Application Process

 PROCESS FOR ADMISSION TO CREATIVE LEARNING ACADEMY

CLA, a college preparatory three-year old through eighth independent day school, fully accredited by FCIS, SACS CASI and FKS, welcomes children of any race, color, creed and national or ethnic origin.  CLA, strongly grounded in the tradition of the best practices as defined by the National Association of Independent Schools, will provide a challenging curriculum with clear expectations for achievement to the best of each student’s abilities.  CLA is dedicated to academic excellence and self-discipline in a child-focused and nurturing environment.

The Wait Pool

All students who make application to CLA and who meet the admission requirements are placed in a wait pool of qualified students.  This assures the parent that the student will be considered for admission when an appropriate opening or openings become available.  Being in the wait pool does not guarantee admission. We regret that we are not able to offer enrollment to all qualified applicants. 

Procedure for Applying to CLA

1. Visit the school and take a tour of the campus.
2. Schedule a day for student to visit the school. Student will visit in both the current grade and next year’s grade level for an appropriate amount of time during a school day.  The student will stay without parents during this visit.  For mid-year admission, the student will visit only the current grade level class.  Parents are encouraged to visit both grade level teachers, but on a different day.
3. Students applying to 1^st through 8^th grades will complete an assessment during their visit day at CLA.  Students applying to Preprimary and Kindergarten will be assessed using the Gesell Developmental screening instrument.  
4. Complete the application forms and submit a non-refundable application/assessment fee of $100.00.
5. Complete and sign the Permission to Release Student Information to Creative Learning Academy form and send or give to the registrar or Guidance Counselor at your child’s current school.  This form provides a request for copies of report cards, achievement test scores, any diagnostic test results, any psychological test results and teacher recommendations to be sent to Creative Learning Academy for review.
6. Parents will meet with the  Head of School or her designee to assess behavioral and academic acceptance.
7. Students applying to Preprimary and Kindergarten will have step 2 modified as deemed appropriate by the Early Childhood teachers.

 Age Requirements for Application

The age requirements for applying to CLA for the 2011-2012 school year are:

For Preprimary 3 year old:          3 years old before September 1, 2011

For Kindergarten:                        5 years old before September 1, 2011

For First Grade:                 6 years old before September 2011 and completed  kindergarten

Application Decisions

All student applications will be evaluated by the standing Admission Team, and the two teachers who hosted the student during his or her class visit.  The evaluation will include a review of the admission assessment results, completed teacher recommendations, student questionnaire, parent questionnaire, current and past grades and previous standardized test scores.  The team’s decision will be final.  Notification of the decision will be made either by mail or phone by the Director of Enrollment Management or her designee.  If a student qualifies for admission to CLA, the student will be placed in the waiting pool until he or she is offered admission to CLA.  Being qualified for admission and being placed in the waiting pool does not guarantee admission. 

Admission to CLA

When a student is offered an enrollment contract to CLA, the parents will have 10 business days in which to enroll the student.  After that date, admission will not be guaranteed. 

Admission to CLA is finalized when the completed and signed enrollment contract is received by CLA with a non-refundable registration fee of $350.00

Other Requirements for New Student Enrollment

Before a student can begin classes at CLA, the following items must be completed and on file in the school office:

• Copy of Birth Certificate
• Up to date Immunization Record signed by physician (click here for State of FL immunization requirements)
• Florida HRS Student Physical Examination Form signed by physician
•  Emergency Medical Treatment Release Form signed by parent or guardian
•  Tuition for siblings already enrolled in CLA must be paid in full.
•  Tuition plan selected
• Off-campus Permission Form signed by parent or guardian
•  Academic assessments
• All student records received from prior school including report cards, recommendations, standardized test scores and attendance records.

CLA will request official transcripts from the previous school upon enrollment of the student at CLA.

The Probation Period

The school’s Mission Statement and its Admission Policies govern enrollment at CLA.  We recognize that while CLA is an outstanding college preparatory school, it is simply not the best choice for every student.  The Admission Committee at CLA, and the prospective parents and student applicant will make every effort to assure that the student and CLA are a “good match”- that CLA can meet the needs of the student and that the student has the appropriate skills, attitude, and background to have the benefit of success at CLA.  Despite all sincere efforts, on rare occasions it becomes clear that a new student is not enjoying success at CLA.  To address this potential concern, all new students enrolled at CLA will be placed on probationary status during their first marking period.  During this period, the student will be evaluated for academic, social, and behavioral appropriateness and development according to the school’s established standards.  This review will include the student’s full academic records obtained form the previous school, as these records may indicate that the student lacks the appropriate background to be successful in the CLA academic program.  This evaluation will be ongoing and examined in concert with the student’s parents.  Following this probationary period, if it is determined by the school that the student does not meet CLA’s standards, the student will be asked to leave the school with no derogatory repercussions.  CLA will only assess the appropriate percentage of the tuition that has been used up to that point, according to the payment plan that has been selected.

For additional information regarding admission, please call Robin Bates, Admissions Director, 850-432-1768.

Forms You Will Need:

Click here to download the Application Process Document

Click here to download the Application Checklist

Click here for the Kindergarten - First Grade Teacher Recommendation Form

Click here for the Second Grade - Fourth Grade Teacher Recommendation Form

Click here for the Fifth Grade - Eighth Grade (Middle School) Teacher Recommendation Form

Click here to print Tuition Schedule