Jewish day school tuition in New York can run as high as $27,000 for kindergarten, a barrier for many families. To ease the strain, the UJA-Federation of New York has launched a three-year, $15 million pilot program to subsidize tuition costs.

The initiative will provide grants of up to $20,000 per student, available to middle-income families and Jewish communal professionals in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester. Awards are capped at 50% of tuition and will be administered by the Hebrew Free Loan Society directly to participating schools. Applications open in November for the 2026–27 school year.

The program has two tracks:

• Communal professionals: Up to $15,000 per child per year, with a $30,000 family cap.

• Transfer families: Up to $20,000 per child in grades 6–12 for those moving from public or independent schools, capped at $40,000 per family.

Leaders say the effort responds to a post–Oct. 7 surge in Jewish engagement, with more families seeking Jewish education but struggling with affordability. UJA CEO Eric Goldstein called the pilot “a moment of opportunity to remove barriers that keep families from choosing a Jewish school”.

School leaders across the spectrum welcomed the move. Rabbi Bini Krauss of SAR Academy said the aid could fill gaps even after traditional financial assistance, while Nicole Nash of Brooklyn’s Hannah Senesh Community Day School called it “a true game-changer” for middle-income families. Advocates hope the model will inspire similar efforts in other cities.

Nationally, affordability has become the defining challenge for Jewish day schools. Initiatives in Cleveland, Toronto, and Atlanta have tested new funding approaches, with early signs that tuition relief boosts enrollment and strengthens schools. Analysts say New York’s pilot could become a turning point in balancing access with quality.

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Read the full article from the original source:
JTA – New York becomes latest experiment in subsidies for Jewish day school tuition
Source: JTA, September 2025