What criteria does High Meadow School (HMS) use to allocate financial aid grants?

Work exchange packages are calculated based on an hourly rate for contribution. The hourly rate and number of hours awarded are based on the projected time it will take to complete the project and the market hourly compensation rate for the job being performed.

Last year, we separated our jobs into two hourly compensation tiers: a $50 per hour tier and a $75 per hour tier. After trying this system out this year, it was brought to our attention that some of the jobs are paying far beyond the market rate while others are paying far below the market rate, depending upon the type of work and the person’s professional experience. The two tiers also are well above the range that we pay our full time staff, whose rates fall between $25-$60 for all faculty and administration. For 2025-2026, we will evaluate each work exchange candidate based on their professional experience and determine an hourly rate based on the job being performed and our school’s budget. Hourly rates for work exchange will be at least $25 per hour and will increase from there. We hope that this system will allow people to feel fairly compensated for their time and experience.