Admissions Philosophy

The Little Rock Christian Academy mission is to serve families, churches and the
community by providing a K4- 12th grade education, characterized by excellence in the pursuit of truth from a Christ-centered worldview.

The LRCA Strategic Goals are expressed as follows:

• Little Rock Christian Academy seeks to be a pre-eminent K4 – 12 academic
  institution that offers an excellent college-preparatory curriculum while serving
  the greatest portion of the body of Christ reasonably possible within our
  community.
• Little Rock Christian Academy, above all else, must uncompromisingly teach and
  model the truth of the Person of Christ.

Based on the aforementioned propositions, admission to LRCA is based
on the following philosophy.

• LRCA seeks students and families who desire a Christian education. By
  “Christian”, we mean a vibrant, loving faith in Jesus Christ that rests upon biblical
  truth. By “education,” we mean the academic, artistic and athletic foundations
  necessary for a healthy collegiate experience.
• LRCA seeks students and families with positive attitudes and who will abide by
  our school standards for learning and behavior.
• Furthermore, LRCA is not able to serve with full integrity all learner profiles.
  There may be student profiles that require a more specialized educational program elsewhere.

Applicants to Little Rock Christian Academy should:

• have, at least, one parent who is a devoted follower of Jesus Christ as demonstrated in their life, their statement of faith and local church membership;
• have a successful school history or exhibit clear developmental readiness;
  • display a positive attitude for the purposes of LRCA;
• bring a learning profile that can be reasonably served by LRCA.* [see Limit of Academic Services statement]

Exceptions to this policy would be rare and based on evidence that both the family
and Little Rock Christian Academy would be mutually well-served by admission to the
school. Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Admissions Committee and
will be reported to the Board of Trustees.

As a private school of evangelical, biblical faith, LRCA maintains the right to admit
students that befit the mission or not admit students that do not befit the mission.
More specifically, LRCA upholds a biblical view of morality (e.g., 1 Thessalonians
4:3-5), and, since we are a faith community and an extension of the evangelical church, we maintain the right to consider, for example; sexual beliefs or behavior as criteria for admission and retention.

 

Admissions Criteria

Early Childhood (K4 – Grade 1) Applicant Criteria

• All applicants for K5 and grade 1 are screened for developmental readiness.
• The recommended birth date benchmark is September 1st for the year of admission.
• Current Little Rock Christian Academy Kindergarten students and new family applicants will be assessed for first grade readiness in order for the Elementary Principal to recommend placement.
• Interview with the appropriate school leadership.

Grades 2 – 5 Applicant Criteria

• Maintain C average or above in academic grades or evidence of satisfactory performance if grades are not available.
• Applicants must attain an average composite achievement score on a nationally-normed standardized achievement test. Test results must be no older than a year to be accepted.
• Applicant’s learning profile should not indicate a need for special instructional services beyond our Limit of Academic Services.
• Additional testing may be required at the expense of the parent.
• Have satisfactory school attendance for the previous year.
• Have satisfactory behavior history (at home, in school, and in the community) and provide positive indication that he/she wants to be a part of the Little Rock Christian student body.
• IInterview with the appropriate school leadership.

Grades 6 – 12 Applicant Criteria

• Maintain C average or above in academic grades or evidence of satisfactory performance if grades are not available.
• Applicants must attain an average composite achievement score on a nationally-normed standardized achievement test. Test results must be no older than a year to be accepted.
• Applicant’s learning profile should not indicate a need for special instructional services beyond our Limit of Academic Services.
• Additional testing may be required at the expense of the parent.
• Have satisfactory school attendance for the previous year.
• Have satisfactory behavior history (at home, in school, and in the community) and provide positive indication that he/she wants to be a part of the Little Rock Christian student body.
• Satisfactory Principal recommendation. (Grades 6 – 12)
• Interview with the appropriate school leadership.

Special Consideration
Under certain circumstances, exceptions to these criteria may be made at the discretion of the Admissions Committee.

 

Admissions Procedures

All families seeking admission to Little Rock Christian Academy are asked to follow these steps for admission:

• Applicant family fills out the application and returns it to the school with Registration and Application fees. (All fees are non-refundable unless student is not admitted.)
• Applicant family submits grades and current standardized test scores.
• Families applying to 6th grade and higher must have Little Rock Christian’s Principal Recommendation form filled out by current school principal and returned to LRCA.
• Students interested in third grade or higher must shadow at least one half day before application is to be reviewed.
• Families must complete the financial form located in the information folder.
• The family will have an interview with Grade Level Principal or designee.

Finalizing the Enrollment Process

Notification of acceptance will be accompanied with instructions for “next steps”.
For example, a request will be made for:

• Official copy of academic transcript
• Birth Certificate
• Record of Immunization

The final decision regarding admission to Little Rock Christian Academy will be made by the Admissions Committee. Parents will be notified of that decision in writing.