Admission Criteria

Early Commitment Program (9th Applicants Only)

Students who are admitted through the Early Commitment Program will have a guaranteed space in the freshman class for 2025-2026; will not be charged additional fees for the high school placement exam, and will pay a discounted registration fee!

St. Francis High School’s honors, Project Lead the Way, AP programs and the Presidential Scholarship Program have experienced great demand. The number of spaces available in these programs and in the freshman class is limited. In an effort to more effectively meet that demand and provide a quality Catholic college preparatory education to the communities we serve, St. Francis High School has begun to admit students through an Early Commitment Program.

To be considered for the Early Commitment Program, the student will complete:

The Online Application by December 2, 2024
HSPT placement exam on either January 25, 2025 or February 1, 2025
The student will ask his/her principal or counselor from his/her grammar school to provide the following by December 2, 2024 (All recommendations are sent via the online application):
Cumulative grade report through the 7th grade
Standardized test scores through the 7th grade
Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 to apply
Principal recommendation form (confidential)

Application for admission to St. Francis High School is open to all students who have successfully completed the eighth grade in good standing. An applicant for admission to the freshman class must do the following:

Submit the required application, including the required application fee.
Complete an interview with a member of the admissions committee.
Take the placement examination in the year applying.
Submit a transcript of work completed thus far in the seventh and eighth grades.
Submit the required recommendation form completed by the present principal, eighth grade math teacher, and eighth grade English teacher.
Show satisfactory citizenship as demonstrated by school records and recommendations.

Admission to the school is determined by the Admissions Committee. Factors considered in admissions decisions are the following:

Demonstrated ability to undertake the required curriculum;
Demonstrated effort and willingness to learn;
Demonstrated good character and commitment to a school community.

Families wishing to appeal an admission decision should send a letter of appeal to the President. The letter should contain additional information to be considered beyond that reviewed in the original admissions process. The President’s decision on the appeal is final.

All incoming information needs to come to the attention of:
Mrs. Haydee Lemus
Director of Enrollment

St. Francis High School
2400 East Lake Avenue
Watsonville, CA 95076

Traditional 9th Applicants

Application for admission to St. Francis High School is open to all students who have successfully completed the eighth grade in good standing. An applicant for admission to the freshman class must do the following:

Submit the required application, including the required application fee.
Complete an interview with a member of the admissions committee.
Take the placement examination in the year applying.
Submit a transcript of work completed thus far in the seventh and eighth grades.
Submit the required recommendation form completed by the present principal, eighth grade math teacher, and eighth grade English teacher.
Show satisfactory citizenship as demonstrated by school records and recommendations.

Admission to the school is determined by the Admissions Committee. Factors considered in admissions decisions are the following:

Demonstrated ability to undertake the required curriculum;
Demonstrated effort and willingness to learn;
Demonstrated good character and commitment to a school community.

Families wishing to appeal an admission decision should send a letter of appeal to the President. The letter should contain additional information to be considered beyond that reviewed in the original admissions process. The President’s decision on the appeal is final.

Transfer Applicants

A student wishing to transfer from another high school will be considered for admission pending the following:

Space available
Successful completion of an interview with a member of the admissions committee.
Completion of coursework that is comparable to that at SFHS.
Maintaining a cumulative mark point average of 2.75 or higher throughout high school.

Transfer

applicants are required to file the appropriate application to the school and to provide all related documents described in the application. Such applicants may also be required to provide recommendations from previous schools and to take a readiness test.

Transfers into the senior class are reviewed on an individual basis, but are strictly governed by the applicants ability to graduate from St. Francis HS and be eligible for college admissions. Individual cases will be evaluated by the Admissions Committee.

Applications for transfer students will be available December 3, 2024.

All Applicants

Once accepted to the school, an applicant (freshman or transfer) secures enrollment in the school only after submission of the following:

Student Enrollment Packet and Registration Fee.
Family Service Contract.
Copy of Birth Certificate.
A final transcript from his/her previous school. Conditionally accepted students must submit grades of summer school courses.

An applicant with a learning disability or with special needs must disclose that disability or special needs on the application. Failure to do so may result in the revocation of enrollment in the school. When feasible, the school will make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with learning disabilities and/or special needs. However, when such accommodation by the school is not feasible, students in need of such will not be admitted.

Students (both applicants and continuing students) with diagnosed learning disabilities must have the appropriate documentation on file with the school.

Statement of Non-Discrimination

St. Francis High School, located in the Diocese of Monterey, is mindful of its primary mission to be a witness to the love of Christ for all, admits students of any race, color, national and/or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to the students at the school.

St. Francis High School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and/or ethnic origin, age, or gender in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

While St. Francis High School does not discriminate against students with special needs, a full range of services may not be available. We are very proud of the accommodations we can provide for students with minor learning challenges, and we are cognizant to each child’s needs to matriculate into college.

Likewise, St. Francis High School does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of gender, age, disability, race, color, and national and/or ethnic origin.

St. Francis High School reserves the right to be the sole judge of merit, competence, and qualifications, and can favor Catholic applicants and coworkers in all employment decisions, especially in those positions that have direct bearing upon the pastoral activity of the Church.