Admissions

Admissions Process

As a Christian school, our hope is that our students come to know and love Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Through the lens of strong academics, we believe God draws children to Himself through knowledge and learning.

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Key Admissions Dates
- September 1: 2023/24 Admissions season opens; families are welcome to begin the Admissions process
- January 27: Application deadline for the 2023/24 school year
- February 13: Financial Aid application deadline for new families
- March 10: Admissions decisions shared with families
- March 31: Enrollment contract due
Central is part of the Independent Schools of St. Louis and follows its application dates and deadlines. Applications are welcome after the January 27 deadline and will be reviewed on a rolling basis as space is available following the first round of applicant decisions.

We know that applying to private schools can seem overwhelming. As you start down the path of exploring school options for your child, we want to help by giving families an overview of our process and what they can expect once they apply.

The purpose of our admissions process is to ensure applicants will thrive at Central Christian School in all ways -- academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually -- within our learning environment. The process allows applying families to become more familiar with our school, children to experience what it would be like to attend Central, and opportunities for us to get to know families and their children better. Our mission is to partner with families to prepare children to engage the world by instilling a passion for God, love of truth, and a zeal to serve. We believe that to do this well, we must place a high value on the relationship between our school and parents. The admissions process helps lay the foundation for this partnership.

On this page you will find key admissions dates as well as an overview of each step in the admissions process so you and your child will know what to expect. One of the steps is a parent interview in which both parents will join the Director of Admissions to share about their faith in Christ. As a Christian school, our hope is that our students come to know and love Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and we are committed to partnering with families to together teach children about God. As a ministry of Central Presbyterian Church, we are committed to this statement of Christian faith that has been followed through the generations. Additionally, we adhere to the Biblical view of gender, sexuality, and marriage as held by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) of which Central Presbyterian Church is associated. To learn more, please visit the EPC website.

We hope that through the Admissions process at Central you will find clarity and peace as you weigh all the factors that play into your specific family’s educational needs and values. We invite you to learn more about Central Christian School by reading our website, joining us for an Admissions Coffee, or visiting campus for a tour. If you’re familiar with our school and ready to apply, you can begin an online application below.

Next Steps

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1. Visit Campus For a Tour or Admission Coffee

One of the best ways to hear from many leaders at Central is by attending one of our Admissions Coffees. We would also love to host you for a tour with our Director of Admissions, Sarah Holley, to share more with you about Central and hear about what's important to you for your child's education. Visit our Admissions Events page to sign up for an Admissions Coffee. To schedule a tour, submit an inquiry form or reach out to our Admissions Assistant, Lindsey Hunsicker, at lhunsicker@centralschoolstl.org or 314.727.4535.
2. Application

Application
The online application is an opportunity for you to tell us about your family, your child, and the values that inform your life. If you already have an online account on Central's site, navigate to your child's admissions process checklist and complete the online application found there. If you do not have an online account, you may begin your application here. When you're all finished, you'll submit the application along with a processing fee of $75 per child.

The application deadline for the 2023/24 school year is Friday, January 27, 2023. For families applying after the January 27 deadline, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
3. Faith Story, School Records & Teacher Referral

Faith Story
As a Christian school, we value unity among our families as Christ followers, and we value partnership between our families and the school. Though we come from over 70 different churches, Central employees and parents are united in our agreement with this Christian Statement of Faith and, most of all, our love for Jesus and our commitment to raise our children to know Him. After submitting an application, we ask each parent to submit a written Faith Story. In this part of the application process, we invite you to share about your personal faith in Jesus Christ and how it has impacted your life and your family.

Request for School Records
Also available via your child's checklist is a link to request School Records from your child's current school. If your child does not currently attend school, or if you have questions about requesting records through the link, please contact Lindsey Hunsicker by email or by calling 314-727-4535. Please note: you must first have an online account and have completed an Application in order to request school records through the site. Click here to get started.

Request for Teacher Referral
An important part of the admissions process is hearing about your child's experience in his or her current classroom setting. If an applicant is currently enrolled at a different school, we will receive a teacher referral from their homeroom teacher from their most recent school year. On occasion, additional teacher referrals may also be requested.
4. Academic Screening

Part of us learning about your child is learning about his or her previous academic experience, as well as his or her learning style. Each applicant will visit campus for an academic screening with a Central staff member. The purpose of the screening is to 1) inform us of what your child has been taught at their current school, and 2) help us identify if your child may benefit from additional academic enrichment or support at Central. If the admissions screening, coupled with your child’s school records, indicates he or she may benefit from academic support, you will be notified when a decision regarding acceptance is extended.
5. Shadow Day

Shadow in a Central Classroom
All applicants will visit Central to spend time in our learning environment and allow a chance for us to get to know them better. The length of time differs based on the grade level a student has applied for, and more details will be shared when the date is set.
6. Parent Interview

Our Director of Admissions will meet with you to conversationally learn more about your family and why you're interested in Christian education, understand what drew your family specifically to Central Christian School, and hear about your faith in Christ and your values. At Central, one parent must be a Christ-follower and align with our Christian Statement of Faith in order for us to fulfill our mission to partner with families. Parent interviews typically last an hour, and Lindsey Hunsicker will reach out to schedule this for you.
7. Admissions Decisions

Admissions Decisions
The Application deadline for the 2022-23 school year is January 28, 2022. Once all steps of the application process listed above are complete, our Admissions Committee will thoughtfully and prayerfully make an enrollment decision based on the information in your student’s admissions file, his or her fit in relation to our current student body, and Central’s available resources to serve his or her academic needs. Admissions decisions for applicant families will be made in March for the 2022-23 school year and shared with families on March 11.

For families applying after the January 28 deadline, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

We Offer Grades 3K through 6th

3K is for children who turn 3 by July 31
Junior Kindergarten (JK) is for those who turn 4 by July 31
Senior Kindergarten (SK) is for those who turn 5 by July 31.

Children should be potty-trained by the first day of school.

Please note that students in 3K and JK have 3 program choices to choose from -- 3 half days, 3 full days, and 5 full days. Three-day students attend Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. All of our 3K and JK classes serve more than one program choice, and students are assigned a teacher in both grades through our class placement process.