A federal scholarship starts the January before we open.
For the first time, there is federal money for private school tuition — and it arrives in the same school year your child would start here.
Last year's federal tax law created a scholarship tax credit that begins January 1, 2027. It works through non-profit scholarship granting organizations: a taxpayer gives to one and takes a dollar-for-dollar credit on their federal return, up to $1,700 a person. The organization awards the money to families as tuition scholarships.
Two things make this matter for Miller Place. The first is the income line: a household qualifies at or below 300% of area median gross income. On Long Island the area median for a family of four runs around $164,000, which puts the ceiling near half a million dollars. This is not a low-income program here. It is most families.
The second is the calendar. Each state has to opt in, and New York's governor said on October 9 that New York will. The state's election has to be filed with the IRS by January 1, and the list of approved organizations is due February 15 — weeks after you would be choosing a school for September.
We are not going to overpromise a program that is still on paper. New York has announced and not yet filed. What we will do is tell you the day it is official, name the scholarship organization we work with the day the state's list is published, and sit down with you and the actual numbers before you sign anything.
You should not have to guess at this.
Your federal taxes can pay for a neighbor's seat.
Not a donation in the usual sense. A dollar-for-dollar federal credit of up to $1,700 a taxpayer means the money leaves your taxes instead of your pocket, and lands on a local family's tuition.
Twenty neighbors is a scholarship. A hundred is a scholarship fund.
- It has to go through an approved organization. Not to us. We will name the one we work with as soon as New York publishes its list.
- It is a credit, not a deduction. Up to $1,700 a person, dollar for dollar, non-refundable, starting with the 2027 tax year.
- Tell us now if you are in. Write to hello@soundlineschool.com and we will come back to you in January with the paperwork, not a pitch.
What families ask about money.
Why won't you tell me the number now?
Because the building is not signed, and rent is the largest line in the budget. A number published now would be a guess, and you would hold us to it — rightly. November 12 is the date we committed to, and it comes before anyone is asked for a deposit.
What is a founding rate, exactly?
The tuition you enroll at is the tuition you pay, every year your child is here, through twelfth grade. It does not rise with our costs, and it does not rise when the school gets harder to get into. Founding families carry their rate the whole way.
How is it paid?
Monthly, over twelve months, starting the summer before your child walks in. Not two lump sums in August and January.
Is there financial aid of your own?
Yes, and it is a real line in our first budget rather than an afterthought. Tell us on the survey that cost is the question for you. It changes how we build the aid pool, and it does not count against your child.
What does Extended Day cost?
Extended Day runs to 5:30 and is priced separately, so families who do not need it are not paying for it. That number comes on November 12 too.
Is busing really free?
Your own district provides it to a private school up to fifteen miles away, at their cost, if you request it by April 1. Miller Place is inside fifteen miles of every district around us. We will send you the request already filled in.
Does the Collaborative cost less?
Yes. Three days a week is priced as three days a week. See how the Collaborative works.
We're a two-child family.
There is a sibling rate. Say so on the survey and we will quote you both at once.
Money questions are the ones people are shyest about asking a school. Ask us anything at hello@soundlineschool.com, or on the phone if you would rather. We would much rather talk about it early than have you quietly rule us out.