep will be assessed 50% of the fee upon enrollment and the other 50% when they reach 1st grade.
FAMILY FEE: New families pay a one-time non-refundable entrance fee of $1,000, upon initial admission. This fund will be administered by the Country Day School Educational Development Association, a non-profit entity, and will be used to fund scholarships and service projects.
TUITION (Pre-Kinder-12th Grade):
- Yearly in two installments: Seventy percent (70%) of tuition is due prior to the beginning of the school year.
Thirty percent (30%) of tuition is billed in October. These payments are due in full and are non-refundable. Students who enter CDS for the first time in the second semester, pay 5/9ths (55%) of the year’s tuition. For all students who enter after the beginning of the school year, tuition is due upon entering.
- 10 monthly installments. Tuition can be paid in 10 monthly installments from July to May. Please request the payment schedule from the Admissions Office.
SURCHARGES: A surcharge of 1.5% per month is levied against past due accounts. A 10% surcharge is levied on past due matriculation fees, entrance fee, and family fee invoices. A charge of $45.00 is due to the school for each check rejected by the bank.
BILLING AND PAYMENT: School fees are quoted in US dollars. Payment can be made in colones at the official Banco Central sell-rate or in US dollars. Payment in cash (or by check) can be made by depositing the amount due in any branch of the Banco Davivienda, Banco de Costa Rica or BAC San José. CDS does not accept US dollar checks drawn on banks domiciled outside the USA, with the exception of dollar checks drawn on Banks in Costa Rica. Payment made by deposit in any of the above banks must be identified with the student’s name, with a copy sent (by hand or email) to the school business office.
Other Fees
SCHOOL SUPPLIES: Consumable workbooks, on-loan classroom textbooks, and some school supplies are included in school fees. There are no lab, locker, or computer fees (though students in grades 6-12 are required to supply their own laptop). No additional charges are levied for honors courses or for band and strings classes (except for instrument rentals). Transportation for class field trips within the inner city is paid for by the school. Each student in grades 1-12 is given one copy of the school yearbook. while students in the Early Childhood House receive one yearbook per family.
ADDITIONAL FEES: Additional fees are charged for regular school-to-home transportation (for bus services, please contact the Transportation Coordinator), food service, instrument rentals, class trips and field trips, sports trips, and some after school activities. Students are required to purchase the official P.E. and CDS school uniform. Additional charges may be levied for consumable materials in courses like advanced art and for personal reference texts, when required by the school. Students must pay for the cost of special examinations required by CDS, such as Advanced Placement and others.
SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES: There may be additional fees for specific special education services (or programs) not offered by the school yet which are required or recommended. These could include, but are not limited to, special classes in areas such as English Language Development (ELD), speech/language skills, learning disabilities, educational testing, counseling, remediation, or special services for students who are learning impaired or who have identified special needs. The school may require some families to provide an adult Aide or Learning Coach as a condition of their child’s enrollment.
CAFETERIA SERVICE: Cafeteria service is offered by the school. Families have the option to open an account in the business office for cafeteria automatic withdrawal each time a purchase is made. Deposits at the Business Office can be made by cash or check, and deposits/transfers are available to submit funds directly into CDS accounts.
For further questions in regards to your child’s account or regarding our payment options, please contact our Business Office at cds_businessoffice@cds.ed.cr