The Outdoor Academy is an investment in your teen’s future. And with our flexible tuition model, an OA semester is just around the corner.
A semester at OA prepares students not only for college but, more importantly, for life. With our 3:1 student-faculty ratio and place-based curriculum, we deliver an immersive education that is critical during the formative years of high school. This experience equips students with essential life skills, fosters a deeper connection with their environment, and cultivates their inherent love of learning.
We recommend completing the tuition application as soon as possible during the application process. Read on for more information and detailed instructions.
We are currently accepting applications for Spring 2026.
Hear what recent students have to say about why OA was so important to their high school experience:
Why have we capped tuition and switched to a “Flexible Tuition” model?
Our goal has always been to make a semester at The Outdoor Academy affordable for every qualified student. Recently, we have reset or “capped” our top tuition amounts and switched to a process by which tuition is determined on an individual basis using each family’s unique financial situation. The majority of families pay tuitions falling in a wide range below $25,000.
This sliding-scale approach helps us to arrive at a tuition figure that accounts for a family’s ability to pay and OA’s capacity to support a diverse student body with our own dedicated scholarship and financial aid resources.
Setting Tuition: Two Paths
- Many families offer to pay full tuition, pulling from income and savings to cover the cost even if it is a stretch. Our tuition for either the Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 semester is capped at $30,000. This covers the cost of:
- Full room and board for 4 months
- Class materials, texts, and art supplies
- Equipment for outdoor programming trips and access to our Gear Lending Library with free gear rentals for the semester
- Tuition refund insurance
- For some, full tuition is not an option. To allow us to adjust a student’s tuition, parents or guardians will complete the two steps of the financial aid application (instructions below). Families are asked to think broadly and estimate what they will be able to contribute from savings, income, and other sources like family and friends. Our goal is to make the financial aid application just the beginning of a larger conversation personalized for each family’s financial situation.
Flexible Payment Options
An initial 10% deposit (applied to tuition) will be paid via Square to secure your space in the semester. All families regardless of total tuition have the option of paying their remaining tuition balance in installments throughout the semester. Payment plans are always fee-free, interest-free, and contain from 2-10 payments depending on your preference.
Aside from your tuition amount, the only additional expense is a required $200 school store balance for incidental purchases. Any unused school store balance will be refunded at the end of the semester.
529 Savings Plans
Federal law allows the use of up to $10,000 from a 529 account to go towards a child’s private education each calendar year. This amount will increase to $20,000 in 2026. OA families have made use of this option as a flexible form of education-specific savings.
If you are interested in using 529 funds for part of your OA tuition, we recommend that you consult your financial advisors or the holder of the 529 account. They can provide additional tax information, which varies state-to-state, and will also coordinate the sending of any payment to OA.
Apply for Reduced Tuition
We recommend that you complete the financial aid application as soon as you are able during the admissions process, since we do not take financial need into account when determining admission. Call the Office at 828-877-4349 or email Financial Aid Counselor Reily for assistance.
OA is proud to use the Clarity Application to better understand our families’ financial situation. This is an application used by hundreds of independent schools around the country, and it is a good starting place for our discussions. The application typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete and is mobile-friendly so you can complete it from anywhere.
At the end of the application, you will follow the steps to authorize the IRS to share a transcript of your W2(s) and personal tax return. Clarity recommends that families have IRS.gov accounts set up before starting the Clarity Application to expedite the tax verification process.
There is a $65 fee to submit. If this fee presents a hardship, please email Financial Aid Counselor Reily (reily@enf.org) to request a fee waiver.
Clarity Resources
See full reference guide here. Vea la guía de referencia completa aquí.
Need support?
If you need support during the process of completing your Clarity application, there is in-app support available through the “Help” button in the bottom left of the screen, as well as email and phone support at support@clarityapp.com or 206-210-3752, in both English and Spanish. The application itself is also fully translated into Spanish.
Necesitas más ayuda?
Le recomendamos que utilice la Guía de referencia rápida junto con la Guía de solicitud familiar a medida que completa su solicitud de Clarity, pero si necesita más ayuda, no dude en comunicarse con Clarity a: support@clarityapp.com o 206-210-3752
