Admissions

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Your Next Steps

Give your child a high school education steeped in faith, wonder and inquiry at the Chesterton Academy of St. James in Menlo Park! Classical education is lauded for teaching students how to “reason and wrestle with the greatest literary, philosophical and scientific ideas of all time,” forming them into incisive thinkers and confident, effective communicators. Catholic classical education seeks to form them as saints and not simply as “leaders.” We welcome prospective students and families to discover more at our Info Sessions and Shadowing dates which you will find listed below. Come and see what we are all about!


Learn More

  • Fill out our interest form below if you’d like to learn more about Chesterton Academy of St. James.

  • A member of our admissions team will contact you to answer your questions and provide more info.

  • Feel free to reach out with any questions at admissions@chestertonstjames.org.

Attend an Info Session and Schedule a Shadow Visit

THE JANUARY 14TH, 2025 INFO NIGHT HAS BEEN POSTPONED AND RESCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 11, 2025.

  • Throughout the year, we will be hosting information sessions for prospective parents and students.

  • Ask all your questions, meet the leadership team, and connect with other parents.

Apply & Enroll

  • Now accepting admissions applications for grades 9-12 for 2025-26! Limited number of places available for Fall 2025.

  • Our application process is completed online through TADS.

  • After your application is complete, our headmaster will meet one-on-one with you and your student to get to know you and answer any questions you may have.

An Affordable Education


Tuition & Fees

Chesterton Academy of St. James is committed to offering an outstanding high school education at an affordable cost to families. Limited number of places available for Fall 2025.

  • 2025/2026 Tuition: $19,500

  • Non-Refundable Enrollment Fee: $1500 for new students and $500 for returning students

  • Books and Materials Fee: $600

  • Uniform: Budget $200-300 for school uniforms and a Chesterton House t-shirt

  • TADS Tuition Management Fee: $55

  • Application Fee: $100

Because tuition does not cover the full cost of an education at Chesterton, families are expected to aid in fundraising efforts throughout the school year.

Financial Aid

Tuition assistance is available to families who apply and qualify. Chesterton Academy utilizes the services of TADS to help us allocate fairly our limited aid dollars. An admissions application must be completed before being considered for aid.

Please contact us for more information on applying for aid.


The Chesterton Academy of St. James admits students of any race, color, national origin, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.

Placement Exam


All students are required to take a placement exam as part of the application and enrollment process. The placement exam is used as a diagnostic tool to ensure students are placed in the appropriate section of math or Latin, and to help identify areas of academic strengths and opportunities for growth. The headmaster will contact you after your application has been accepted to work out a time for the placement exam.

The CLT 8 should be taken by incoming 9th and 10th grade applicants and the CLT 10 by incoming 11th and 12th grade applicants. The placement exam covers:

 
  • Verbal reasoning skills

  • Grammar and writing skills

  • Quantitative reasoning skills

  • An optional Latin exam is also offered

 

Admissions Events