Admissions
Affording SA
Affording an SA Education
At Sonoma Academy, every student is known, seen, and celebrated in becoming and being who they are. There is no one-size-fits-all approach that will serve every student equally. That’s why we support our students in defining a meaningful pathway of education that supports their needs, interests, desires for challenge and growth, and helps them fully realize their potential.
Similarly, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to tuition affordability. We work closely with each family to determine eligibility and to design a plan that works best for your family.
Tuition That Fits Your Family
We are proud to offer a tuition assistance program for qualified students. Every year, we admit a wide range of students from all over the Bay Area. Our students represent the rich diversity of interests, talents, passions, and cultural, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds of the Bay Area.
Many families who might not expect to be eligible for “financial aid” may still qualify for tuition assistance.
How Does Tuition Assistance Work?
We take a highly nuanced approach to Tuition Assistance with the goal of enrolling a student body that comprises a diversity of backgrounds, strengths, interests, geographic region, and is representative of our broader community regardless of their ability to pay tuition.
Our Tuition Assistance platform, Clarity, helps us process applications for tuition assistance. Based on the financial information each family provides, Clarity creates an estimated family-specific tuition plan. This helps our school make fair and objective Tuition Assistance decisions.
The nuanced formula used to calculate the exact amount of tuition assistance for each family considers many factors that affect their ability to pay tuition. In all areas, we ask our families to make tuition a priority to support their students while at SA, this may mean reevaluating vacations, home improvement plans, etc.
Family income, assets, and the number of children in tuition-charging schools, among other factors, are considered in the process we use to determine the tuition rate for each student. To give a sense of what that might look like, please refer to the grid below, which provides examples of SA families who receive tuition assistance. Please note that every family’s situation is unique, and each application will be thoroughly assessed to determine final eligibility.
Factors Considered in the Tuition Assistance Process
Annual Income
Income means pre-tax earnings from wages, personal investments, and business investments. The formula that determines a family’s ability to pay considers other expenses than the IRS uses to calculate taxable income. Therefore, all tax schedules must be submitted. If parents/guardians reside in separate households in, the income and expenses of both households are considered in the calculation.
Assets
If a family has major assets, savings, land holdings, or investments, the formula computes an income supplement that a percentage of is considered in the gross income. Primary home equity is lightly considered whereas secondary or rental properties have a higher weighted asset value than the primary home. Home equity is not based on market value but on equity in the home. For most, but not all applicants, the additional income inferred from assets is a small factor. However, if the student has assets (savings, trust accounts, 529s etc.), the formula considers a portion of them in calculating the amount the parents can pay.
Family Size
Living allowance estimates are based on the number of people in a student’s household(s). Income is adjusted by expenditures for housing, food, or medical needs to obtain the available discretionary income.
Number of Private School or College Tuitions Currently Being Supported
A family's tuition assistance plan takes into account the number of family members (including adults) attending any tuition-charging elementary school, middle school, high school, or college.
Unusual Expenses
The formula for determining the parent/guardian contribution for educational expenses takes into account certain “unusual expenses” such as care of an aging grandparent, parent/guardian educational loan payments, legal fees, closing costs, and other expenses listed in the tuition assistance application.
Other Discretionary Costs
The formula expects a family to allocate only a portion of discretionary income to tuition payments.
Divorced, Separated, or Never Married Parents/Guardians
Tuition assistance is based on the family’s ability to pay as demonstrated by the information submitted in the tuition assistance application. Both custodial and non-custodial parents/ guardians (regardless of legal settlements) who are divorced, separated, or never married are required to submit a separate application.
Merit Scholarships
All students who meet the admission application deadline are considered for merit awards. No separate application is required. These awards range from $1,000 to $15,000 per year and renew annually. Recipients are selected by the Admission Committee and you are notified of these awards when you receive your admissions decision. Students will receive this award each year they are enrolled at SA.
Comprehensive Tuition Includes:
- Tuition
- Registration
- Daily Lunch Service
- Textbooks & Class Materials
- Yearbook
- Sonoma Academy Parents Association membership
- Field trips
- Annual retreats
- Dances and social activities like Back-the-Pack games and Movie Night
- Graduation cap and gown and Grad Night festivities
- Shuttle service to and from the downtown Santa Rosa SMART Train Depot
- On-campus Intersession courses
- One Passport Program International Intersession course during a student's tenure at Sonoma Academy provided by an anonymous donor's funding of the Passport Program
Not Included:
Personal school supplies
Laptop
AP exam fees
2026-2027 Comprehensive Tuition*
$60,700
($58,500: Tuition; $2,200 Lunch Program)
$60,700
($58,500: Tuition; $2,200 Lunch Program)
Important Dates
Early Decision Family Tuition Assistance Application Due Date: November 1, 2025
Regular Decision Family Tuition Assistance Application Due Date: January 9, 2026
Regular Decision Family Tuition Assistance Application Due Date: January 9, 2026
Applications received after these dates will only be considered if there are any remaining funds.
Returning Families Family Tuition Assistance Application Due Date: November 1, 2025 (for 2026-27 school year)
Returning Families Family Tuition Assistance Application Due Date: November 1, 2025 (for 2026-27 school year)
Tuition Assistance FAQs
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Student Body
335 students, 30% of whom self-identify as students of color -
Cities & Towns
Students arrive here from over 30 cities and towns across Sonoma, Marin, and Napa Counties -
Middle Schools
Our students come from 80+ middle schools, ensuring a broad mixture of students from all over the greater North Bay Area -
Tuition Assistance
50% of families receive approximately $5.2 million in tuition assistance annually -
Average Tuition Assistance Award
$27,000 per year is the average tuition assistance award size -
Scholarships
Each year we award up to 10 Horton STEM Scholarships and 4-6 Davis Scholarships
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Sonoma Academy Is...
...the only private, independent, college preparatory high school in Sonoma County. On our beautiful campus nestled at the base of Taylor Mountain in Southeastern Santa Rosa, our students are able to explore their interests and passions in a rigorous and inspiring environment that develops a lifelong love of learning and prepares them for college and beyond.
Sonoma Academy admits students of any race, color, religion, ethnicity or national origin, citizenship, gender or gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or disability, to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity or national origin, citizenship, gender or gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and tuition assistance programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
