Tuition & Financial Assistance
We are unapologetically all in for our students.
Through our Abilities Model®, students are encouraged to take risks, embrace challenges, and grow through successes and setbacks. They learn how to self-advocate, think critically, work across disciplines, and problem solve.
We appreciate that our educational model is expensive. It is guided by the imperative to maintain a truly transformative educational program centered around low student-teacher ratios, exceptional teaching, and robust programming.
We recognize and are grateful for the enormous investment and sacrifices our families make to have their children attend McLean. We remain committed to socio-economic diversity through our substantial Financial Assistance Program.
2026 – 2027 School Year Tuition
| Kindergarten – Grade 1 | $49,000 |
| Grades 2 – 4 | $54,600 |
| Grades 5 – 8 | $61,150 |
| Grades 9 – 12 | $61,750 |
Fees
| Kindergarten – Grade 4 | $915 |
| Grades 5 – 8 | $1,325 |
| Grades 9 – 12 | $1,325 |
(Fees cover: Field Trips, Books, Instructional Materials, Parents Association Dues, & Yearbook)
Payment Plans
We offer several payment plans:
- Plan A: One payment by check or bank debit of 100% of the Tuition and Fees
- Plan B: Two payments of 50% of Tuition and Fees
- Plan C: Ten equal monthly payments to be made on the 15th of each month
Financial Assistance
We aim to keep our program as affordable as possible while also ensuring we have the resources to deliver on our educational mission. We support families in their pursuit to provide a McLean education to their children.
Financial Assistance at McLean is based on need and guided by the objective analysis provided by Clarity, our Financial Assistance platform. The Clarity Application determines a family’s level of financial support.
Decisions about Financial Assistance awards are made by the School’s Financial Assistance Committee with the understanding that all families must make some contribution to their child’s McLean education.
Apply For Financial Assistance
Interested in Financial Assistance?
Contact Associate Director of Enrollment & Director of Financial Assistance, Megan Guernsey
Frequently Asked Questions
Financial Assistance Awards are within Newly Accepted Student Contracts.
Clarity offers a streamlined, mobile-friendly application that can be completed in as short a time as 20 minutes. Additionally, Clarity removes the need to upload your W2 and 1040 by transferring them directly from the IRS. This reduces the amount of information that you will need to enter manually and makes it possible to complete the application quickly and efficiently.
Financial Assistance comes directly from the School’s operating resources and the generous contributions of McLean’s community of families and friends.
No. Rest assured that Admission and Financial Assistance decisions are made independently from one another. We encourage families to apply for Financial Assistance while also applying for Admission and we will work with families to address any concerns about affordability.
We recognize the private nature of all things money-related, which is why we hold applications for Financial Assistance in the strictest confidence. Only the Financial Assistance Committee members have access to the information submitted for consideration.
Financial Assistance awards defray the cost of tuition and fees.
Families must reapply for Financial Assistance each year, at which time their individual circumstances are reviewed and re-evaluated by the committee. Assuming a family’s circumstances remain unchanged, McLean will make every effort to continue support at a level roughly consistent with the prior year, understanding that tuition, including for financial assistance recipients, is likely to increase each year as educational costs rise.
If during the school year a family’s financial situation should change, the family can contact the School’s Associate Director of Enrollment and Director of Financial Assistance, Megan Guernsey, to explain the extenuating circumstances and request a reconsideration of their financial assistance award.
VOICES OF McLEAN
Discover the McLean Experience
It’s critically important for a child to be in a school that respects them for who they are, and supports their academic strengths and challenges. This has always been true for McLean.