Continuous Enrollment
Westlake Christian Academy uses Continuous Enrollment to manage the annual enrollment process. There's no need to re-enroll every year. Students are continuously enrolled until graduation from Westlake or until the family follows a withdrawal procedure.
Continuous Enrollment Process
- As part of the enrollment process for new students, families will indicate their understanding that their children are continuously enrolled at Westlake until graduation or, if necessary, the withdrawal process is followed.
- The April tuition payment each year becomes the Continuous Enrollment down payment for the next school year, which will be deducted from tuition due next year.
- Once enrolled, students are considered part of Westlake until they graduate, with no further annual “re-enrollment” process required.
- Pre-K and Kindergarten require a Commitment Form to reserve the schedule of your choice for the following year. Commitment Forms are emailed to current Preschool and Pre-K students in February. Due to differences in class sizes, it is possible that not all Pre-K students will receive a space in Kindergarten. Commitment Forms should be completed as soon as they are available.
Continous Enrollment FAQs
- Continuous Enrollment is a common-sense approach to enrollment that reflects Westlake's commitment to your family. Our goal is to be your partner throughout your child's entire education.
- Rather than an opt-IN annual re-enrollment process, Continuous Enrollment is an opt-OUT process. Your student is automatically re-enrolled for the following school year, unless you follow the withdrawal procedure to let us know that your plans have changed.
Continuous Enrollment depends upon designating one month’s tuition payment—April—as a down payment for the next year. A full year’s tuition payment schedule provides for the April payment not to be included in the current year so that it can function as the next year’s down payment without adding any extra burden to returning families.
As part of the enrollment process, new families sign a financial commitment form which includes the following points:
- I hereby opt-in to continuous enrollment. This means that my children enrolled at WCA will keep returning to WCA every year unless I complete the withdrawal form.
- I understand that I have until March 31st every year to notify the WCA Business Office of any changes in enrollment plans for my child(ren).
- I understand that the Continuous Enrollment down payment will be drawn from my FACTS account in April each year.
- If I withdraw my children after March 31st, I understand that my April down payment is non-refundable.
Unique circumstances: Westlake Christian Academy recognizes that family plans change. For any unique circumstances (such as the following), families withdrawing after March 31 will be entitled to a refund of the April down payment:
- Moving/relocating away from the area served by Westlake Christian Academy.
- Educational needs for the student that can no longer be met at Westlake Christian Academy.
- Withdrawal at the request of Westlake Christian Academy.
- Other circumstances as approved by the Board of Trustees.
January
- Tuition for the next year announced
- Variable Tuition application period begins January 15
February
- Opt-out (withdrawal) period begins
- Pre-K and Kindergarten Commitment Forms due Feb 15
March
- Opt-out (withdrawal) period ends March 31
April
- Variable tuition application period ends April 30
- Continuous Enrollment tuition down payment for next year is due (this is tuition payment #1 for next year)
- For families on the monthly payment plan, the amount will be automatically withdrawn as your April payment
- For annual/semester payments, your family will be billed 1/12 of the tuition amount for the following year.
May
- Current families receive their updated financial agreement form for the upcoming school year. No action is required, unless changes need to be made.
June through March of the next year
- Tuition payments 2-11 (of 12 payments) due
- Single payments and the first of two semester payments due in July (for families on those plans)
- The second of two semester payments is due in December (for families on that plan)
April of the next year
- Continuous Enrollment tuition down payment for the following year due
May of the next year
- Tuition payment 12 (of 12 payments) due
As a current Westlake family, if you would like to enroll a sibling who is not currently attending Westlake, priority enrollment will be awarded to that student through January 31.
- Enrolling a sibling of a current student is similar to enrolling a new student. The application process is online.
- Login to your FACTS Family Portal account
- Select “Apply/Enroll” to start a new application
- Siblings will be added to your family’s financial agreement form for the payment cycle that begins in June.
Tuition & Continuous Enrollment
- The Continuous Enrollment tuition down payment is a financial commitment for currently enrolled families. The down payment is a one-month tuition payment towards the next school year to indicate your family’s commitment to having your children enrolled at Westlake for the next school year.
- There is no April tuition payment scheduled for the current year, so that the down payment for the next year can be made that month without additional impact upon your family’s finances.
- If you are currently receiving a variable tuition rate, that rate will be applied to your down payment charge as well, so that the April payment will be the same as the other months’ payments.
All families are on one of three payment plans:
- One payment for the full year tuition (less the Continuous Enrollment down payment) due July 1
- Two semester payments (less the Continuous Enrollment down payment) due July 1 and January 1
- Twelve monthly payments, starting with the Continuous Enrollment down payment in April and continuing June-May (the following April payment is for the next year)
- Yes, all families need to have a FACTS account for monthly tuition collection. In addition to automatically collecting tuition payments, FACTS manages the collection of the Continuous Enrollment down payment and other fees as needed.
- Families who are on a one- or two-payment plan may submit their tuition payments directly to the Westlake business office without using FACTS. However, the Continuous Enrollment down payment will be collected through FACTS unless specific arrangements are made with the business office.
- For those families on the monthly plan, the Continuous Enrollment down payment will be drawn from your FACTS account in April unless Westlake receives a withdrawal form prior to that day.
- For those families on the annual or semester payment plan, the Continuous Enrollment down payment will be billed separately and will be due on April 1 unless Westlake receives a withdrawal form prior to that day.
Yes, but only in the following cases:
- If your family submits a withdrawal form by March 31 (in which case the down payment will not be drawn)
- In the event of a move out of the area before school begins
- In the event your tuition assistance award is insufficient, after Westlake reviews your FACTS application with you to consider extenuating circumstances
- In the event Westlake can no longer meet your child’s educational needs
- In the event Westlake asks your child to withdraw
- In the event there are unforeseen circumstances, in which case a refund needs Board approval
- All accounts must be current in order to keep your continuous enrollment status active.
- Variable tuition will only be awarded when accounts are current.
Tuition Assistance & Continuous Enrollment
- FACTS begins accepting Variable Tuition applications on January 15 for the following school year.
- For current students to be considered for Variable Tuition, applications and all supporting data must be submitted and verified by April 30.
If you are receiving a Variable Tuition rate, the same rate will be used for the Continuous Enrollment down payment. This does not necessarily guarantee that Variable Tuition will be extended for the next year at the same level.
- When a completed Variable Tuition application and supporting documents are submitted to FACTS and verified by April 30, the student’s enrollment becomes contingent upon acceptance of the awarded rate. Variable Tuition will only be awarded when accounts are current.
- If the awarded Variable Tuition rate is not adequate for the family’s needs, the Continuous Enrollment down payment will be refunded only if the Variable Tuition application deadline has been met and paperwork is completed.
- We urge families to contact us if the Variable Tuition rate offered does not meet their needs. We will make every reasonable effort to accommodate a family’s reasonable financial circumstances.
Student Withdrawl & Opting Out of Continuous Enrollment
February and March are the opt-out months for current WCA families. During that time, families who need to withdraw their students for the upcoming school year may do so by filling out an online withdrawal form, found below.
For families who discover they are moving after the opt-out period but before the school year begins, the Continuous Enrollment down payment and any tuition payments made will be refunded. In that case, Westlake requires a letter of explanation.
Families who withdraw and later decide to enroll must follow the procedure for new applicants, which requires a registration fee in addition to full tuition. Withdrawn students who wish to re-enroll will also be placed at the end of the waiting list.
- Call the school office, 847-548-6209
- Email info@westlakechristianacademy.org
- Come in during office hours, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday