Admissions
Admissions & Application Process
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Step 1: Inquire
Please fill out our inquiry form below.
A member of our admissions team will contact you to answer your questions and provide more info.
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Step 2: Visit
We host open houses and shadow days for prospective parents and students. Ask all your questions, meet faculty, and connect with other parents. Contact us to RSVP for an open house or to schedule a personal tour.
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Step 3: Apply
Applications are open for the 2026-27 academic year.
Apply online today!
After you complete the Admissions Application, you will need to:
Apply for the North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship.
Provide three recommendations: two from current teachers and one from a pastor, priest, deacon, or consecrated religious. (Note: A parent of a homeschooled applicant cannot fill out recommendation forms.)
Provide your student’s middle and/or high school transcripts, recent standardized test scores, and any school disciplinary or accommodation documents.
Attend a family interview.
Take an academic placement test.
Our Admissions team will walk you through these steps. Your application is not complete until all these steps have been completed. Please email us at admissions@chestertondrexel.org with any questions.
Whom We Seek
Chesterton Academy of St. Katharine Drexel seeks students who are eager to pursue truth, goodness, beauty, and virtue through a classical liberal arts curriculum rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition.
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Chesterton Academy of St. Katharine Drexel has a holistic admissions process. What do we look for in an applicant? We look for applicants who are open to seeing the goodness, beauty, and truth in creation, who seek to lead a virtuous life in service to God. We look for applicants who are willing to give their all to being Saints, and to helping and encouraging their classmates and others to become Saints.
Academic ability, though important, is secondary to character in this process: students of diverse talents and gifts will be accepted. The process is competitive, and not everyone who applies will be accepted. Components of the application include: statements by applicants and their parents, character and academic recommendations, report cards, a writing sample, and scores from our admissions placement test.
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Chesterton Academy of St. Katharine Drexel admits students of any race, color, or national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin in administration of its admissions policies, educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs.
The Cost of a Chesterton Education
Chesterton Academy is committed to offering an exceptional high school education that is accessible and affordable for families. To support this mission, we offer scholarships and financial aid, which provides additional tuition assistance to qualifying families.
Since tuition does not fully cover the cost of a Chesterton education, we require families to actively support the school community by volunteering and participating in fundraising efforts.
Together, we ensure that Chesterton remains a vibrant and thriving place of learning for all.
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Tuition for the 2026-2027 academic year is $12,900 per student.
Families have the option to pay in one payment, two payments, quarterly, or a ten-month plan. There is a $225 Book Fee due upon enrollment.
Families are required to pay for student uniforms, choir attire, and participation in co-curricular (athletics, math team, etc.) activities.
If you have questions, please contact us.
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The North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship is a state-funded voucher program that helps families pay for tuition and fees at registered, eligible K-12 private schools. All North Carolina families of students entering kindergarten through 12th grade may apply.
Awards range from approximately $3,000 to $7,000 per student, based on a family’s household income. These funds go directly to the school to offset the cost of your student’s tuition. All families, regardless of income level, are eligible for an award. We encourage all families to apply today!
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St. Katharine Drexel, for whom both the school and this scholarship are named, gave of her time and talent and sought others to do the same to advance Christ’s Church and the mission of saving souls throughout the United States.
The St. Katharine Drexel Scholarship gives students the opportunity to write letters to friends and family to raise money to cover a portion of their tuition by seeking out donors that share the mission and vision of the school and wish to see students grow in wisdom and in their love of Christ and his Church.
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Financial Aid is available to families who apply and qualify. Chesterton Academy utilizes a third-party platform to help us fairly allocate our dollars. Financial Aid awards are confidential and based on need. High School Placement Test scores have no bearing on financial aid awards.
In order for families to qualify for any award of Financial Aid, they must first have applied for the North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship.
If you have questions, please contact us.
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Parents assisting with fundraising efforts is a tradition at Chesterton Academy, fostering a vital partnership between parents and the school. This partnership is essential to our mission of providing an exceptional education rooted in spiritual, intellectual, and virtue formation, while focusing on truth, goodness, and beauty.
Tuition alone does not fully cover the cost of delivering the outstanding curriculum, teaching, and formation that define the Chesterton experience. To help bridge this gap, parents are asked to work diligently to actively seek donors interested in supporting our mission. This could include direct asks, finding sponsors for our fundraisers, or supporting the school directly yourself. This generosity directly benefits your student.
We encourage families to give generously, as they are able.
We ask current parents to be primarily responsible for the costs of annual operating expenses since their children are the primary beneficiaries of all the school's programs. We make an effort to keep tuition affordable for as many families as we can. To the extent possible, generous parental support, over and above the cost of tuition, allows the school to pay for normal, educational operating expenses.
We know that the means of our community vary widely, we hope that you prayerfully consider how to help Chesterton beyond your tuition costs.
Thank you for supporting Chesterton Academy’s mission!
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Parents are required to commit to one of two fundraising event committees: the Fall 2026 Clay Shoot or the Spring 2027 Gala. The success of these two major events is dependent on the hard work of our parent volunteers!
Visit Chesterton Academy
Attend An Open House
Discover our robust classical curriculum, athletics, vibrant arts programs, and commitment to the Culture of Life. Join us for a brief information session and experience firsthand what makes our school unique—tour our campus, sit in on classes, and engage with our dedicated faculty, staff, and enthusiastic students. Bring your family and see how we foster a community of learning, growth, and excellence.
Prospective students and their families are warmly invited to join us at school events, concerts, sports, and plays.
Shadow a Chesterton Saint
Experience Saints life firsthand with a Shadow Day on our campus! Prospective students are paired with one of our outstanding Saints ambassadors who share similar interests, offering a personalized opportunity to attend classes, tour the campus, and get a true Saints experience.
Current families may schedule a shadow day during the month of September. New families must attend the October or November open house before scheduling a shadow day. The Shadow experience is a required step in the application process.
High School Placement Test
All incoming 9th grade applicants are required to take a placement test as part of the application process. This primarily serves as a tool for course placement and the student’s ability to thrive in a Chesterton Curriculum.
Applicants must submit an application prior to scheduling the placement test.
Chesterton Academy uses a third party testing center to administer the placement test. After you apply, you will be contacted by the center to schedule your student’s test.
FAQs
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Organizations must undergo a lengthy process that can take many years to officially operate under the Catholic Church. However, our school teaches within the Catholic Tradition in agreement with the traditions and magisterium of the church, attends daily Mass, and keeps the Catholic and apostolic faith at the heart of all we do.
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We are located inside Connections Church: 304 McAdenville Road, Belmont, NC.
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Our aim is to serve students full-time five days a week. However, in particular cases, approved by the administration, Chesterton Academy of St. Katharine Drexel can accommodate a particular family situation or academic request. These approvals are on a year-by-year basis and cannot be guaranteed for four years.
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Chesterton Academy of St. Katharine Drexel has an established relationship with Belmont Abbey College, where Chesterton students can earn college credit for certain classes. Dual enrollment occupies the elective portion of the academic offerings at Chesterton Academy and is based on the ability of Belmont Abbey to offer particular classes at certain days and times.
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Applications are now being accepted for the 2026-2027 school year. CLICK HERE for more information!
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Tuition is $12,900/year. Scholarships and financial aid are available for families. Never assume aid is unavailable to your family — we encourage everyone to apply!
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Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, we are instituting a sibling discount of 10% off tuition. Please contact us for details.
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Yes! See our Uniforms page for more information.
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Chesterton Academy of St. Katharine Drexel teaches curriculum from the Great Books of Western Civilization, centered around the seven liberal arts using a Classical, Catholic approach to classroom instruction. Examples include the works of Homer and Virgil, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, select curriculum from Memoria and Classical Academic Press, and the Geometric proofs of Euclid.
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As a school, we permit the limited and intentional use of technology in instruction. Students may be asked to use the internet at home for research purposes in a limited capacity, however during the school day students take notes with paper and pencil and participate in Socratic discussions about material presented in class. No computers or other devices are distributed to students as part of our curriculum. Tests are administered on paper or orally. Cell phone use is not permitted during the school day. The aim of our use of technology is to serve the mission and vision of the school in seeking to cultivate Godly, wise, and good men and women. This low-tech approach seeks to put incarnational instruction and practices first.
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Like any school environment, homework load fluctuates with the academic calendar. However, at Chesterton Academy we strive to find a balance that allows a student to have time to enjoy family life at home after the school day ends. We recognize the importance of quality time at home with family in the development of the whole person.
Homework serves three main purposes: (1) to study for an upcoming test or quiz or to prepare a written essay; (2) to practice a skill, such as Latin conjugations or math problems; and (3) to read material relevant to class topics in order to prepare for class discussions.
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During a special ceremony during the first week of school, new students are placed in a house and are welcomed by their new housemates. Siblings are assigned to the same house. Once a house has been chosen for a student, he or she will remain in that house.
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We acknowledge the good of play, which includes organized and intramural sports. Sports can serve the good of human flourishing and formation, but should not be placed above the academic endeavors of the student. Sports offerings are based upon student interest. They have included cross country, Ultimate Frisbee, and basketball. We continue to work on which competitive sports will be available in 2026-27. We are working on several other individual sports programs for the first few years. Team sports will grow along with the school within a rightly ordered educational plan for students.
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Chesterton Academy welcomes transfer students each year who come from public, private, homeschool, and online high school environments. We work closely with each transfer student to ensure his or her success as they transition to Chesterton. We welcome all inquiries and visitors. Please call to schedule a meeting.
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Yes, all are welcome! We admit students of any race, creed, or national origin.
We do require daily Mass attendance for all students as well as four years of Catholic theology, and the curriculum is infused with Catholic thought, tradition, and formation throughout the classes.
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We welcome students of various learning backgrounds and encourage open and honest conversations between parents and admissions staff about the particular needs of their students. We are not equipped to serve those with formal IEPs and/or significant disabilities. Extra time on a quiz or a quiet space to work on a test are the limits of our ability to accommodate student learning needs at this time. However, we encourage all families to reach out and discuss their particular concerns, needs, and situations with the administration.
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We are not equipped to work with students with severe behavioral issues. Every student is expected to adhere to the code of conduct laid out in the Student-Parent Handbook. Students who cannot or will not live up to our Code of Conduct will lose the privilege of attending Chesterton Academy of St. Katharine Drexel at the discretion of the administration.
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Yes. We are registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit with the state of North Carolina.
CLICK HERE to make your secure donation online today!
If you give through a DAF, please email info@chestertondrexel.org.