ADMISSIONS >

Applying to PUCS

When to Apply

Applications for enrollment for 2023-24 will open November 1, 2022. 

Applications are accepted no more than one school year in advance.  Parents wishing to apply for  Kindergarten are encouraged to tour the school and apply in the fall preceding their child’s Kindergarten year. A child applying for preschool must be 3 years, 10 months old by August 31st. A child applying for kindergarten must be five years old by August 31st of the year for which he/she is seeking enrollment. First graders should be six years old by August 31st.

Parents of older students can apply at any time.  Keep in mind, however, that both space and financial aid resources dwindle throughout the year.

How to Apply

Applying is easy using our Online Application. (If you are a new family, please select the “Create an Account” option.) A non-refundable, one-time fee of $35 must be submitted to PUCS via Paypal, cash, or check with each application; an invoice will be sent to your email via Paypal. Our online application portal (FACTS) charges an additional $40 management fee once you are accepted and begin the enrollment process. This $40 is an annual fee.

Our Admissions Coordinator will reach out to schedule an Educational Assessment for your child. We would encourage you to bring a copy of your child’s records with you the day of the assessment.  Acceptance decisions will be e-mailed and/or mailed to your home. Your family will have seven (7) days to respond by submitting a $100 non-refundable deposit.  By making this deposit you’re making a good faith commitment for your child to attend Pittsburgh Urban Christian School. This deposit will be required each year that your student re-enrolls.

The Admissions Process

Students of any background or belief are welcome to apply to Pittsburgh Urban Christian School. However, as stated in the Foundation and Curriculum portions of this handbook, students and parents must realize that our school is based on Christian principles, which are woven into the fabric of the school, and be willing to support their children in this type of education. 

The office administrators keep a list of applicants and when the applications are received. When facilities or staff limits space, new students will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The admission of new students during the school year is subject to available space within the given classroom. If a student is transferring from another school to Pittsburgh Urban Christian School, all records must be received and reviewed before admission is complete.

All new students are on a nine-week probationary period. If a student is not able to meet PUCS’ academic requirements or behavioral expectations, the Education Director will meet with the parent(s) to discuss what actions need to be taken.

Assessment and Acceptance

Every student receives an educational assessment by our Education Director and/or Middle School Lead Teacher.  The goal for our assessment of potential students is to determine their readiness for a particular grade level work at PUCS.

For admission to kindergarten, we use games, puzzles, and conversation to determine a child’s grasp of one-to one correspondence, the thread of a story, level of letter and number recognition, pattern recognition, and general maturity level. We do not require children to know all letters and numbers.

For each of the other grade levels we use a standard reading inventory (for fluency and comprehension) to determine a child’s reading level. We use middle-of-the-year and end-of-the-year assessments from our math text, Everyday Math 4, to determine basic math level. There’s also a short grade-level word recognition and vocabulary component. We engage the child in conversation and ask for them to write a short piece in response to a prompt. We request student records from a student’s previous school prior to enrolling.