What's left after the Utah Fits All? Salt Lake City examples
Six illustrative Salt Lake and Tooele tuition levels, each set against two separate options for one child: the $8,000 Utah Fits All award, or a Carson Smith scholarship where a child has an IEP. A child uses one in a given year.
| Scenario | Tuition + fees (illustrative) | Utah Fits All (2026-27) | Result | Carson Smith award (illustrative) | Path B result | Then what |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parish K-8, grade 3, Salt Lake City (illustrative) | $8,800 | $8,000 | $800 to pay | — | — | Most parish families take Utah Fits All and ask the school about Skaggs aid for the balance. |
| Christian K-8, grade 6, Sandy (illustrative) | $7,400 | $8,000 | $600 left | — | — | The award covers tuition; spend the rest on curriculum or tutoring, or let up to $2,000 roll over. |
| Catholic high school, grade 10 (illustrative) | $14,500 | $8,000 | $6,500 to pay | — | — | Ask about need-based aid and payment plans for the gap; concurrent-enrollment fees depend on the school's college agreement. |
| Independent college-prep, grade 7, east bench (illustrative) | $24,000 | $8,000 | $16,000 to pay | — | — | Several east-bench independent schools did not match the Utah Fits All list; confirm participation before planning on the award. |
| Autism program, grade 2, current Carson Smith student with 180+ minutes (illustrative) | $15,000 | $8,000 | $7,000 to pay | $12,175 | $2,825 to pay | The original Carson Smith pays $12,175 here, more than Utah Fits All, and the family covers the remaining tuition. |
| Montessori kindergarten, West Valley City (illustrative) | $6,500 | $8,000 | $1,500 left | — | — | A 5-year-old qualifies for the full private-school amount at an approved school; under 5, look at the child care subsidy. |
Separate paths. Utah lets a child hold only one of Utah Fits All, the original Carson Smith Scholarship or the Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship at a time, so these are alternatives for that child, never a combined total.
These tuition figures are examples, not quotes. Utah private schools do not report tuition to the state, and parishioner, sibling and member rates can change the number a family pays.
If there's a gap
Ask about Skaggs aid at Diocese of Salt Lake City schools, church-member and sibling rates, the school's own need-based aid and monthly payment plans; for a child with an IEP, compare a Carson Smith scholarship instead of Utah Fits All.
Funding sources →If there's money left
When tuition is below $8,000, the rest stays in the Utah Fits All account for tutoring, curriculum and therapies, and two-thirds of any unspent balance, up to $2,000, rolls into the next year.
What Utah Fits All pays for →Your own numbers
Enter your own tuition and number of children to compare Utah Fits All with a Carson Smith scholarship.
Calculator →Find out which Utah award fits your child
Answer a few questions about grade, school and where you live in the valley, and a School Funding Advisor will call to walk through Utah Fits All, Carson Smith and school aid. There is no charge.