Admission Policies
Racial Nondiscriminatory Policy
St. Matthew School, mindful of its mission to be witness to the love of Christ for all, admits students of any race, color, and national and/or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded to or made available to students at this school. St. Matthew School does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, and national and/or ethnic origin, age, sex or disability in administration of educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic, and other school-administered programs. Likewise, St. Matthew School does not unlawfully discriminate against any applicant for employment on the basis of age, sex, disability, race, color, and national and/or ethnic origin.
Admission Priorities
Since the Archdiocesan community establishes the schools of the Archdiocese as religious schools and St. Matthew Parish in particular established this school, preference in admissions will be given to practicing members of St. Matthew Parish and the Archdiocesan Catholic community and members. Siblings and alumni are also given priority. Please see a full description of admission priorities.
Age
Students must be five by September 1st for admission for Kindergarten.
Beginning in the school year 2006-2007, new first graders must be six by September 1st and new second graders must be seven by September 1st.
Application
Applications for St. Matthew School are available after Christmas vacation. Please see a full description of the admission process and target dates.
Records and Reports
For admission, parents are required to present
- the child's birth certificate,
- baptismal certificate,
- Pastor's recommendation,
- evidence of compliance with immunization requirements,
- the mandated health assessment form,
- copies of the last report card,
- standardized test scores,
- teacher assessment, and
- social security card.
Academic Readiness
One very important factor in acceptance to St. Matthew School is based on academic readiness. This is determined by grade level results on the placement/screening test given by the school, previous school performance as indicated by past report cards or formal progress reports and teacher evaluation.
Registration
Registration of students is accepted each year in the spring. A non-refundable registration fee is charged annually to each student, regardless of the number of family members attending St. Matthew School. The registration fee paid in the spring holds a place for the following August. The fee covers the cost of student insurance, Archdiocesan administrative fees, Basic Iowa Skills Testing and general ability testing, disaster preparedness materials, general classroom materials and Parent's Association fee. Additional accident insurance coverage is available to parents for a premium not covered by the registration fee. New student registrants will be notified of acceptance following completion of the entrance test, an interview with the principal, and determination of space available in the class.
New Junior High Students
Students are accepted through 7th grade. New 8th grade students are not considered for acceptance unless they are Catholic school transfers from out of the area.
Please call the school office at (650) 343-1373 if you have questions regarding admissions.
