Maryland Divorce and School Costs

Maryland Divorce and School Costs
Maryland Divorce and School Costs

Private School, College Education, and More

Private School

The courts in Maryland have the ability to determine if parties should contribute to private school education for minor children in addition to their child support obligation, or as part of their child support obligation. The courts will look at:

The number of years the child has been in attendance at that a particular school The childs performance while in the private school Family history: whether the family has a tradition of attending a particular school or whether there are other family members currently attending the school The timing of a parents choice to send the child to a private school relative to their divorce or separation Any particular factor that may exist in a specific case that might impact upon the childs best interest Parents ability to pay for the private school tuition

College Education

In Maryland, parents only have a duty to support their children until they reach the age of majority, graduate from high school, or reach the age of 19. The Court cannot force you to support your children if they are in college or over 19. This means, the court is not able to order a parent to pay any child support while a child is in college or to contribute to college tuition.

But, if the parents agree to do so, and make that agreement part of a Court Order, the Court can and will enforce the agreement to pay college expenses. What this means is that a parent can unknowingly create a binding obligation for themselves that they would not have to agree to as part of a custody case or divorce settlement.’