08/21/2026
Welcome to Round 2 of FAQ Friday! Comment with your questions below — you can even submit them anonymously!
No one has actually asked us this question yet, but as parents ourselves, we know that pricing is always in the back of parents' minds. And transparency is really important to us at Earthsong.
So, if forest school feels expensive to you and you're wondering why, here's a little insight into what goes into our tuition:
1. Our student-to-Guide ratio is extremely low.
We maintain a 5:1 student-to-Guide ratio, which is significantly lower than conventional schools and even other "alternative" programs. We've heard of many forest schools operating closer to 8:1.
Safety is our #1 priority at Earthsong, followed closely by individualized care, so employing enough Guides is vital to our programming. This year, we'll have four Guides working each day so that we can maintain the level of supervision and individual attention we believe our children deserve.
2. We're a tuition-funded school.
Earthsong is funded almost entirely through tuition.
We are incredibly grateful for any donated materials and other community support — and we received a Vela grant in 2025 that allowed us to build our shelter, shed, and outhouse. Those kinds of contributions make a huge difference.
But when it comes to the everyday expenses that keep the school running — payroll, administrative costs, insurance, supplies, food, equipment, and everything else that comes with operating a school — tuition is what pays the bills.
We are incredibly grateful that families can use Opportunity Scholarship and ESA+ funds to cover some or all of their tuition when eligible. But when we offer additional private scholarships, those funds come directly from Earthsong's Founders.
Unlike public schools, we don't receive tax revenue. And unlike many established private schools, we don't have an endowment, donor base, or decades of fundraising behind us. We are building Earthsong from the ground up.
And while we plan to explore additional grants and fundraising opportunities, our hope is to use those funds to expand what we can offer — things like musical instruments, special programming, equipment, materials, scholarships, and other experiences for our students — rather than simply using them to cover the basic cost of keeping the doors open.
3. We're a microschool.
One of the beautiful things about Earthsong is also one of the things that makes our financial model different: we're intentionally small. We aren't spreading our operating costs across hundreds of students, so the cost per student is higher at a microschool than at larger schools.
4. When you break it down hourly, our tuition is $14.70/hr for full-time K-6 and $17.50/hr for full-time Pre-K.
That's likely less than you'd spend in childcare alone — not including a nature-based education or food.
Our Guides aren't simply supervising children - they're hiking, teaching, helping children process big emotions, preparing activities, managing materials, caring for the outdoor environment, helping children navigate social situations, supporting independence, maintaining outdoor safety, cleaning up, and creating the experiences that make forest school what it is.
And behind the scenes are the less-visible parts of running a school: administration, communication with families, planning, compliance, enrollment, purchasing, bookkeeping, maintenance, and preparation. There is a lot of work that happens before and after the children arrive.
Your tuition also covers freshly cooked, nutritious meals and snacks — so there's no need to spend precious time in the morning packing bento boxes and snack baggies!
5. And yes — our prices increased this year.
We knew from the beginning that Earthsong's inaugural year would require sacrifice from its Founders. Our Founders have worked well over 40 hours a week, year-round, to get this school off the ground, and we agreed from the outset that we would work for free — or for very little — during the startup phase.
But if Earthsong is going to be sustainable, the people building it need to eventually be able to earn a livable wage, too. It's a genuine labor of love, and we believe in Earthsong's mission with our whole hearts. If we want Earthsong to still be here five, ten, fifty years from now, we have to build a business model that allows it to survive.
We are incredibly grateful to every family who chooses to invest in Earthsong. You're giving your child the opportunity to experience a kind of education that is becoming increasingly rare. You're helping us build something we hope will be part of this community for a very long time. And we're grateful you're here.
Stay tuned for next week's FAQ Friday, and keep the questions coming!
