• Thank you for your interest in St. Charles School!

    St. Charles School is a K-8, coed, Roman Catholic parochial school located in San Carlos, California.

    As the educational program of St. Charles Church, we are honored to serve families in St. Charles Parish and the surrounding community with our love of life-long learning, dedication to faith formation through the Gospel, and drive for academic excellence.

    As part of the San Francisco Archdiocesan school system, St. Charles School admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin. St. Charles School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national, ethnic origin or disabilities in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic, or other school administered programs.

    Admissions Timeline

    St. Charles is accepting Kindergarten applications for the 2024-2025 school year through January 30, 2025.  First grade through seventh grade prospective student applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through June 2025.  Follow the steps below to successfully submit your application!

    Step 1

    St. Charles School will host in-person tours for the 2024-2025 school year. To participate, please register: Registration Form

    School Tours

    October 2024 - January 2025
    Start Time: 8:45 AM 

    Step 2 

    Submit an Application: Kindergarten applications are due January 29, 2025 (Kindergarten students MUST be 5 years of age by September 2025.) All other grades: ongoing through June 2025.

    The following forms must be submitted by email to office manager Becky Ott at frontoffice@stcharlesschoolsc.org or via US Mail to formally apply to St. Charles School, 850 Tamarack Avenue, San Carlos CA 94070, Attention: Ms. Ott.

    Completed Application Form
    Copy of Applicant's Birth Certificate
    Copy of Applicant's Baptismal Certificate

    Download: 

    Step 3 

    Apply for Tuition Assistance: (optional) Please contact our Principal.  We welcome all families who are interested in financial aid to submit a TADS application form. Please visit our Tuition Assistance page, or download forms from the TADS® system.  

    Step 4 

    Complete a Readiness Screening: Begins 2025 (by appointment only)

    We ensure that every child who joins St. Charles will thrive! To assess readiness for our programs, we require all applicants to complete an assessment.

    Kindergarten applicants participate in an individual readiness screening.  Children will engage virtually in age-appropriate activities designed to assess preparedness and social-emotional readiness.  

    Prospective students for all other grade levels in March 2025 will have an opportunity to shadow a student for a day and will take an academic assessment during their visit.

    A $40.00 assessment fee is charged for all applicants who plan to complete a readiness or academic assessment.

    Step 5 

    Sign Up for a Parent/Guardian Interview: Beginning in February 2025 (by appointment only). All families applying for Kindergarten will complete an interview with our pastor and principal. Kindergarten interviews are scheduled for parents and should last approximately 30 minutes. In order to register for a parent interview, prospective families must first submit a 2024-2025 application, child's Birth Certificate, and child's Baptismal Certificate.

    Acceptance letters will be sent to families of student applicants:
    Kindergarten acceptance letters in February 2025
    All other grade level acceptance letters—rolling acceptances beginning March 1, 2025

    Priority of Acceptance:

    Acceptance priority of applicants is based on the following criteria:

    • Children of St. Charles Parish families
    • Children of neighboring parish families
    • Children of non-Catholic families

    Within the context of the guidelines enumerated above, siblings of children enrolled at St. Charles will be given appropriate consideration, including the child’s academic and personal development as indicated by tests, personal interviews, and recommendations from preschool. Enrollment is limited to 36 students per class. Vacancies are filled according to the listed criteria. Those students who meet the criteria for acceptance, but for whom we have no available space, will be placed on the waiting list.

    “Parish Family” is defined as one with at least one parent who is Catholic; the family is formally registered in the Parish, regularly participates in liturgical worship with the parish community, and contributes regularly to the support of the parish (not merely financial but also support of parish ministries). All other persons or families are considered, for the purpose of school registration, to be “out-of-parish."  If further clarification of “in-parish” or “out of parish” is needed, questions would be referred to the Pastor.