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Dandelion Learning Center

Tuition & Pricing

With Dandelion Learning Collaborative, you get to decide how your time and money are spent in and on school for your family.

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How Tuition Works

Each meeting is a half-day; tutoring costs are paid monthly. Families pay only for the number of sessions that they plan to attend. Multi-meeting discount applies. Sibling discount applies. There’s also an annual cap, so families with 5-6 half-days don’t pay simple multiplication.

Our pricing model uniquely allows you to participate and pay only for sessions that work for your child and family!

Most families elect to pay their fees on a ten-month schedule, July-April.

Monthly Tuition

Dandelion Tuition Calculator

Choose how many sessions each child joins each week. Your community discount grows with every session your family adds.

Your family

Add each child enrolling, then choose how many sessions per week they’ll attend. One session is one half-day meeting.

Most members enroll in 2–6 sessions per week. The more weekly sessions your family books, the larger your community discount.

Your monthly estimate
Sessions per week2
Standard rate$440
Community discount−$30
Your monthly tuition
$410/mo
$205 per session
7.3% community discount
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An estimate based on $220 per weekly session. We welcome ESA+ funds — final tuition is confirmed at enrollment.

What Tuition Includes

Collective tuition fees allow us to provide consistent scheduling and high-quality programs with certified content, and access to our Montessori and curated materials library for Montessori and special educators.

What’s included in tuition

  • project-based learning supplies and tools
  • snacks available at every session
  • a meeting space that is designed for self-directed learning
  • family field trips and events (There may be additional charges for select field trips and events.)
  • community service days
  • parent and family support programs

What’s not included

  • Lunch (families pack)
  • Transportation
  • Optional Day Camps during breaks
  • Specialty supplies for personal projects

How Dandelion Compares To Other Options

Families in the Triangle have options — full-time private school, local co-ops, or homeschooling on their own. Here's how Dandelion compares, and why so many families find it's the best of every world.

Private Montessori K‑8
$25,000+ / year
Dandelion Learning
From $4,100 / year

Roughly one‑sixth the cost of full‑time private tuition — with community support that doesn't end when the school day does.

Best of both worlds

Dandelion Learning

Community-supported homeschooling

From $4,100 / year

Minimum annual investment

  • Certified, experienced educators
  • Consistent schedule & well-equipped meeting place
  • Drop-off classes for growing independence
  • Always-active community, events & field trips
  • Ongoing support for parents and families
  • Full homeschool flexibility preserved

Private K‑8 School

Montessori & full-time private schools

$25,000+ / year

Typical Triangle-area tuition

  • Full-time certified instruction
  • Significantly higher price per hour
  • Limited support beyond the school day
  • No homeschool flexibility

Triangle Co‑ops & Classes

A great addition — not a foundation

Varies by program

Fees differ widely across co-ops

  • Field trips, science fairs, dances & meet-ups
  • Classes taught by parents, not certified educators
  • Intermittent schedule, no dedicated space
  • Often religious requirements to participate

Homeschooling Alone

A valid choice, done independently

Curriculum only

Lowest cost, most on your shoulders

  • Maximum flexibility at minimum cost
  • No established community or calendar
  • No certified educator support
  • No drop-off classes or meeting place
What you get Dandelion Learning Private K‑8 Co‑ops On your own
Annual cost From $4,100 $25,000+ Varies Curriculum only
Certified educators ✓ ✓ ✕ ✕
Consistent schedule & meeting place ✓ ✓ ✕ ✕
Homeschool flexibility ✓ ✕ ✓ ✓
Drop-off classes ✓ N/A Rarely ✕
Community & family support Always active Limited after hours Intermittent None built in
Open to all families ✓ ✓ Often religious requirements ✓

Have a Question?

Through the North Carolina ESA+ program, your child can receive either $9,000 or $17,000 annually, depending on their specific diagnosis. These amounts would at a minimum cover annual tutoring costs for up to and including 4 meetings a week.

Our multi-session and sibling discounts scale up,with a 7.3% discount applied for 4 sessions (whether for an individual child or siblings) up to a 14.6% discount applied when a family enrolls multiple children in 16 total sessions.

Our pricing model uniquely allows you to participate and play only for sessions that work for your family!

Most families elect to pay their fees on a ten-month schedule, July-April.

Our base payment for 2 sessions a week is $410/month, $4,100 annually, on the ten-month payment plan.

Additional discounts of 3% for bi-annual tuition payment and 5% for annual tuition payment are also available.

We wish to make our programs accessible and can offer additional discount and adjusted payment plans when there is need.

While K-8 educational expenses are generally not tax deductible, state and federal policies are rapidly changing and NC tax credits do apply in some situations. We recommend consulting with a Certified Public Accountant for family-specific guidance.

We do not give grades, but we do create a lot of evidence of progress, and we do give feedback. Children record plans and reflections in their journals each day and teacher prepare photo decks and narrative tell the story of each session in our daily SeeSaw posts.

It is our belief that, by providing elementary age children with a learning environment that is a match for elementary age development- as observed by numerous theorists, sociologists, and medical professionals, including Dr. Maria Montessori, we are also providing them with a solid foundation of confidence, planning, problem solving, and communication that cannot be achieved in traditional public and private settings.

In our classrooms, childhood movement, curiosity, wonder, bravery, and mistakes are not only allowed but also noticed and fostered. Unlike traditional settings where many of these gifts have been over-written by adult control and decision making on their behalf; at Dandelion Learning, children learn not only to plan and problem-solve on their own (and with our support) but also to trust themselves, communicate clearly, and participate effectively in groups.

These skills, along with a solid foundation of academic knowledge, equip teens not only to successfully engage in conventional academic settings but also to celebrate self-confidence, personal responsibility, and active engagement in their work and learning.