Admissions Process

The purpose of our admissions process is to ensure your child will thrive at Central -- academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. Our mission is to partner with Christian families to instill within children a passion for God, love of truth, and zeal to serve; therefore, we strongly value the relationship between our school and parents. Even our admissions process helps establish this partnership. Applying to private schools can seem overwhelming at times, so our desire at Central is to walk with you every step of the way and point you in the right direction.

Private Tour

The best way to begin to understand our culture and community is to see our students and teachers engaged in our day-to-day rhythm. We have found that tours with individual families work best here, and these typically happen on weekday mornings. Many prospective families enjoy touring on Friday after attending chapel, for you can see our whole community together -- you'll even see some Central moms, dads, and grandparents attending chapel. We gather weekly on Friday at 8:30am in our gym. We're also excited for our fall Open House on October 19 (8:30am), and we invite you to join us! To schedule a tour or register for our Open House, contact Lindsey Hunsicker, Admissions Assistant, via email or by calling 314.727.4535. 

Application

We value the opportunity to get to know your child and family through our application process. To apply, you'll first create an account through our website with your own, personal username and password. If you partially complete the online application and return to it later, you'll use these login credentials to continue. The online application is an opportunity for you to tell us about your family, child, and the values that inform your life. When you're all finished, submit the application along with the $75 application fee.

Transcripts and a Teacher Referral

If your child is currently attending school, please contact the school to request school records and a Teacher Referral form be sent to us. We'll have those forms waiting for you when you tour our school, or you can download them here.

Shadow Day

After submitting your child's application and requesting school records and Teacher Referral (if applicable), our teachers are eager to meet your child! We like to see all our applicants in action, with same-age peers in a classroom context. Shadow Days are also a chance for applicants to get to know our school better.
          3K applicants come twice: to Shadow Saturday on January 5, and a developmental screening on a different morning.
          JK applicants spend an hour in a classroom with same-age peers on a normal school day.
          SK applicants spend a morning in a classroom with same-age peers on a normal school day.
          1st-6th Grade applicants spend an entire day with same-age peers on a normal school day.

Our students love to host visiting JK-6th Grade applicants, and they are treated with tender care during their time here. Applicants engage in classroom activities and also participate in a screening session with a faculty member. 

* 3K is for children who turn 3 by July 31. Junior Kindergarten is for those who turn 4 by July 31, and Senior Kindergarten is for those who turn 5 by July 31. Children enrolled in 3K should be potty-trained by the first day of school.

Parent Interview

When you call to schedule your child's Shadow Day, you'll also schedule a Parent Interview. Our Director of Admissions will host you in an effort to conversationally learn more about you, hear about your faith and values, and learn why you're interested in Central. This is also a chance to ask additional questions about our school. As a covenant school, one parent must be a Christ-follower and align with the basic tenets of historic, orthodox Christianity in order for us to fulfill our mission to partner with families. 

Admissions Decisions

After you've completed the application process, our Admissions Committee will thoughtfully and prayerfully make an enrollment decision. Applications submitted for the current school year are made on a rolling basis. Applications submitted by February 1 for the 2019-20 school year will be considered in our first wave of enrollment decisions. As a member of the Independent Schools of St. Louis (ISSL), we honor the admissions dates collaboratively chosen by this coalition: applications are due on February 1 and you'll be notified of your child's enrollment status on March 15. 

Thank you again for your interest in Central! We are here to guide you from step to step in our process and look forward to dialoguing with you!