Admissions Process
Because of the myriad of choices, finding the right school in Chicago can be daunting. You may be starting your first child in preschool and want guidance in what you should be looking for. You may have just moved to the city and were at a school you loved and are hoping to replicate that experience in your family's next chapter. You may have been at your neighborhood school and realized it was not the best fit for your child. Wherever you are coming from, it is our goal to partner with you in determining whether Daystar is the best fit for your family.
Steps To Enroll
1. Attend a daystar tour
Join us for a tour of Daystar Academy, and discover why Daystar could be the best school choice for your family. We ask that you click "Schedule a Tour" to learn why Daystar's unique approach to how you learn, what you learn and who you learn with means a better education for every student and creates adults the world needs. This is the first step in our admissions process. On the tour you will:
- attend all-school chapel
- see students during a typical day in their hands-on approach to learning. Learn about our inquiry-based educational approach as outlined by the International Baccalaureate framework
- hear from Tami Doig, Head of School, on why Daystar's unique approach to how you learn, what you learn and who you learn with means a better education for every student and creates adults the world needs
- learn about how Daystar provides students with high-quality learning in a flexible format, and what safety protocols have been implemented to keep our kids safe
- have the opportunity to ask your questions and voice your concerns about what is important as you search for the right fit for your family.
2. Complete An Application
You are welcome to begin and complete your application prior to touring, however, we will require attendance before offering enrollment (if no tour dates are available due to summer or Christmas vacation, reach out to admissions@daystaracademy.org). Daystar's online application gives you space to provide all you want to communicate about your child. Once you have completed the online application, which includes a $60 application fee and an uploaded copy of your child's birth certificate, Daystar's admissions team will review the application before reaching out to schedule next steps. For 1st through 12th grade applications, additional supporting documents are required including a recent progress report, an end of year report card, teacher and principal recommendations, and standardized test scores. For preschool and kindergarten applicants, submitting records from previous school experience is encouraged.
3. Participate in a virtual classroom visit
Daystar's admissions team will reach out to schedule a classroom visit. Visits will vary in time according to age. Students will participate in the regular classroom schedule and may be asked to complete an academic assessment.
4. Receive An Admission Decision
After a thorough review of your information and feedback from your student's visit, Daystar's admissions team will email an admissions decision within 7 - 10 days.
Enabling an excellent educationAt Daystar we believe that an excellent and complete education means learning in an environment that reflects the world around us. For that reason we do all that we can to ensure our students come from a wide range of economic backgrounds. We do this by offering over $2,000,000 in need-based financial aid each year. Sixty percent of our K-12th grade students receive some sort of assistance. Daystar is a place where a private education is truly affordable!