All St. Lawrence Seminary School students pursue academic, moral and spiritual depth.
Our process for acceptance encourages deliberate steps of inquiry and discovery on both sides. It is our firm belief that a young man must be a good fit for St. Lawrence, and that St. Lawrence must be right for that young man before we will offer him an application.
We see our initial contact with each family as an opportunity to share information about our school, to listen to your goals in choosing a private boarding school and to learn about our prospective student. We are happy to answer questions on the phone or via email, and to send materials and information in the mail. This initial contact is also a good time for us to explain the basic criteria a candidate must meet before we will consider him further. If your son meets the standards and is interested in further exploring St. Lawrence, your family will be invited to participate in the Weekend Visit Experience.
The Admissions Process
Any student interested in attending St. Lawrence Seminary must meet the following criteria:
- Male of high school age
- Practicing Catholic of good moral character
- Good grades
- 50th percentile or higher on standardized tests
- Free of tobacco, drug and alcohol use or involvement
- Free from gang involvement, delinquency, and serious misbehavior
Assuming they live within a few hundred miles of the school, we would like to meet the family before the Weekend Visit. An Admissions Coordinator will come to the home at a time that is convenient for the family. Meeting face-to-face provides a comfortable forum to visit and develop a rapport. It is important to us that we get to know the young man, his interests and talents, his personality and character. We will explain what to expect on the Weekend Visit Experience, which helps to calm anxiety about the visit.
The Weekend Visit Experience is the pivotal event in the discovery and discernment process. The Weekend Visit allows an interested student and his parent(s) to experience St. Lawrence first hand and provides us an opportunity to observe how the young man interacts with others and fits into his surroundings. we feel that this opportunity to explore student life is so important, that all candidates who wish to receive an application are expected to attend a Weekend Visit. Exceptions are sometimes made for families that live a significant distance away from the school.
St. Lawrence administers reading, language math and science tests to the candidates during the weekend visit. Prospective students who score well on the test, are generally cooperative and respectful, and appear to have a positive experience will be offered an application at the conclusion of the weekend.
In some instances an application may be extended at a later date, once additional criteria are met.
Interested candidates who are unable to participate in the Weekend Visit Experience may be awarded an application only after a careful review of school records, test scores, and other sources of information confirms that he would be a good fit for the school.
We encourage families to return the completed application to us as soon as possible. The application consists of several components:
- The application
- A copy of the baptismal certificate
- A recent photograph
- Current report card
- $300 Registration Fee
- Two teacher recommendations (forms provided)
- A pastoral recommendation (form provided)
- The application is considered complete when all of these pieces have been received by St. Lawrence Seminary High School.
- Student essay (questions provided)
The Admissions Board meets several times during the school year to review and make decisions on completed applications. Acceptance is competitively based and focuses on the whole person.
The Rector mails notification of acceptance or denial immediately following the decision.
Domestic applicants who are accepted will be invited to apply for financial aid. Information about our Summer Reading program and Registration Day will also be included.
Applicants who are denied acceptance may be encouraged to re-apply the following year, depending on the reason for denial.