Admissions Process & Schedule (applicable to 2023-2024 school year)

Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School Admissions Policy: 

To advance an orderly and equitable admission for children to Immaculate Heart of Mary School, the following policy shall be followed with an intent toward advancing improvement based on the changing needs of the parish membership, the school ministry’s overall mission, and other pertinent factors that the administration deems relevant toward that mission. 

Admission and Wait-List Policy & Procedures:

The primary goal of the School is to provide a Catholic education to the children in the parish in accordance with Archdiocesan guidelines and recommendations. All students will participate in all required classes and liturgies. The School will make reasonable efforts to accommodate students with physical, emotional, social, learning, or other challenges.

 It is also a goal of the School to encourage the parish to provide financial support to economically disadvantaged parish families who wish to attend the School. Once adopted, amendments to this admission policy must be accomplished through the parish pastor and the School Commission.

Grades K through 8: 

Beginning with the spring registration date, which is established each year by the School administration, students who are at least age 4 by the registration cut-off date will be selected and placed in the appropriate grade based on the following categories in descending order of priority:

1. Current students at IHM school.

2.  Siblings of current IHM students.

3.  Catholic children of Active IHM Parishioners who are also graduates of IHM  School.

4.  Catholic children of Active IHM Parishioners.

5.  Catholic children of non-participating parishioners who are children of alumni or siblings of a graduate of IHM School.

6.  Catholic children of non-participating parishioners.

7.  Non-Catholic children of non-participating parishioners who are graduates of IHM School.

8.  Non-Catholic children of non-participating parishioners.

Within these categories priority will be given according to the parish registration date of any family, and/or according to the date of application.  Applications are accepted throughout the year, and our enrollment timeline is as follows:

    • October/November: Current IHM School Families required to submit applications for any incoming Kindergarten child.
    • January: Re-enrollment for current IHM students in grades K-7 (due by February 1).
    • Mid-January: Enrollment invitations emailed to those on the Kindergarten waiting list.
    • Mid-February: Enrollment invitations emailed to those on the waiting lists for grades 1-8
    • April 15: All new family tuition deposits (non refundable) must be made to secure a spot in the upcoming school year.

        If enrollment offers are declined, IHM will send enrollment invitation emails to the next family on the waiting list.

        If any student is selected for an incoming class, his or her siblings will be placed in category number 2 above for the school year for which they are registering. 

        The approximate enrollment for any given year is 25 students per classroom in grades K-8.

        K through 8 Wait-List

        Students not selected for admission to the school will automatically be placed on a wait-list. If an opening becomes available, students on the wait-list will be given priority for those openings in the same order of preference as detailed in section A. The wait-list will exist from year to year only; the wait list for each school year shall be established after the selection process for the upcoming school year has ended and shall terminate when that school year ends.

        Transfer Students

         Students in good standing from another school will be considered for transfer admission after the following has been accomplished:

        1.  Enrollment forms are completed and submitted to the administration. 

        2.  A conference with the principal, parents, and the student (if the student is in grades 4-8) has been held. 

        3.  If requested, the parents have provided a written statement indicating their reasons for enrolling their child. 

        4.  Previous records have been supplied to the administration including, if available and applicable a current report card, standardized testing results, individual education plan or 504 plan. If records are not available, the principal shall require testing of the child to determine placement. 

        5.  Updated immunization records must be submitted to the school office with the application. 

        6.  If the Principal, in the Principal’s sole discretion, determines that it is in the school and the student’s best interests, and if there is an opening, the student will be admitted on a probationary status for one semester.

        Prioritization of placement of applicants for transfer will occur in the same order and by the same criteria as defined in section A.  Although ultimately subject to the principal’s discretion of what is in the school’s and child’s best interests, as a general rule, students seeking to transfer immediately before or during eighth grade are discouraged to do so. 

        Immaculate Heart of Mary supports the disciplinary decisions of other schools. Therefore, a student expelled from another school may not be considered for enrollment regardless of the family’s parish status until one year after the expulsion date.