EASTSIDE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL welcomes international students who would like to study in the United States. Because of our rigorous academics and strong Christian focus, we require the following of all enrolling students:
ENGLISH PROFICIENCY
Because we have no ELL program, prospective students must speak conversational English at grade level and score well on the iTEP SLATE-Plus test. Middle-schoolers must score 4.0 or higher; acceptable scores for younger grades will vary. (Other tests may be acceptable, please contact our Admissions Director, Tina Ogimachi.)
SPIRITUAL COMPATIBILITY
A student’s family or host family must be Christian, willing to provide spiritual encouragement and support at home, or they must be interested in and supportive of learning about the Christian faith. All subjects are taught from a Christian worldview, with daily Bible classes and weekly worship services.
Students should also make every effort to attend ECS for the full school year (September to June).
To apply for admission
1. Please submit an online application at ecswa.org > Admissions > Apply Now. You will be asked to pay a $75/student application fee. Because the fee is non-refundable, we recommend contacting the school first to confirm that seats are still available.
2. Send a copy of the student’s most recent progress reports. If the student has already taken an English-proficiency test, please email those scores as well.
3. Interview with our Principal to determine if ECS is a good fit for the student. Interviews will be arranged by the Director of Admissions and may be conducted over Skype.
4. If requested, upper elementary and middle school students must take the iTEP SLATE-Plus test and provide results to ECS.
5. If the student is accepted, the student will be invited to complete an online Enrollment packet. Submission of the packet will require payment of a $375/family enrollment fee. This fee is non-refundable.
If an I-20 Form is required
1. Please complete the I-20 application provided by ECS and return it with a $1,500/student international fee. (Upon payment of the International fee, the $375 enrollment fee will be credited to the family’s account.) For families with multiple children, the international student fee, as well as tuition, will be discounted 15% for the 2nd child, 30% for the 3rd child, and 45% for the 4th and subsequent children.
2. ECS will process the application/s and issue the I-20 form/s to the family. Families must provide written authorization if they would like the I-20/s delivered via a third party.
3. Families will pay the appropriate Passport/F-1 visa fees to Immigration.
4. Once the visa has been approved, the family will pay the year’s tuition in full.
5. If the visa is denied, ECS will refund the international student fee.
Upon arrival in the US
1. The family will provide ECS with a copy of the student’s stamped passport with port of entry information.
2. ECS will register the new student in the SEVIS electronic system.
3. ECS will sign the travel endorsement on the I-20 to allow the student to reenter the US.
4. ECS will assess the student to ensure proper class placement.
Email our Admissions Director or call (425) 641-5570, ext. 120 if you have questions.