Christ Lutheran School

Overview

Christ Lutheran School is a Lutheran K-8 private school in Brea, California, serving grades K-8, with about 210 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $6,750, 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. Average class size is about 24.

Admissions

Entrance exam requirements are not published; contact admissions.

The school publishes the following application details. The school website New Enrollment page shows that new student enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year is open, with an online enrollment link. Tours are arranged by calling the school office at 714-529-0892. The school website does not publish an application deadline or any entrance testing or interview requirements.

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

Tuition for JK through grade 8 in the 2026-2027 school year is a flat $6,750, paid in full and due August 16. The school website fee schedule does not set separate member and non-member rates. Installment plans: 10 payments of $675 per month (August through the following May) or 12 payments of $562.50 per month (August through the following July). All tuition is drafted automatically through FACTS (school website, the fee schedule PDF on the K-8 Tuition and Fees page).

The registration fee is $550 per family and the materials fee is $150 per student. Before- and after-school care runs from 7:00 to 8:00 in the morning and from 3:15 to 6:00 in the afternoon, billed monthly at $7 per hour. Athletics cost $45 per sport (school website, fee schedule PDF, Q&A page).

Academics and programs

• One class per grade, averaging about 24 students per grade (school website, Q&A page)
• Interscholastic athletics in grades 5 through 8: flag football, basketball, and track for boys, and volleyball, basketball, and track for girls, at $45 per sport (school website, Q&A page)
• A K-5 choir and an all-school musical (school website, sidebar of the K-8 Tuition and Fees page)
• Grade-level trips: Sacramento in grade 4, outdoor education camp in grade 5, Catalina in grade 7, and a spring East Coast trip in grade 8 covering Washington, D.C., New York, Philadelphia, and Boston (school website, Q&A page, sidebar of the tuition page)
• The school has a resource teacher and instructional aides, and offers lunch ordering through Cater Tots and a school-wide uniform policy (school website, Faculty and Staff page, Q&A 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
Christ Lutheran School	Brea	K-8	$6,750	—	24	—
St. Angela Merici Parish School	Brea	K-8	Not published	—	—	0.5 mi
Heights Christian Schools - Brea Campus	Brea	K-4	$11,069	On-campus assessment	—	1.9 mi
St. Joseph Catholic School	Placentia	K-8	$8,495	On-campus assessment	20	3.5 mi
IvyCrest Montessori Private School — Fullerton Campus	Fullerton	K-6	Not published	—	—	3.0 mi

Where students go next

Question 8 on the school website Q&A page, “Where do most kids go to high school after they graduate 8th grade?”, answers that most graduates go on to their district’s home high school and that some attend private high schools, with Orange Lutheran named as the example. The school website gives no year, number of students, or complete list.

Applying to high school from here usually begins in the spring of grade 7: sit the ISEE or HSPT in the fall of grade 8, then submit materials between November and January. EDUBUS works backward from each target high school’s requirements to plan grades, activities and test preparation across the K-8 years.

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2026-27 rate of $6,750, 9 years covering grades K-8 come to roughly $60,750 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $71,000. 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	17.8 miles
Northwood	15.3 miles
Turtle Rock	20.2 miles
Portola Springs	18.5 miles

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

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• Year opened — neither the school website nor the church website (christbrea.org) gives a founding year
• Lutheran synod — the About and What We Believe pages on christbrea.org do not say whether the church belongs to the LCMS, the ELCA, or the NALC, so this listing says only Lutheran
• Religious requirements — the school website has no Faith or Spiritual Life page and does not describe how often religion classes and chapel are held, or whether enrollment is limited to Christian families
• Financial aid — the school website has no financial aid page, and the fee schedule PDF mentions no assistance or discount channel
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track Christ Lutheran 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.