Sliding Scale Tuition Guidelines 2026-2027
The fees you pay at PSS are not a fee for services; they are a choice you make, a financial sacrifice, to support an educational community where your children are seen as individuals, they are loved, cared for and educated in partnership with you, the families. It is a fee which supports PSS to exist now and into the future. We strive to keep our school as inclusive as possible so we do what we can to keep our fees low. We are currently one of the most affordable independent schools in Vancouver. We are committed to keeping PSS as financially accessible as possible without undermining the ability of the school and the educational team to be supported to thrive.
With these values in mind, we offer sliding scale tuition fees, with the goal of ensuring that families who value the PSS community and pedagogy but have less financial security can still afford to attend our school. This model distinguishes between financial hardship (the ability to meet your basic needs) and the financial sacrifice required to support the PSS learning community to be a thriving place for your child(ren) and family.*
Please read the descriptions below to decide what level is right for your family.
Paying the most you can helps keep our school open, and allows us to continue to invest in our students, teachers and community. While we won’t be requesting financial information at this time, we reserve the right to do so in the future, if necessary.
Group
Tuition per child, annually
Tuition per child, monthly equivalent
Our family…
Overview
One
$20,250 to $25,250 and beyond
$2,025 to $2,525 or more
- Has enough income to support our wants beyond our needs (eg, vacations, new things,) without hardship
- Can fit in this tuition tier without financial hardship
At this tuition level the school is able to move toward equitable VSB salaries, create more enriched and robust opportunities for students, create a robust subsidy program, and build long term financial security.
Two
$15,250 to $20,249
$1,525 to $2,024
- Can comfortably meet our basic needs (food, housing, transportation)
- Can fit in this tuition tier without financial hardship
At this tuition level the school can comfortably meet our basic needs: meeting increasing costs, increasing opportunities for students, and increasing staff salaries.
Three
Elementary $10,250 to $15,249
High School $11,750 to $15,249
Elementary $1,025 to $1,524
High School $1,175 to $1,524
- Might have some stress about meeting our basic needs but still regularly meets them
- Can fit within this tuition tier while still being able to meet our family’s basic needs.
This lowest level allows families with less financial means to still access the school. We recognize that for many an independent school is a big financial sacrifice or totally out of reach financially and hope to build in a more robust subsidy program in the future.
Group One
Tuition per child, annually: $20,250 to $25,250 and beyond
Tuition per child, monthly equivalent: $2,025 to $2,525 or more
Our family…
- Has enough income to support our wants beyond our needs (eg, vacations, new things) without hardship
- Can fit in this tuition tier without financial hardship
At this tuition level, the school is able to move toward equitable VSB salaries, create more enriched and robust opportunities for students, subsidize families with less financial means, and build more long-term financial security.
Group Two
Tuition per child, annually: $15,250 to $20,249
Tuition per child, monthly equivalent: $1,525 to $2,024
Our family…
- Can comfortably meet our basic needs (food, housing, transportation)
- Can fit in this tuition tier without financial hardship
At this tuition level the school can comfortably meet our basic needs: meeting increasing costs, increasing opportunities for students, increasing salaries, and beginning to subsidize families with less financial means.
Group Three
Tuition per child, annually:
Elementary $10,250 to $15,249, High School $11,750 to $15,249
Tuition per child, monthly equivalent:
Elementary $1,025 to $1,524, High School $1,175 to $1,524
Our family…
- Might have some stress about meeting our basic needs but still regularly meets them
- Can fit within this tuition tier while still being able to meet our family’s basic needs.
This level allows families with less financial means to still access the school. We recognize that for many an independent school is a big financial sacrifice or totally out of reach financially and hope to build in a more robust subsidy program in the future.
*from The Sliding Scale: a tool of economic justice.