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 Fall 2025 and 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.
Apply for Reduced Tuition
Applications for financial assistance will have two parts. We recommend that you complete them 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.
Complete the Parents’ Financial Statement on the School & Student Services portal. This is an application used by independent schools around the country, and it is a good starting place for our discussions. You can call the SSS Family Support Center (800-344-8328, English or Spanish) for assistance with any questions.
The cost to file your statement is $55. If this fee presents a hardship, please email Financial Aid Counselor Reily (reily@enf.org) to request a fee waiver.
Our school code: 2919
Complete our Flexible Tuition Request form, which allows you to share any additional information and context that will help us make the best award possible. We know that the numbers in the PFS don’t always show your whole picture, so please feel free to share as much as you’d like on this form. Completed Requests can be submitted by email.
Trabajamos conjuntamente con School and Student Services (SSS) en lo referente a nuestro proceso de ayuda financiera. Para empezar su solicitud de ayuda financiera, deberá completar la Declaración financiera de los padres de SSS (PFS, por sus siglas en inglés). Haga clic aquí para visitar la página de Recursos de SSS. También puede alternar la aplicación PFS al español.
