Tuition
2023-24 Tuition Rates
Explorers Program
*Tuition assistance is not available for our Explorers Program
5 Mornings (required): $14,700
5 Mornings (required) with M-W-F Afternoons: $19,100
5 Mornings (required) with 5 Afternoons : $21,800
Pre-Kindergarten
5 mornings (required) Semester #1 and 5 Full Days (required) Semester #2: $18,900
5 mornings (required) with M-W-F afternoons Semester #1 and 5 Full Days (required) Semester #2: $21,900
5 mornings (required) with 5 afternoons Semester #1 and 5 Full Days (required) Semester #2: $23,400
Lower School
Kindergarten: $27,900
Grades 1-2: $28,700
Grades 3-4: $29,000
Grade 5: $29,600
Middle School
Grade 6: $30,200
Grade 7: $30,400
Grade 8: $30,700
Upper School
Grade 9: $31,300
Grade 10: $32,200
Grade 11: $33,600
Grade 12: $33,900
Tuition to Columbus Academy includes lunch, publications and activities. Many books are provided by the school through state funding. Students will need to purchase workbooks, paperback books and some textbooks. Transportation to and from Columbus Academy is provided courtesy of many local school districts. Click here to view a map of bus transportation to our campus.
Tuition Assistance
If your student is eligible for admission to Columbus Academy, but affording full tuition charges is a challenge for your family, please consider applying for tuition assistance. Tuition assistance is not available to those entering or currently enrolled in our Explorers Program.
Each year, students in PreK through Grade 12 receive grants totaling more than $3.2 million from Academy, with the average grant just over $11,000.00.
For families applying for admission, the deadline for applying for financial aid is in early February (please ask Admissions Office for exact date). Parents of accepted students are notified of tuition assistance decisions in early March.
Upon acceptance for admission, Academy awards tuition assistance based solely on financial need as determined by School and Student Service by NAIS (SSS). (Upon your request, financial aid information will be sent to families of applicants beginning in mid-December.)
To apply for tuition assistance, click here to visit the School & Student Services website.
For more information about tuition assistance, watch this video from Director of Admissions and Tuition Assistance John Wuorinen.
Click here to begin the tuition assistance request process. To learn about how to apply for tuition assistance, watch this how-to video from Nancy Velasquez in our Admissions Office.
Malone Scholarships
Columbus Academy is one of the very select schools in the United States to have received a $2,000,000 endowment from the Malone Family Foundation to provide scholarships for top-level students with financial need.
Families, especially those with students rising to Grade 9, interested in receiving information about the Malone Scholars Program at Columbus Academy should contact the Admissions Office at (614) 509-2220 or admissions@columbusacademy.org.
Merit Scholarships
Columbus Academy offers merit scholarships to new incoming Grade 9 students who embody the abilities and values that represent the excellence of the Academy community and mission.
Eligibility and Criteria
Students eligible for a merit scholarship are those applying for entry into Grade 9 who have completed all components of the admissions application process (no additional application is necessary).
The most competitive merit scholarship candidates will be exceptional individuals possessing:
- strong academic abilities
- leadership potential
- superior personal qualities
- interest in our extracurricular offerings
- qualities that further the mission of the school
Selection process for Merit Scholarships
Based upon test scores, transcripts, recommendations and an initial review of all Grade 9 first-round applications, the Upper School Admissions Committee will select a group of merit scholarship semi-finalists from among those students whose applications will be accepted.
Semi-finalists receive a notification with their acceptance letters and are invited back to campus for a round of formal interviews with the Merit Scholarship Committee, which chooses merit award winners.
Note: Merit Scholarships are not awarded based on athletic interest, involvement or excellence. The Ohio High School Athletic Association’s (OHSAA) bylaws forbid athletic scholarships.
Merit Scholarship awards
Merit Scholarship semifinalists receive grants of $1,500.
Finalists receive grants up to half-tuition
All grants are renewable through graduation while the recipient maintains a solid academic and social record.