Admissions

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Academic Excellence rooted in Faith

Join our thriving community.
We empower students to achieve excellence. While our students are consistently the top performers in the region, we provide more than an excellent education. At CC, we promise faith, family, and belonging in an environment that promotes inclusion, confidence, and a passion to make the world a better place.
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IMPORTANT DATES

October
3
Weekly Info Nights Begin

During the month of October—specifically on the 3rd, 15th, and 23rd from 6:30-8 pm—6th and 8th grade students and parents can learn from school leadership and a faculty/staff member, hear the experienced voices of a current parent and current student, and go on a student-led tour.

Register here.

October
10
8th Grade Shadow Days Begin

Running until December 1, 8th grade students are invited to attend two classes, lunch in the Student Center, a student-led tour, and learn more about what Catholic Central has to offer.

Register here.

October
15
Applications Open
  • Class of 2029 admissions
  • 2025-26 Variable Tuition
  • 2025-26 Endowed Scholarships
  • Class of 2029 Dominican Scholar Award
  • Parish Support Form
November
10
Open House

From 1-4 pm, families are invited to join for student-led tours with classrooms in action as well as a Student Expo where they can meet students, faculty, and staff.

Register here.

November
20
Transfer Application Open

Applications open for 2nd semester transfer students.

December
4
Applications Deadlines

Priority deadlines:

  • Class of 2029 admissions
  • 2025-26 Variable Tuition

Hard deadlines:

  • 2025-26 Endowed Scholarships
  • Class of 2029 Dominican Scholar Award
January
31
Admission Decisions Released

Class of 2029 acceptance decisions are released for the applicants who met the priority timeline. This includes tuition information.

We’re excited to welcome you to campus.
Our downtown Grand Rapids campus is diverse and thriving — making it an inspiring place to be. But don’t just take our word for it; we invite you to see for yourself. Schedule a visit and our staff will guide you through an exploration of our classrooms, grounds, and more.

Variable Tuition

An affordable and accessible investment.
Catholic Central is committed to making a Catholic education accessible to families from a range of economic backgrounds. We believe that tuition should not be a "one-size-fits-all" model.
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ADMISSION PROCESS

1

Create your online application

2

Complete and submit the application

We encourage all interested applicants to submit the application as soon as possible.

3

Documents Requested

After the application is submitted we will request academic, attendance, and disciplinary information from the student’s school.

4

Admission decisions Released

Once the school documents have been received, the applications will be reviewed by committee and a decision will be shared with the family.

Admissions FAQs

Prospective Family Events, Shadow Days, and Tours

What and when is the Open House?

All prospective families are invited to join us to learn more about Catholic Central. Take a student-led tour of the school, see classrooms in action, meet teachers and staff, and visit our student activities expo. Our Open House is in mid-November each year.

What grades can apply to transfer?

Catholic Central accepts transfer applications for 9th-11th grade students. We do not accept 12th grade transfer students.

How can I schedule a tour?

Contact the admissions office to schedule a tour. Learn more.

What and when are Shadow Days?

Shadow Days allow students to experience a day as a Cougar at Catholic Central. They will attend a few classes and stay for lunch. 8th grade Shadow Days are scheduled from mid-October until December 1st. Current 9th-10th grade students should contact admissions to schedule a Shadow Day.

Tuition, Variable Tuition, and Scholarships

When should I start the application for my child?
  • 8th grade students: Applications for incoming freshmen open in mid-October of their 8th grade year.
  • 9th-11th grade students for 1st semester/fall admission: Applications open in mid-April.
  • 9th-11th grade students for 2nd semester/winter admission: Applications open in mid-November.

See our apply now page for details.

What is the process for variable tuition?
  1. The interested family completes the third party financial aid application.
  2. The application results report gets sent to Catholic Central’s business office to customize each family’s tuition based on the specifics of each family’s financial situation.
  3. Learn more about variable tuition here.
Does CC offer a multi-student discount?

No. Variable tuition takes into account if there is more than one student, including siblings that are at a different tuition-based school, at any grade level including college.

How much is tuition for a family receiving variable tuition?

There is no standard amount because CC treats each family specifically based on their unique financial situation. Our families participating in variable tuition generally pay anywhere from 20-80% of tuition.

What is the Dominican Scholar Award?

The Dominican Scholar Award is a scholarship designed to recognize incoming freshmen who are of good character and exemplify at least one of the Dominican pillars: study, prayer, service, and community. The award amounts range from $500-1,500. We strongly encourage all freshmen to apply for this award. The Dominican Scholar Award application opens in mid-October and is due December 1 of the student’s 8th grade year.

What type of scholarships does Catholic Central offer?

Catholic Central offers 40+ endowed scholarships. The majority of them are needs-based. Other financial opportunities include: Dominican Scholar Award, Bishop’s Scholarships, and parish support.

Can my child earn an athletic scholarship?

No. Catholic Central does NOT award athletic or talent-based scholarships.

Admission and Enrollment

What are CC areas of focus when considering admission?
  1. Academics: Show a commitment to academics by passing all classes and earning grade-level appropriate grades. Grades below a C- are generally considered unfavorable and will be reviewed with careful consideration.
  2. Attendance: Show a commitment to attendance that leaves no question that school and academics are the highest priority.
  3. Behavior: Show a commitment to good behavior and good character.

When do we have to commit to enrolling at CC?

We ask families to make an enrollment decision soon after they have received their financial package.

What is continuous enrollment?

Continuous enrollment is a one-time enrollment process that assumes your student is enrolled until graduation. While you will have to submit some paperwork annually, you will not be asked to complete the enrollment process after the first year.

Does my child have to be Catholic to go to Catholic Central?

No, of course not. Catholic Central is proud of our Catholic roots and welcomes students and families of all religious and faith traditions. 20% of our students are not Catholic. Please know that every student is required to take a theology class every semester of enrollment and Mass is built into our schedule every Wednesday.

Are uniforms required?

Yes. Click here to read our dress code and personal appearance guidelines in our Student Handbook. Our uniform provider is Flynn O’Hara. To order uniform items, visit www.flynnohara.com or call 800-441-4122.

Student Information

How are counselors assigned?

Counselors are assigned based on the student’s last name.

What type of technology is provided to the students?

An iPad will be issued to each new student. The student will keep the iPad until graduation. Catholic Central carries insurance for the iPad for the first incident. If an iPad is in need of repair, it must be taken to CC’s Technology Department. Taking the iPad to an outside service or provider is not allowed.

Can my student bring his/her own device or laptop to school?

No.

What food does the cafeteria offer?

Breakfast and lunch are offered daily for purchase. Students may select a-la-carte items or a combo meal. The combo meal includes an entree, fruit, veggie, and milk. CC accepts applications for free and reduced lunch.

Transportation

Do you offer student parking?

Yes. Only juniors and seniors may park at school. Their parking lots are located at Sheldon and Goodrich Streets, LaGrave, and Maple Streets. Each car parked in a CC lot must have a CC parking decal, which can be obtained in the main office. Due to our vibrant downtown location, limited parking is available. Therefore, carpooling is strongly encouraged.

We live 30 minutes away. How am I going to get my child to school?

Catholic Central offers bus transportation from various locations. If you are interested in transportation, please complete this form. Additionally, many students carpool.

Parent Information

Are parents invited to attend Mass?

Yes! All interested parents are welcome to celebrate Mass with our Catholic Central family. All school Mass is celebrated on Wednesdays at 10:20 a.m. Please know there are a few exceptions to this schedule.

How and in what method does the school correspond with families?

Email is the main method of correspondence with families. In addition to our weekly Cougar Parent News, families are emailed a back-to-school packet in August, and any other important announcements throughout the year. Announcements are uploaded to the CC website on a daily basis. We encourage all parents to frequently visit the CC website for the most up-to-date information. Any parent may contact the school directly with questions.

How does a non-English-speaking parent communicate with the school?

It is extremely important to CC that we are able to communicate with all of our families, regardless of language. We have some staff that speak Spanish. When needed, the bilingual admissions advocates at the Diocese of Grand Rapids assist CC with translation during events and when creating communication materials.

How can I get involved as a parent?

We encourage all parents to consider giving some amount of their time to serve our greater CC community. CC provides sign-up sheets at Welcome Back Night where parents can volunteer to help our community in various capacities. We are grateful for your service!

Student Support Services

Does Catholic Central have the resources to support my child that has a learning disability?

Yes. CC has a phenomenal Student Support Services department that serves the academic needs of each individual student.

How do I know if my child qualifies for student support services?

We encourage any family interested in learning more about our Student Support Services to contact Mr. Brad VanTimmeren at bradvantimmeren@grcatholiccentral.org.

What is the summer reading/writing requirement?

All returning and incoming CC students are required to complete summer reading before the fall semester commences. Reading assignments are made based on the specific English course that your child is taking next year. There may be other summer academic requirements for some honors and AP courses as well. This information will be available on the CC website in June.

Service, Retreats, and Activities

What type of school activities are available for my child?

CC offers a wide variety of clubs and activities, and encourages all students to explore multiple opportunities, perhaps even in something they have never tried before! Our clubs and activities include: academic, athletic, bands/choirs, campus ministry/faith formation, journalism/writing, service, etc. Every CC student has a home within our greater CC family. CC also conducts various retreats, dances, and events throughout the year. Please refer to the school calendar for more information.

What sports are offered?

You can view all of our athletic offerings at www.catholiccentralsports.com.

Does my child have to try out for athletics, band, choir, or other programs? When are try-outs?

Some athletic programs, bands, and choirs have try-outs while others do not. The try-out policies for each program might change on an annual basis as well. Athletic try-outs are conducted before that sport’s season begins (fall, winter, spring).

What should I do if my child does not make the team they tried out for?

Trying out for a roster spot on a team can be a stressful situation for anyone. If your child doesn’t make the team they tried out for, support them, validate their feelings, and encourage them to try another sport or activity. At this age, students have often not yet been exposed to a variety of activities. However, trying new things can unveil new passions!

If my child plays a sport, how can they get to the CAT after school?

CC provides complementary one-way busing for student-athletes to get to the CAT after school. The bus to the CAT will promptly depart 5 minutes after the school day concludes. Parents are responsible for picking up their child(ren) from the CAT.

When are sports physicals due?

Sports physicals are required for all CC student-athletes. Sports physicals are due before the student’s first sport try-out or practice of the academic year, and must be turned in directly to the Athletic Office. Please click here to print a copy of the sports physical form.

Is there a service requirement for students?

CC approaches service with the goal of making our students lifelong volunteers. We support and sponsor various service opportunities throughout the year, each researched and mentored by CC staff. CC does not require service hours for graduation, as we believe service is an inherent desire each of our students are called to fulfill.

What is COREX?

COREX is an annual three-day senior retreat that takes place at Camp Blodgett before the school year commences. All seniors attend, along with many of their parents, faculty, and staff. This amazing community-building opportunity enables the senior class to unite and bond as they prepare to lead the student body during the upcoming school year.

What is Serve-a-thon?

Serve-a-thon is a multi-faceted event that includes a student-driven fundraiser and a day of service at dozens of service sites throughout the Grand Rapids community.

What is Kairos?

Kairos is a four-day, three-night, off-campus Catholic retreat for seniors during which they pray, reflect, worship, build an intentional Catholic community, deepen their relationship with God, and seek to hear where and how God is calling them as they prepare for graduation.

What is Christmas Families?

Each Advent, the Catholic Central High School community “adopts” families from the Cathedral of Saint Andrew. Each Coram Deo prays for their family and purchases food and gifts for them for Christmas. This service project is a long-standing tradition of Catholic Central. Thus, we have helped thousands of people have an enjoyable Christmas when it would have been very difficult for them otherwise. The family’s gifts are delivered to the various homes after our Advent liturgy on the last day of school before Christmas vacation.

Can freshmen attend dances?

Freshmen are allowed to attend the winter sno-shuffle. Freshmen can attend Homecoming if asked by an upperclassman. Freshman cannot attend prom.

Become a Cougar