Tuition Assistance
The vibrancy of our Jewish future can be assured only by recognizing the unique contribution of every Jewish family to that future. CESJDS recognizes the investment our families make in providing a Jewish day school education for their children. Through our close partnership with families, we commit to providing a predictable, dependable, and transparent financial aid process throughout your family's tenure at the school.
Many are surprised at the depth of our program and the number of families CESJDS who benefit from the tuition assistance program.
The Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School works hard to balance the needs of the school and a family's ability to pay the necessary tuition which assures the school's excellence. When you inquire about tuition assistance, and later apply, we honor what you share and any questions you may have, with compassion, understanding and privacy. Our determination process is built upon standards that include integrity and equity.
Is the Tuition Assistance Program Right for Me?
It may be! Most families considering applying for tuition assistance want to know "Will I qualify for assistance?" Many families are pleased with how robust our tuition assistance program is, and the number of families we are able to assist.
Our tuition assistance, for families who qualify, generally extends from 5% of full tuition and up to 75% of full tuition in some cases.
Please refer to the points below to gain insight into determining tuition assistance:
Apply for Tuition Assistance
This year for the 2026-2027 season, we are will be using Clarity as our tuition assistance application system. Our goal is to make the tuition assistance application process as easy as possible for your family. Clarity is an online program to process your tuition assistance application.
Clarity offers a streamlined, mobile friendly application that can be completed in as short a time as 20-40 minutes. Additionally, Clarity removes the need to upload your 2024 W2 and 1040 by transferring them directly from the IRS.
The Clarity tuition assistance portal will open for the 2026-2027 school year on October 19, 2025.
Only new users will be asked to create a new user name and new password this year. For returning families, by using the same email as last year, much of the information will be pre-populated. Two-factor authentication may be required in order to best secure your confidential information.
New this year - IRS.GOV pre-verification will make the process faster and more efficient. If you have used Clarity in the past, you will recognize that most of the Clarity application process remains the same. What has changed is that US taxpayers will now have the option to authorize the release of their W2s and taxes from the IRS to Clarity through their own IRS.gov account. This will allow for schools to view US tax information and review applications more quickly.
Clarity Family Application Guide Clarity Quick Reference Guide
For additional support and to glimpse the family application experience, check out these video tutorials
Deadline for applying:
Current CESJDS Families - December 14, 2025
New and Prospective Families - January 11, 2026
*Applications for tuition assistance received after the application deadline, will be reviewed in April after the original rounds of awards have been made.Less monies may be available.
Family Support Contact Information
If you have specific concerns or questions about your family's situation before starting the Clarity tuition assistance application, please don't hesitate to contact Helene Rhodes, Senior Enrollment and Tuition Assistance Manager, for a phone or personal meeting.
Clarity Email and Chat Support
Email support can be access support@clarityapp.com, and chat support can be found in the application using the "Help" button in the lower left corner. Support is available at the following times:
- October-March
- Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM ET
- Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM ET
- April-September
- Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM ET
Clarity Phone Support
Phone Support is available at 206-210-3752 at the following times:
- October-March
- Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM ET
- Saturday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM ET
- April - September
- Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM ET
CESJDS takes the privacy and security of your personal information very seriously. Clarity is certified for both GDPR and SOC2 and uses enterprise-level security standards including end-to-end encryption of all personally identifiable information. For more information, please refer to Clarity’s Privacy Policy.
Additional Support
If you wish to participate in an entirely optional webinar about applying for tuition assistance, hosted by our partner experts at Clarity, you may do so by clicking on any of the links below.
Important Dates
October 19, 2025: 2026-2027 tuition assistance application period begins.
December 14, 2025: Clarity Applications and tax/supporting documents due for current families.
January 11, 2026: Clarity Applications and tax/supporting documents due for prospective families.
January 27- 29, 2026: Notification of Tuition Assistance Awards to current families.
February 11, 2026: Current families deadline to appeal or withdraw enrollment.
February 27, 2026: Prospective families are notified of Tuition Assistance Awards with their Enrollment Agreement.
March 13, 2026: Enrollment contracts are due for Prospective Families.