Our Philosophy on Financial Aid
Bounding Toward Hope: Dublin Resident and DCA Alum Pens New Book
February 6, 2026
Grace In Action
A Guide to Financial Aid Opportunities at Dublin Christian Academy
As we are approaching the warmer weather here at DCA, we wanted to remind our families that financial aid applications open up this month and that there may be more financial aid programs available than you even realize.
Let’s look at a few of those programs available to our DCA students and their families and why making these funds available to them is such a critical part of our philosophy.
Here at DCA, we never want finances (or the lack thereof) to be the only reason why a student doesn’t enroll at our school. Because of this, we rely heavily on the kindness of others—as well as sacrifices made by both our staff and our DCA families—to give potential students the opportunity for a Christian education at Dublin Christian Academy.
To do this, we enter a covenant with our DCA families.
Our Covenant to Our Families
At Dublin Christian Academy, financial aid is a ministry; the ministry of opportunity. Our financial aid decisions are guided by the same Biblical principles that are integrated into our educational program. We serve our families by:
- Stewarding our budget. We scrutinize our spending to ensure every dollar we spend supports our mission, keeping tuition and fees as low as possible.
- Turning down higher pay. Our administrators, staff, and faculty sacrifice financially by serving in a ministry rather than pursuing higher-paying positions in public education; their sacrifice allows us to keep our tuition rates low.
- Asking for support. DCA spends a great amount of personal time cultivating relationships with both alumni and friends of our school asking for their support through prayer, referrals, and donations to the Annual Fund. Their sacrifices help fund financial aid for parents who cannot afford our tuition.
Because of these sacrifices, our tuition is much lower than the average tuition at other private or public schools in our state. While tuition income covers part of our expenses, it only accounts for half of the costs to educate and train our students. Additional funding comes from program fees and most importantly, charitable giving, which constitutes 20 percent of our budget.
The altruism of our staff and donors continues to keep the lights on and support the Lord’s great work in our school and community.
Our Families’ Covenant to Us
Our families also make their own tremendous sacrifices to make Christian education possible for their children. We ask our families to sacrifice financially and forgo some luxuries to pay all that is possible towards their child’s (or children’s) education.
Although the financial aid application is a tool used to determine the amount each family can pay, we still ask parents to prioritize paying the highest possible tuition amount. This allows us to help as many families as possible with the funds God gives us.
Our donors appreciate the direct and life-changing impact their contributions have on whether a child can attend our institution. In that, we view the disbursement of financial aid as a sacred trust, and we ask each family receiving aid to agree to this covenant, recognizing that these are precious gifts that they receive.
Financial Aid Options: Does Your Family Qualify?
In this next section, we want to lay out all of the options for financial aid at DCA and what qualifications must be met. We’ll also provide you with a helpful chart that lays out the income limits for a couple of the programs.
Education Freedom Accounts (EFA)
Education Freedom Accounts are state-funded grants that redirect tax dollars typically used for public education to be used for non-public school choice including private schools. Families wishing to apply for EFA funds must be New Hampshire residents with a household income at or below 350% of the poverty level. The New Hampshire legislature is currently considering a bill to increase the limit.
Financial aid awards through this program start at $3,700 per child, with higher amounts for students with disabilities, very low income, or other challenges. EFAs are savings accounts from which parents can make payments for tuition, school lunches, uniforms, textbooks, and other educational expenses. These funds help bridge the gap between tuition costs and what families can afford.
The application process opens up in March each year and students currently receiving EFA funds will need to submit standardized test scores to the state by the end of June. These tests are administered annually at DCA and can be uploaded to the state website upon completion.
Education Tax Credit Scholarship (ETC)
The Education Tax Credit Scholarship is another fund available to students that can work in conjunction with the Education Freedom Accounts. The application for this fund is submitted on the same website where families apply for EFA funds. The New Hampshire Children’s Scholarship Fund is the organization that administers both programs, offering a unified application, so families only have to fill out one application each year.
For both programs, applicants must be NH residents, however, for the ETC scholarship, income must be at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. Children entering any grade, K-12, can apply, and preference is given to students entering kindergarten and first grade, and students transferring out of public school.
Financial aid awards vary based on income and need, but awards typically range from 25% to 75% of tuition costs.
Funds for these scholarships are finite as they rely primarily on contributions from businesses. When businesses donate to the ETC program, they can lower their corporate income tax obligations to the state, and the same for individuals liable for NH interest and dividend taxes. This program is a win-win as businesses can redirect their tax dollars to impact students’ access to quality education.
Education Tax Credit Scholarship (ETC)
Families living outside of New Hampshire or even outside of the country can still explore other financial aid options. The scholarships we provide from our annual fund are targeted to families who do not have access to EFAs or ETC scholarships. Families can apply for annual fund aid through our tuition management system.
For students who do not qualify for the state-supported school choice programs and have siblings who may want to attend DCA, we offer a multi-child discount—25% off the cost of tuition for all siblings after the first child.
International students seeking financial aid can also benefit from our Annual Fund. If you are an international student looking to attend DCA, we ask that you contact us directly as the standard application process does not apply in this situation.
Faculty and Staff Remission
Families who are part of the DCA faculty or staff often receive reduced tuition as part of their compensation.
All faculty and staff who have children attending DCA as students must first apply for the EFA and the ETC programs. If these programs do not apply or if eligibility is not met, they can consider the faculty and staff remission.
Families wishing to use this option must sign a financial aid agreement and the deadline for the program aligns with the employees’ annual contract. The award amount varies based on employment status and role.
Still Not Sure if You Qualify? Here Are Some Factors to Consider
There is a lot of information to digest in what you just read, so we’d like to take a moment to reiterate some important points and review some key takeaways for you:
- Students applying for Education Freedom Account (EFA) funds or the Education Tax Credit (ETC) scholarship must be New Hampshire residents. To apply for EFA funds, household income must be at or below 350% of the federal poverty level ($128,030 for a family of five). This funding is disbursed to qualifying students in four installments and may be transferred to DCA to pay for tuition or other qualifying educational expenses. To qualify for the ETC program, household income must be at or below 300% of the federal poverty level ($109,740 for a family of five). Funds for this secondary program are limited.
- Families already enrolled in the ETC program are given priority, followed by families with students transferring out of public schools and families with a student in kindergarten or 1st grade. Awards are made until the funding runs out (award amounts range from 25-75%).
- Some families are ineligible for New Hampshire school choice programs because they live out of state or their household income is too high. For these families, a 25% multi-child discount is available for all children enrolled after the first child. The Annual Fund can also used for need-based assistance, though like the ETC scholarship, funds are limited.
- To facilitate financial aid, we use the FACTS Grant and Aid app—this app helps process applications, verify documentation, and analyze financial needs. All programs listed above require an annual application.
Great Opportunities: Unlocking Education at Our School
DCA is delighted to offer students from all economic backgrounds opportunities to attend our school. We are thankful to serve a similar percentage of low and moderate students as NH public schools on average. We want to help our families in any way possible to receive a Christian education by making it affordable, and thus, accessible.
Thanks to all of our program donors who have opened countless doors to students we have the pleasure of teaching and guiding here at DCA.
If you have any questions about financial programs and how to get the application process started, please contact us to learn more.
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