After celebrating another year ranked as a top private school, Morgan Park Academy announced a tuition reduction across all grades designed to support families and increase educational accessibility.
The decision, that will take affect next academic year, comes after an extensive review of the tuition and financial assistance model, enrollment strategy and the needs of the families and communities, according to a news release.
“We’re so mindful of people and their budgets and them balancing their ability to bring the best to their children, and we recognize the economy at this moment. We really just want everybody who has always dreamed about a Morgan Park Academy education to be within reach,” said head of school Phyllis Cavallone-Jurek.
The new baseline tuitions for the school’s 2027-28 academic year are $11,500 for 3-year-old pre-kindergarten and 4-year-old junior kindergarten, $14,500 for kindergarten through eighth grade $18,200 for high school, according to the school’s website.
The 2026-27 tuition rates were broken up into four rates and charged $15,606 for pre-kindergarten through first grade, $19,059 for second through fifth grade, $21,274 for sixth through eighth grade and $25,755 for high school, according director of marketing and strategic communications Jim Reedy.
Scott Sowinski, director of strategic enrollment and market development, said the school was able to lower its subsidized costs and still run flat. He said merit scholarships and other financial assistance will remain available for qualifying students and families.
Scholarships include the Academic Excellence, Head of School, First Responders, Global Leaders, Alumni Legacy and Andy Bitta, according to the school’s website.
Morgan Park Academy was founded in 1873 and enrolls more than 400 students from pre-kindergarten through high school. It has consistently been ranked the Southland’s top private school, a Top 10 private school in the state and one of the most diverse private schools in the state, according to rankings by Niche.com
Sowinski said the school aims to attract those who may not otherwise be able to receive a private education.
“If you look at our current socioeconomic populace, we very much understand that our target market is middle income, but that privatized education is often seen as a higher income initiative or opportunity,” Sowinski said.
Inside the classroom, Cavallone-Jurek, whose son graduated in 2020, said individualized support from staff helps set students up for success. The staff is made up of 75 educators and administrators, whom she referred to as one of the school’s main selling points.
She said the school takes a global approach to education, meaning worldwide perspectives are integrated into learning experiences through cultural immersion, learning different languages, travel opportunities and service-based projects.
Cavallone-Jurek said students also have opportunities to be a part of the school’s decision making processes and propose projects that align with their interests. For example, students in the business club helped plan and build a coffee house on campus that she said rivals Starbucks.
“We’re all very student-centered,” she said.
Sowinski said the school is always looking for ways to advance educational experiences.
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“If something came out today and we knew that it needed to be done, we would do it right away,” Sowinski said.
Sowinski said staff also work to foster long-lasting relationships with students and other alumni. He cited examples of some of his students crashing his on-campus wedding and a time when he officiated a former student’s wedding.
“I still know their birthdays and their lives long after they’re gone because we are part of their journey, not just a blip in it. It’s not a job here. This is way deeper,” Sowinski said.
Cavallone-Jurek said she would love to see all aspects of each school division continue to flourish.
“I’d love to be well-known for all of what we do,” she said. “Maybe we’ll start a trend.”