Fairmont North Tustin (Fairmont Private Schools – North Tustin Campus)

Overview

Fairmont North Tustin (Fairmont Private Schools – North Tustin Campus) is an independent, non-sectarian K-8 private school in Tustin, California, serving grades K-8, founded in 1979, with about 356 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $27,354 to $31,767, which puts it in the upper range among Orange County private schools at this level. The school accepts F-1 international students and issues the I-20 needed for a student visa.

Admissions

No standardized entrance exam; admission uses an on-campus assessment or visit day.

The school publishes the following application details. The school website’s How to apply page gives seven steps: (1) submit an inquiry form; (2) visit the campus and meet the admissions team; (3) the admissions director sends the online application; (4) the student takes an on-campus assessment and the family submits transcripts, with recommendations required for some grades and an English proficiency test for international students; (5) review; (6) sign and return the enrollment contract after receiving the acceptance letter; (7) orientation to the classroom on the first day of school. The Director of Admissions is Dominique Bongcayao. English proficiency for students whose first language is not English is assessed with two tests, SLATE and iTEP (school website, Multilingualism page). The school website does not publish a fixed application deadline.

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

2026-27 school year, paid-in-full rates (school website, North Tustin Tuition fees page): $27,354 for JK through grade 5 and $31,767 for grades 6-8; five-day full-day preschool is $20,515 and five-day full-day Pre-Kindergarten is $21,825. There are three payment options: pay in full by July 1, 2026, which is the lowest rate; pay 70% on July 1 and 30% on December 1 (JK-5 $28,075, grades 6-8 $32,625); or make 10 automatic bank debits from August 2026 through May 2027 (JK-5 $28,200, grades 6-8 $32,750). North Tustin is the most expensive of the four Fairmont K-8 campuses, and rates from the other campuses do not apply here.

Enrollment deposit $1,750; new student application and assessment fee $150; registration fee $500; and $500 off for each additional child (school website, North Tustin Tuition fees page). International students are on a separate schedule: $37,500 for JK through grade 5 and $46,500 for grades 6-8, plus a $500 registration fee, a $1,650 new student orientation fee and $3,600 for student health insurance; the enrollment deposit for international students is $4,300 rather than the $1,750 domestic families pay (school website, North Tustin International admissions page). Uniforms, extended care and lunch are billed separately.

Financial aid: Need is assessed through FAST (Financial Aid for School Tuition); applications open March 1 and awards are made on a rolling basis, with a nonrefundable $53 application fee. The school website does not publish the share of students receiving aid or the amounts (school website, North Tustin Tuition fees page).

Academics and programs

• Spanish is the only foreign language offered: it begins in JK and kindergarten, continues through elementary school, and in middle school meets three times a week in units of about four weeks; grades 7 and 8 work with authentic materials in preparation for the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam (school website, North Tustin Multilingualism page)
• Dedicated STEAM spaces: a SmartLab, a Project Lead The Way (PLTW) classroom, a broadcast studio, an innovation center and a performing arts theater; a new upper campus opened in 2024 (school website, North Tustin homepage, Middle School page and Why choose us page)
• Wellness & Learning Support: social-emotional learning, family and mental health counseling, a Flex Period and academic tutoring (school website, Middle School page)
• The ISP Life Competencies framework, which features one competency each month and refreshes the full list of competencies each year (school website, Middle School page)
• International students use homestay placements or housing arranged through outside providers, and an International Foundation Center provides English support (school website, Middle School page and Multilingualism 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
Fairmont North Tustin (Fairmont Private Schools – North Tustin Campus)	Tustin	K-8	$27,354	On-campus assessment	—	—
Irvine Hebrew Day School (IHDS)	Santa Ana	K-6	$23,000	—	—	2.4 mi
Red Hill Lutheran School	Tustin	K-8	$10,950	On-campus assessment	—	0.9 mi
St. Cecilia Catholic School	Tustin	K-8	$9,200	—	—	2.3 mi
International School of Orange County (iSchoolOC)	Orange	K-8	$18,220	—	—	5.0 mi

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2026-27 rate of $27,354, 9 years covering grades K-8 come to roughly $246,186 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $289,000. 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	5.2 miles
Northwood	2.7 miles
Turtle Rock	8.3 miles
Portola Springs	6.7 miles

The school does not run buses, so plan on driving or carpooling.

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• Average class size — the school website does not publish class sizes or a student-teacher ratio
• Enrollment — the school website does not publish enrollment; the figure used is the California Department of Education’s 2025-26 filing of 356
• Opening date — the timeline on the school website’s Why choose us page says David R. Jackson opened the Anaheim, Anaheim Hills and North Tustin campuses in 1979, but gives no separate opening month for this campus
• ZIP code and coordinates — these come from the US Census Bureau geocoder’s match for 12421 Newport Ave, Santa Ana; the pages on the school website do not list a ZIP code
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track Fairmont North Tustin (Fairmont Private Schools – North Tustin Campus)’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.