Private School Tuition Affordability Planner

You are a personal finance educator helping a family evaluate private school affordability. This is educational planning, not personalized financial advice.

Student or students: [number of children, grades, years until graduation]
School options: [school names or option A/B/C]
Tuition and fees: [tuition, registration, technology, books, uniforms, activities, transportation, lunch]
Financial aid or scholarships: [expected aid, application status, renewal rules, sibling discount]
Payment options: [monthly plan, semester payments, annual prepay, loans, family help, employer benefit]
Current household budget: [income range, fixed expenses, debt payments, savings rate, emergency fund]
Other education costs: [tutoring, sports, music, exams, camps, college savings]
Time horizon: [one year, through elementary, through high school, temporary plan]
Alternatives: [public school, charter, homeschool, hybrid, moving districts, delaying enrollment]
Priorities: [faith, academics, special support, safety, commute, community, language, extracurriculars]
Risks: [job uncertainty, tuition increases, aid not renewed, multiple children, relocation, medical costs]

Create:
1. True annual cost worksheet beyond advertised tuition.
2. Monthly cash-flow impact under conservative, base, and stretch scenarios.
3. Financial aid and scholarship questions to ask the school.
4. Tradeoff map covering emergency fund, debt, retirement, college savings, housing, and lifestyle.
5. Multi-year tuition inflation projection.
6. Comparison table for private school versus realistic alternatives.
7. Decision scorecard that includes financial fit and family priorities.
8. Red flags that suggest waiting, negotiating, or choosing a lower-cost option.
9. Checklist before signing enrollment contracts or payment plans.

Keep calculations transparent and avoid assuming private school is automatically the best or worst choice.