Ari Guiragos Minassian Armenian School

Overview

Ari Guiragos Minassian Armenian School is a K-8 private school in Santa Ana, California, serving grades K-6, founded in 1986, with about 186 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $8,500, which puts it in the lower range among Orange County private schools at this level. Religion classes are required, so confirm your family is comfortable with that before applying.

Admissions

Entrance exam requirements are not published; contact admissions.

The school publishes the following application details. Early bird registration for the 2026-2027 school year opens February 2, 2026; the early bird period runs through March 6, 2026, with a registration fee of $635 per student, which rises to $835 per student from March 7. New students apply online, while returning families re-enroll through FACTS. The school website also offers Campus Tours and Open House visits and has a waitlist. Registration questions go to Director of School Operations Taline Jermakian, at 714-839-7831. The school website does not mention an entrance test or an interview requirement.

The main entry points at a K-8 school are kindergarten and grade 6. Younger applicants are usually evaluated through an on-campus visit, while most applicants above grade 5 need an ISEE score. Start in the fall of the year before entry: visit first to confirm the school is a fit, then decide whether to register for testing.

Tuition and fees

Elementary tuition for the 2026-2027 school year, Kindergarten through grade 6: $850 a month, or $8,500 for the year, calculated over 10 months. Families may pay in full, in two payments or in 10 monthly installments, all through the FACTS Tuition system, due by the 10th of each month from August through May. Tuition does not cover uniforms, field trips, books or supplies. Preschool tuition is listed separately on the school website’s Preschool Tuition & Fees page, which was not reviewed here. (school website, Tuition & Fees page)

Other 2026-27 fees: the registration fee is $635 per student during the early bird period, before March 6, 2026, and $835 per student from March 7; a Family Service Fee of $250 per family, which can be offset with volunteer hours and is billed at the end of the school year in June if the hours are not completed; a Facilities & Security Fee of $200 per student; an Elementary Technology Fee of $200 per student; a Field Trip Fee of $100 per student; a grade 6 graduation fee of $325 per student; and a Kindergarten graduation fee of $75 per student. After-school care is billed separately: elementary morning care from 7:30 to 8:00 is $100 a month, afternoon care from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. is $300 a month, and drop-in care is $10 per half hour. International student tuition is not listed on the school website.

Financial aid: Families in the elementary school, K-6, may apply for the school’s own financial aid through the FACTS platform; complete materials must be submitted by April 30, 2026, late applications are not considered, and the review is confidential. Preschool students are not eligible for financial aid, but parents who are working, looking for work or in school may apply to the Children’s Home Society of Orange County for tuition or childcare assistance, as the school’s preschool is on that agency’s list of childcare centers. The school website does not publish award ranges or the share of families receiving aid. (school website, Financial Aid page)

Academics and programs

• A bilingual Armenian program that starts from the alphabet; the school website says graduates have a solid command of reading, writing and expression, and students with no prior Armenian are taught at their own level (school website, Armenian Education page)
• Armenian history, religion with a weekly religion class, culture and identity (school website, Armenian Education page)
• Armenian dance, music, drama and choir; students stage plays by Armenian writers (school website, Armenian Education page)
• Core subjects follow Common Core standards, with McGraw-Hill Wonders for ELA and Savvas enVision for math (school website, Academics page)
• Co-curricular courses: physical education, Armenian dance and music, art and instrumental ensemble (school website, Academics page)
• The preschool is Armenian immersion: the 2-3 year old class uses Armenian about 90% of the time and the 4-year-old class about 70% (school website, Preschool Overview page)

How this school compares

These are the nearest schools at the same level and a comparable price. Select a name to open that school’s admissions guide:

School	City	Grades	Tuition	Entrance test	Class size	Distance
Ari Guiragos Minassian Armenian School	Santa Ana	K-6	$8,500	—	—	—
St. Barbara Catholic School	Santa Ana	K-8	$6,850	On-campus assessment	—	0.0 mi
St. Columban Catholic School	Garden Grove	K-8	$7,100	On-campus assessment	—	2.8 mi
Blessed Sacrament School	Westminster	K-8	$6,400	On-campus assessment	—	3.8 mi
Christ Cathedral Academy	Garden Grove	K-8	$9,900	On-campus assessment	—	4.1 mi

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2026-27 rate of $8,500, 7 years covering grades K-6 come to roughly $59,500 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $67,000. Neither number includes registration fees, deposits, uniforms or activity fees. A California 529 plan can cover up to $10,000 per child per year of K-12 tuition.

Getting there from Irvine

These are straight-line distances from neighborhoods where many Irvine families live. Actual drive times will be longer, and a morning rush-hour trip typically takes 1.5 to 2 times as long as an off-peak one:

Neighborhood	Straight-line distance
Woodbury	11.5 miles
Northwood	8.6 miles
Turtle Rock	10.1 miles
Portola Springs	13.8 miles

The website does not describe bus service; confirm this during your visit.

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• Enrollment — the Our Legacy page on the school website says “over 186 students” but gives no school year and does not separate the preschool from the elementary school; the CDE filing of 120 covers only K-6. Both…
• Entrance testing — the Admissions Process page on the school website has only two steps, apply and register, with no mention of an entrance test, interview or assessment; the question headings on the FAQ page, includin…
• Average class size — the Academics page on the school website says only “fairly low student to teacher ratio” and gives no figure
• Amount of financial aid — the Financial Aid page on the school website gives only the application channel, FACTS, and the April 30, 2026 deadline, and publishes no aid percentages, award ranges or share of families receiving …
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track Ari Guiragos Minassian Armenian School’s admissions calendar, prepare students for the campus visit and interview, and review application materials before they are submitted. Book a school-selection consultation or read the Chinese version of this page.