How to Apply
The best way to learn about what’s happening at Summit is to witness it for yourself. Private tours give you a glimpse into our community and methodology. We may also invite students to join us for a half day of school prior to enrolling.
Once your family and Summit’s staff has determined and agreed that this is the place where your child(ren) can flourish and grow, complete an online application to secure a place in one of our classrooms. We maintain small class sizes, so don’t delay. If a classroom is currently full, we’ll add you to a waiting list and reach out if we have an opening.
UPDATE as of 9/10/23:
Summit has limited 2023-24 availability in grades 2 and 4 only. Other classes have waitlists.
Prospective families will create a FACTS account to begin the enrollment process. If you have any questions about the enrollment process please contact info@summitschools.org or call 319-294-2036.
NEW IN 2023-24: Students First Education Savings Accounts (ESA), are available for families choosing to enroll their eligible children in an accredited nonpublic school, like Summit. ESAs will provide $7,598, the amount of per pupil funds allocated annually by the state, to use for tuition, fees, and other qualified expenses.
- All entering kindergarten students
- All students enrolled in a public school in 2022-23
- A student enrolled in an accredited nonpublic school with a household income at or below 300% of the 2023 Federal Poverty Guidelines, $90,000 for a family of four.
Visit the Iowa Department of Education – Education Savings Account website for more information, criteria, deadlines, and updates. Parents must submit an online application for ESAs by June 30, 2023. There will be no exceptions made for the June 30 deadline. There are Application Training Webinars for Families available on the Education Savings Account website. It is highly recommended that all applying families view one of these scheduled webinars. Sign up to receive email notifications when updates are made to the ESA webpage to stay up-to-date on the latest news and deadlines. Please email us if you have any questions.
Current Summit families are encouraged to submit on online admissions inquiry for younger siblings to guarantee a spot in 2024-25 and beyond. Space will be limited and not guaranteed for any student not in our admissions portal.
Summit Schools does not discriminate on the basis of gender identity, race, color, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or national origin in the administration of our admission policies and financial aid programs.
STEP 1: Request information and schedule a tour.
STEP 2: Complete online application with payment, and financial aid application (if applicable).
STEP 3: Arrange a student classroom visit (during school year only).
STEP 4: Acceptance and tuition management.
FAQ’s
Summit’s school hours are 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Extended Daycare is available from 7:15-8:20 a.m., and 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Summit offers financial aid from two pools: income-based and special case-based. Financial Aid applications are considered in each pool.
Income-Based Financial Aid:
Summit, together with Scattergood Friends School, is part of the Independent School Association of Eastern Iowa School Tuition Organization, Inc. (EISTO). Our STO enables us to provide funding to eligible families whose income during the previous calendar year (determined by most recently completed tax information) does not exceed an amount equal to four times the most recently published federal poverty guidelines so that their children can attend Summit. This can vary each year.
2023 STO qualifying calculations are as follows:
Number in household Fed. Poverty Level 400% poverty level
| 2 in household | $19,720 | $78,880 |
| 3 | $24,860 | $99,440 |
| 4 | $30,000 | $120,000 |
| 5 | $35,140 | $140,560 |
| 6 | $40,280 | $161,120 |
| 7 | $45,420 | $181,680 |
| 8 | $50,560 | $202,240 |
The EISTO is a 501(c)3 organization formed to help qualifying families who seek a private education for their children that otherwise may be financially out of reach. As such, STOs are charitable organizations created to receive cash contributions from individual Iowa tax payers, and then allocate those funds to eligible families who attend accredited non-public schools represented by the STO. The amount of funds an STO is allowed to raise each year is based on the certified enrollments of each school in the STO and determined by the state of Iowa.
Special Case-Based Financial Aid:
Summit recognizes that from time to time, families may experience financial hardships. We try to raise funds specifically for these times. It is never guaranteed that these funds will be available from year to year.
Tuition was lowered significantly in 2020 in an effort to try to match what the market could bear for tuitions. As a financial aid committee, it is our goal to offer a financial aid award that adjusts tuition within 10% of the family’s AGI.
Click here for Summit’s online Financial Aid Application, which is due February 10, 2023. (Financial aid may still be available for qualified families after the deadline passes. Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis. We encourage you to apply early, although we do reserve some funding for late admits.)
Upon completion of 8th grade, Summit students have integrated well into both public and private schools. Summit students adapt well in larger environments as they have already experienced what a community of learners looks like and have developed leadership skills as well as a sense of urgency.
Summit is an educational environment with rich diversity. We have a history of families from countries outside the US who attend Summit, including families speaking languages other than English in the home. Currently, our students travel from 8 different school districts to attend Summit each day and come to us with all types of gifts and talents. At Summit we value all types of learners and work closely with each student as an individual.