Laurel Hill School Launches Merit Scholarship Program

For the first time in its 38-year history, the will offer merit scholarships to potential middle school students with strong academic records and personal recommendations, the school recently announced.

A to-be-determined number of scholarships of between 50 and 75 percent of the tuition will be available for those who complete an application and demonstrate strong academics and a character congruent to the school's atmosphere. Tuition at the school averages $14,750 per year in the middle school grades, including sixth, seventh and eighth grades.

The scholarships will be funded by the newly formed Laurel Hill Foundation, an organization that is "very excited about the possibility of directing funds for such children," according to director Helen Stark.

The Laurel Hill School provides "a middle school setting for children who have skills and abilities that are not being matched by their present school, for whatever reason it may be," Stark said in a phone interview.

Stark said one of the features of the Laurel Hill School is that it has the ability to tailor an academic program to each student – for instance, a kindergartener could take a third-grade math class or a sixth-grader could take a Regents-level class.

"We can adjust the academic program to every child’s needs and that creates a very unique opportunity," Stark said. "In the public school they might not be performing to their optimum level."