Affording The Little School
Diversity is one of the three founding pillars of The Little School, and socioeconomic diversity is an essential part of that commitment. We therefore provide discounted tuition to families in order to help them afford our school.
Our goal is to make The Little School accessible to all children and families who are committed to the mission of the School.
Discounted tuition includes full-day tuition and the summer program. The Little School encourages families to apply for discounted tuition, even if only a modest grant would make a difference.
FUNDING SOURCES & TIERS
Early Learning For All (ELFA)
The Little School is happy to be an Early Learning for All provider school. The Early Learning For All (ELFA) program helps provide universal access to preschool-aged children in San Francisco.
To determine eligibility, families can refer to the ELFA eligibility thresholds to check which tier, if any, they qualify for (ELFA Free Tuition / ELFA Full Tuition Credit / ELFA Half Tuition Credit).
ELFA Free Tuition: If your family's income is less than 110% AMI, you will qualify for a full tuition credit and $0 tuition (our internal Discounted Tuition program will meet the gap between city funding and TLS tuition). Tuition at The Little School is $0 for families earning up to 110% of the Area Median Income.
ELFA Half Tuition Credit: If your family's income is less than 200% AMI, you will qualify for a tuition credit of approximately $1000/month directly from the city of San Francisco, beginning in the 26-27 school year (managed by the school). You can choose to receive this credit with or without applying for our internal Discounted Tuition program.
Discounted Tuition (DT):
If your family's income is more than 110% AMI, you have the option to apply to our internal Discounted Tuition Program. Depending on your income, your award may be funded by a combination of ELFA and DT, or solely by DT.
We do not guarantee that assistance will be granted to all who apply, but we do encourage all families for whom tuition represents an unreasonable burden (for whatever reason) to apply. Applications are processed and reviewed by The Little School Leadership Team.
The discounted tuition process at The Little School is simple: applicants submit an online form, the Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS), to School and Student Services (SSS). SSS is a third-party organization that keeps your information confidential. The PFS gathers information about family income, expenses, assets, liabilities and other factors that might influence a family’s ability to pay tuition. School and Student Services impartially analyzes the financial information families provide and computes a recommended family contribution for tuition. To learn more about financial guidelines for families and best practices for schools, please read School and Student Services' Guiding Principles for Families.
Admission decisions and discounted tuition award information are sent to families in mid-March. Families apply for discounted tuition annually; however, if your income does not vary significantly year to year, you can expect to receive a similar percentage of discount each year.
Key Dates for Discounted Tuition Applications
December 5, 2025
Admissions Applications Due to The Little School
January 14, 2026, 9:30-10:30am
Discounted Tuition Workshop - Please RSVP below:
March 1, 2026
Completed tax documents due to School and Student Services including:
1040 with all schedules and attachments
W2(s)
1099(s)
Paystubs
State Tax Return
Updated February 2026