Admissions

• Applications may be completed online. If you prefer to apply with a paper application, please contact the school office at 224.345.7145.
• St. James reserves the right to deny registration for students whose educational needs cannot be met by St. James School. The administration makes this decision.
• All students wishing to transfer to St. James School must go through a screening process with the administration.
• Book/supply fee is due with application.

Kindergarten–Grade 8 book/supply fee is refundable up until April 15. PreK book/supply fee is not refundable.

Acceptance for admittance is taken in the following order:

• Current students of St. James School
• Sibling of current students at St. James School
• Children of current St. James parishioners
• Children of non-parishioners

If your student/students are accepted:

• Onboarding meetings will be held in May and early August for families new to St. James School.
• An Orientation Day will be held in August the day before school begins. At this time, representatives from various school departments and organizations will be available for questions. Further information will be communicated at a later date.

• If a child is not placed due to the homeroom maximum, the child will be placed on a waiting list for the appropriate grade level.
• Once placed on a waiting list, the child will retain that position under all circumstances until the child is placed in the school or requests to be removed from the list.
• Children will be placed in the order of the list as vacancies occur.
• The principal will contact all waiting-list families prior to the end of the school year and again prior to the start of the school year to determine if they desire to remain on the list. A written confirmation will be sent if requested.

To be considered a Participating Parishioner, families will meet the following criteria:

• Registered parishioners of St. James who regularly attend Mass and are active in parish life by participating in parish and school activities.
• Families who assist St. James Parish by donating to the Sunday and Holy Day collections either through use of their contribution envelopes or the Faith Direct online giving program, meeting a suggested minimum guideline of $1,000 per tuition year for Kindergarten through Gr. 8 or $500 per tuition year for all PreK only families (donations received May 1-April 30).

All kindergarten students are eligible for the K-8 multi-child discount.

Families paying the 1 Child (Full Day K) rate of $7,435, are eligible for a St. James loyalty tuition rebate of $500 credited towards the 2022-2023 academic year.

All kindergarten students are eligible for the K-8 multi-child discount.

Families paying the 1 Child (Full Day K) rate of $8,514, are eligible for a St. James loyalty tuition rebate of $500 credited towards the 2022-2023 academic year.

• ​​The Pastor and Tuition Aid Team, in conjunction with the principal, will set the amount available for distribution from the tuition aid fund for the following school year.
• Any family seeking assistance must register their child(ren) for school and pay registration fees. These fees will be refunded if their family does not qualify for or is not granted assistance, and the family chooses not to enroll their child(ren) at St. James School.
• Requests for assistance will be accepted in the following order:
  • Families that are in good standing returning to St. James School
  • New families registered with St. James Parish
• Requests for assistance will NOT be accepted for:
  • Preschool and Kindergarten students
  • Non-catholic families
  • Families registered at another parish with a school
• All requests must be made by August 1 to be considered for assistance the following academic year. The intent is to identify and support families with the greatest need
• All families seeking assistance must submit the specified financial statements and request forms. All applications for assistance will be processed through Smart Tuition Aid for a fee of $14, paid to SMART by the requesting family.
• The financial need review process will allocate the assistance designated for the following academic year.
• When prompted, please use the SJS ID: 10147

Archdiocesan schools admit students of any race, color, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students in these schools.

Archdiocesan schools do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, or national and ethnic origin and ensure equality of opportunity in administration of educational policies, loan programs, athletic, or other school-administered programs.

No student attending St. James School shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.