Building Bobkittens Scholarship
Benchmark is proud to launch the Building Bobkittens Scholarship Program.
Designed to support the earliest possible transition to the school in 1st or 2nd grades, this scholarship program will award up to $1.9 million to our youngest families through the 2028-2029 academic year.
Due to the generosity of many donors, this program seeks to make a Benchmark education accessible as soon as a child needs it.
Research demonstrates clearly that the sooner a child is able to get the educational support they need, the greater the impact on long-term success.
Success Shown in Data
Why Early intervention matters
A recent study found a direct correlation between gains in reading comprehension and the age of the child when educational intervention begins; the younger the child was when the intervention began, the greater the magnitude of gains and overall benefit.*
The message is simple. The earlier our faculty are able to begin working with a student, the more Benchmark is able to do to impact their academic and life trajectories.
* Lovett, Maureen W., et al. (2022) Interpreting comprehension outcomes after multiple-component reading intervention for children and adolescents with reading disabilities. Learning and Individual Differences (100). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2022.102224
college success beyond the norm
National college graduation rates for all students enrolled full-time in 4-year college degree programs is 67% over 6 years.* For students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) like dyslexia, that number drops to 34%.†
At Benchmark, data dating back to the 1990s show that greater than 90% of students who enroll in 1st or 2nd grade and complete our 8th grade program graduate from a 4-year college within 6 years.
* Yearly Progress and Completion, National Student Data Clearinghouse Center, December 4, 2025.
† "Who Gets to Graduate from High School?", National Special Education Advocacy Institute, 2021.
how the scholarship works
From now through the 2028-2029 school year, the Building Bobkittens Scholarship Program will award a $24,400 grant to any family who applies, is accepted, and chooses to enroll in 1st or 2nd grade. This scholarship will set tuition to $25,000 annually for 1st and 2nd grade years. This tuition rate could be further reduced for families who require additional need-based aid.
When a young student needs the transformational support that a Benchmark education can provide, it’s best not to wait. Thanks to the Building Bobkittens Scholarship Program, you won’t have to.
For more information and to begin the application process, contact our Admissions Team.
Hear from Parents
Her kindergarten teachers recognized that Lyla’s reading and writing was not developing along a typical learner’s path... we needed Lyla to be in a school where there were experts and leaders in teaching children with language-based learning differences; where Lyla would learn all of the strategies to help her become a successful reader, writer, and learner; where she would know herself as a learner so she can advocate for herself when she is beyond Benchmark’s walls; and most importantly, where she would never feel that she could not do something or keep up, but instead that she was incredibly intelligent and capable, and where she found success socially, emotionally, and academically. Upon visiting Benchmark we knew we found the right place for Lyla and it has been the best decision we have made. Alison and Joe Preisser, P’31
