Roaring Fork Scholars
TUITION GRANT PROGRAM for Fourth Grade and up
Openings for Sixth Grade in September 2026: apply by May 15!
This transformative opportunity is for applicants who:
- demonstrate strong achievement or interest in academics, arts, and outdoor education
- show promise in developing the core values of Aspen Country Day School: character, respect, responsibility, community, and perseverance
- have been enrolled in a Roaring Fork Valley school full time for three years and are applying to Aspen Country Day School for the first time
- open to students in Fourth Grade and up. (For other grades with open space, generous financial aid is available; reach out to learn more.)
For Roaring Fork Scholars, the annual cost to attend Aspen Country Day School is set at $10,000 per year through Eighth Grade. No financial aid documentation is required.
Details: Award recipients receive generous funding for tuition, lunch, and school bus. The annual cost to attend is set at $10,000 per year until graduation from Eighth Grade, providing the student remains in good standing. (Current full tuition for Sixth Grade is $42,000.)
To apply: Start with the inquiry form at this link. Next steps include a full-day classroom visit with an assessment of academic progress, an online application for admission, submission of student records and a teacher recommendation. Applicants must also submit a letter of recommendation from a community member such as a coach, mentor, or activity leader.
To visit: As part of the application process, students spend the day on campus. You will sign up for a visit day when you apply.
Academics
At Aspen Country Day School, Sixth Grade is the first year of Middle School. This is such an important time in any student’s life. Children are building lifelong study habits, exploring new subjects and interests, and developing friendships inside and outside the classroom. Students move away from the traditional Lower School homeroom model and switch classes each period. Their life at school is anchored in an Advisory group that meets several times per week.
Pictured: Sixth Graders in a book study discussion with Humanities teacher Zeke Tiernan. Read more about the Humanities curriculum here.
Arts
In Sixth Grade, students choose one particular art form to pursue for an entire semester. These immersive and engaging Creative Arts courses include students from all three Middle School Grades. In the design/build engineering course, you learn to make a working amplifier that’s used in a school concert; in the art room, you might be experimenting with watercolors or building a clay sculpture to fire in the kiln. Students can choose from a wide variety of media: music, performing arts, engineering, literary arts, studio art, and more. At the end of each semester, there’s a showcase for an appreciative audience of classmates and parents.
Pictured: students in teacher Wes Lanich’s music class learned about songwriting and digital recording, then visited a local recording studio to lay down their own tracks.
Outdoor Education
In the school’s landmark Outdoor Education program, Sixth Graders set out for a three-day backpacking trip before Labor Day. Groups of 10-12 students from all three Middle School grades are led by caring and experienced teachers. Winter brings a three-day ski touring trip to a backcountry hut, and Sixth Graders also have a spring expedition to Western Colorado for rock climbing and rafting. This sequence allows them to build a variety of mountain skills in a gradual, age-appropriate way, all while fostering the confidence and resilience that are hallmarks of the Aspen Country Day School experience.
Pictured: for their spring expedition, Sixth Graders have a multi-sport adventure, paddling and rock climbing in Western Colorado.