Application fee
- A non‑refundable application fee of USD 100 is due when submitting an application; payment may be made by credit card, debit, e‑check, or check.
Tuition (2026–2027) — by year group
- Preschool (Early Childhood): USD 42,900 per academic year.
- Kindergarten through Grade 8 (K–8): USD 46,300 per academic year.
Per‑term equivalents (arithmetic conversions)
- The school bills annual tuition as shown above. For budgeting or database display, the simple arithmetic equivalents are:
- K–8: semiannual (2) = USD 23,150 per term; three equal installments = USD 15,433.33 each; monthly (12) = USD 3,858.33 each (these are straight mathematical divisions of the annual amount and are not a formal statement of CAIS billing installments).
Billing schedule and payment terms
- A per‑student Tuition Deposit of USD 2,000 is required to complete enrollment; the deposit for the 2026–2027 year had a payment deadline published as February 13, 2026 (with alternate deadlines for families requesting adjusted tuition). The Business Office issues next steps after receipt of the deposit.
- Payment methods accepted for deposits and other school charges include: personal check (mailed or delivered to the CAIS Business Office), wire transfer / ACH (instructions available from studentbilling@cais.org), and online payments by credit card or ACH. Credit card transactions incur a processing fee of 2.9% + USD 0.30 per student; ACH transactions are assessed a processing fee (USD 5 per student on the deposit form).
- The school uses a separate Tuition Refund Insurance policy to manage mid‑year withdrawals (see below). Past‑due balances are not covered under the Tuition Refund Insurance policy.
Boarding fees
- Boarding is not applicable. CAIS operates as a day school (no boarding program).
Other costs and commonly billed items
- Extended Day (after‑school care): a prepaid Extended Day fee is published as USD 445 per month for K–8 and USD 470 per month for Preschool (program runs from the end of the school day through 6:00 p.m.; morning care before school is complimentary).
- Global programs, class trips and other program‑specific fees are billed separately and vary by grade and trip. Example: an 8th‑grade Guilin program listed a USD 1,500 deposit with a total program fee of USD 5,260 and a stated nonrefundable final payment date for that trip. Global program fees may carry their own deposit deadlines and refund rules.
- Activity/afterschool enrichment classes, international program fees and similar program charges are billed in addition to base tuition for families paying standard tuition; families approved for Adjusted Tuition may have these items included in their adjusted amount.
- Spirit wear and community merchandise are available through the CAIS Family School Alliance (FSA) shop; there is no mandatory uniform fee listed in admissions materials.
Refund information
- CAIS maintains a Tuition Refund Insurance policy to address withdrawals during the school year because the school cannot otherwise fully refund tuition or cancel unpaid obligations. For 2026–2027 the published cost of Tuition Refund Insurance was USD 425; the insurance must be purchased by the stated deadline and is mandatory for certain payment plans. Benefits under the policy are described as follows: medical absence/medical withdrawal — a 75% discount of tuition and fees corresponding to academic days to be foregone; withdrawals for other reasons — a 50% discount of tuition and fees corresponding to academic days to be foregone. Claims are initiated with the Business Office and medical withdrawals require certification by a qualified medical professional; claims must be filed within the published claim window. Past due balances are not eligible for coverage.
Fee payment options and transaction handling
- Accepted payment forms: check (mailed or dropped off at the Business Office), wire transfer/ACH (contact studentbilling@cais.org for instructions), and online payment by credit card or ACH. Credit card processing is charged per transaction; ACH transactions carry a processing charge as indicated on CAIS payment pages. Some program payments (for trips, etc.) list slightly different processing fees depending on the payment method and program; checks typically do not incur processing fees.
Notes (presentation‑only)
- Tuition amounts above are the published annual figures for CAIS for the 2026–2027 academic year. Payment schedules, installment plans, due dates for installments, and the Business Office's billing instructions are handled directly by CAIS Business Office once the enrollment deposit and enrollment paperwork are complete (the deposit amount and the Business Office contact for billing are provided above).
