San Clemente Christian School

Overview

San Clemente Christian School is a Christian K-8 private school in San Clemente, California, serving grades K-8, with about 194 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $12,890 to $13,000, which puts it in the middle 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 15.

Admissions

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

The school publishes the following application details. Enrollment for the 2026-27 school year runs in two stages. Priority re-enrollment for current students and their younger siblings runs December 2 through December 9, 2025 - that one week is the only time the priority rate is available - after which everyone moves into the open enrollment stage. Open enrollment begins January 6, 2026 and stays open in any grade with space available. The school website’s FAQ explains that because the re-enrollment rate is high and most grades have limited space, families are advised to apply as soon as enrollment opens; grades that fill have a waiting list. Admission decisions are based on a formal interview, a shadow day in class, a review of prior school records and a review of standardized test scores. Age cutoffs: for TK, a child must turn 4 before January 1 of that school year (a child who turns 4 after January 1 waits until the following school year and may not start class until after the fourth birthday); for K, a child must turn 5 before September 1 (school website, Admissions page, FAQ page and the 2026/2027 tuition schedule graphic).

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: TK half day (8:30-11:30) $6,700 a year; TK full day through grade 5 $12,890 a year; middle school grades 6, 7 and 8 $13,000 a year. Each family may take only one tuition discount, choosing between: (1) $500 off annual tuition for each additional sibling enrolled; or (2) 5 percent off annual tuition for paying in full. There is also a referral reward: referring a new family that enrolls earns a $500 tuition credit, calculated on a prorated basis. Tuition already covers an iPad or Chromebook, textbooks, technology subscriptions, STEAM, music, Spanish and physical education classes, three MAP assessments a year, after-school activities, graduation-related items and more; the school website lists these at length to show they are not billed separately (school website, 2026/2027 tuition schedule graphic).

Registration fees are non-refundable, and the school website’s fee graphic lists two lines: Returning Student Re-enrollment $1,500 and New Sibling Enrollment $1,800 (per student), made up of Enrollment Onboarding $500/$800 plus security $500, Enrichment $200, and textbooks and technology $300. Tuition is paid through the FACTS platform, with the payment plan selected on the FACTS Financial page. The school website states that families also pay separately for uniforms, field trips, the optional lunch program, a volunteer fee, Teacher Care, school photography, the yearbook and similar items. Middle school tuition additionally covers the Forest Home retreat in August, science labs, the annual athletics program and electives.

Academics and programs

• Class sizes have hard caps: no more than 15 in TK (with a teacher plus an aide, roughly a 7:1 ratio), no more than 20 in K through grade 4 and no more than 24 in grades 5-8 (school website, FAQ page)
• Middle school (grades 6-8) physical education is run in partnership with a local Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym, so students also learn self-defense (school website, Middle School page)
• Middle school electives mix students across grade levels and include Spanish, STEAM and a Financial Peace personal finance course; Chinese/Mandarin does not appear in the school website’s course listings or fee schedule (school website, Middle School page and 2026/2027 tuition schedule graphic)
• Middle school students attend a retreat at Forest Home every year, with a behavior incentive outing every six weeks (past destinations have included SoFi Stadium, the San Diego Zoo and T-Street beach) (school website, Middle School page)
• Service learning includes a partnership with a school in Uganda and Operation Christmas Child (school website, Middle School page)
• Homeschool Hybrid Program: homeschooling families come to campus Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and the school provides curriculum planning and on-campus activities; these students also join the weekly Wednesday chapel (school website, Homeschool Hybrid Program 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
San Clemente Christian School	San Clemente	K-8	$12,890	On-campus assessment	15	—
Our Lady of Fatima Academy	San Clemente	K-8	$11,380	On-campus assessment	—	1.8 mi
Mission Basilica School	San Juan Capistrano	K-8	$12,700	On-campus assessment	—	5.1 mi
St. Edward the Confessor Parish School	Dana Point	K-8	$11,570	On-campus assessment	—	5.4 mi
Stoneybrooke Christian School	San Juan Capistrano	K-8	$12,167	On-campus assessment	—	7.3 mi

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2026-27 rate of $12,890, 9 years covering grades K-8 come to roughly $116,010 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $136,000. 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	18.9 miles
Northwood	21.4 miles
Turtle Rock	17.6 miles
Portola Springs	18.8 miles

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

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• Founding year could not be found — the school website’s footer says only “Serving South Orange County with excellence for over 40 years,” and the About Us and Mission and Vision pages give no founding year; the opening date on file wi…
• The only source for tuition is an image — all 93 pages of the school website’s sitemap were listed and reviewed one by one, and the Admissions, FAQs, Links & Downloads, Links & Downloads-1 and Hybrid Program pages contain no dollar amounts i…
• Financial aid could not be found — the school website has no Financial Aid or Tuition Assistance page; the only known discounts are the multi-child, paid-in-full and referral reductions, and whether need-based aid exists cannot be con…
• Whether international students (F-1/I-20) are accepted could not be found — the school website has no International Admissions page, and the Admissions and FAQ pages do not mention it
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track San Clemente Christian 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.