Admissions

Admissions & Application Process

  • Step 1: Inquire

    Fill out our interest form below. A member of our admissions team will contact you to answer your questions and provide more info.

    Inquire

  • Step 2: Visit

    We host open houses and shadow days for prospective parents and students. Ask all your questions, meet faculty, and connect with other parents. Call to schedule a personal tour.

    Visit

  • Step 3: Apply

    Applications are open for the 2025-26 academic year. Apply online today. Applications due by December 15 for priority admissions decisions. Open application, pay application fee, and be registered for the High School Placement Test on December 7.

    Apply

Whom We Seek

Chesterton Academy of The Holy Family seeks students who are eager to pursue truth, goodness, beauty, and virtue through a classical liberal arts curriculum rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition.

  • Chesterton Academy of The Holy Family has a holistic admissions process. What do we look for in an applicant? We look for applicants who are open to seeing the goodness, beauty, and truth in creation, who seek to lead a virtuous life in service to God. We look for applicants who are willing to give their all to being Saints, and to helping and encouraging their classmates and others to become Saints. 

    Academic ability, though important, is secondary to character in this process: students of diverse talents and gifts will be accepted. The process is competitive, and not everyone who applies will be accepted. Components of the application include: statements by applicants and their parents, character and academic recommendations, report cards, a writing sample, and scores from the High School Proficiency Test (“HSPT”) given at the school each December. 

  • Chesterton Academy of The Holy Family admits students of any race, color, or national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin in administration of its admissions policies, educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs.

The Cost of a Chesterton Education

Chesterton Academy is committed to offering an exceptional high school education that is accessible and affordable for families. To support this mission, we offer the G.K. and Frances Chesterton Scholarship Award, which provides additional tuition assistance to qualifying families.

Since tuition does not fully cover the cost of a Chesterton education, we encourage families to actively support the school community by volunteering and participating in fundraising efforts.

Together, we ensure that Chesterton remains a vibrant and thriving place of learning for all.

  • Tuition for the 2025-2026 academic year is $8,820 per student, with an additional $700 curriculum, retreat, and systems/activities fee.

    Families have the option to pay in one payment, two payments, quarterly or a ten-month plan. Tuition insurance is required for plans over one payment.

    Families are required to pay for student uniforms, choir attire, and participation in co-curricular (athletics, math team, etc.) activities.

    If you have questions, please contact Ms. Lana Trapp, Bursar.

  • G.K. And Frances Chesterton Scholarships are available to families who apply and qualify. Chesterton Academy utilizes a third-party scholarship platform (TADS) to help us fairly allocate our dollars. Scholarship awards are confidential, based on need and the scholarship award application is only reviewed after it is completed and the audit status is good. HSPT scores have no bearing on scholarship awards.

    If you have questions, please contact Ms. Lana Trapp, Bursar.

  • The Parent Commitment Program is a tradition at Chesterton Academy, fostering a vital partnership between parents and the school. Since the opening of the school, we have asked every family to fill a table and each student to sell raffle tickets at the annual Fleur-de-Lis Gala. The gala is our major fundraising event and helps us to balance the budget (education costs more than tuition collected). This partnership is essential to our mission of providing an exceptional education rooted in spiritual, intellectual, and virtue formation, while focusing on truth, goodness, and beauty.

    Tuition alone does not fully cover the cost of delivering the outstanding curriculum, teaching, and formation that define the Chesterton experience. To help bridge this gap, the Parent Fundraising Commitment requires a minimum annual financial commitment of $1,500 per family, plus $500 in raffle ticket sales per student. This generosity directly benefits your student.

    With a minimum fundraising commitment of $1,500 per family, plus five (5) raffle tickets per student. This commitment can be met through Gala sponsorships, ticket or table purchases, program ad sales, and raffle tickets..

    We encourage families to give generously, as they are able, through the Gala, All Saints’ Day of Giving, Fore! All the Marbles Golf Outing, and other opportunities throughout the year.

    We are suggesting you meet your fundraising commitment in several ways:

    • Purchase or sell gala tickets, become a table or event sponsor. Student tickets are paid for in their activities fee.

    • Purchase or sell ads for the gala program book.

    • Each student is required to sell five raffle tickets.

    Note: We cannot credit gifts of goods and services to your commitment.

    We ask current parents to be primarily responsible for the costs of annual operating expenses since their children are the primary beneficiaries of all the school's programs. We make an effort to keep tuition affordable for as many families as we can. To the extent possible, generous parental support over and above the cost of tuition, allows the school to pay for normal, educational operating expenses.

    We know that the means of our community vary widely, we hope that you prayerfully consider how to help Chesterton beyond tuition and the fundraising commitment.

    Families who do not meet this commitment will have the remaining balance added to their tuition account on March 15, 2025.

    If you have questions, please contact Mr. Steve Nache, Director of Advancement.

    Thank you for supporting Chesterton Academy’s mission!

Visit Chesterton Academy

Attend An Open House 

  • Discover our robust classical curriculum, championship athletics, vibrant arts programs, and commitment to the Culture of Life. Join us for a brief information session and experience firsthand what makes our school unique—tour our campus, sit in on classes, and engage with our dedicated faculty, staff, and enthusiastic students. Bring your family and see how we foster a community of learning, growth, and excellence.

  • Prospective students and their families are warmly invited to join us at school events, concerts, sports, and plays.

Shadow a Chesterton Saint

  • Experience Saints life firsthand with a Shadow Day on our campus! Prospective students are paired with one of our outstanding Saints ambassadors who share similar interests, offering a personalized opportunity to attend classes, tour the campus, and get a true Saints experience.

  • Current families may schedule a shadow day during the month of September. New families must attend the October or November open house before scheduling a shadow day. The Shadow experience is a required step in the application process.

High School Placement Test

Purpose of the High School Placement Test

All incoming 9th grade applicants are required to take the High School Placement Test (HSPT) as part of the application process. The HSPT primarily serves as a tool for course placement and ones ability to thrive in a Chesterton Curriculum.

Applicants must submit an application prior to registering for the HSPT. If you have not yet applied, click below to create an account and apply. If you have already applied, click below to log in to your account and register for the HSPT which is always scheduled for the first Saturday in December.

  • Resources for Preparation

  • You must complete an Application for Freshman/Transfer Admission and submit required materials before the exam date. There is a $35 application fee for freshman and a $75 application fee for transfer students. This fee is required whether you take the HSPT test at Chesterton Academy of The Holy Family or elsewhere.

  • No, but you are responsible for uploading score reports taken at another site to your admissions application as soon as possible, so that your application may be reviewed. Test scores are electronically scored by Scholastic Testing Services and should arrive in 4-6 weeks, at which time we will upload them to your admissions file.

  • Plan on arriving to campus by 8:00am. Enter through Door #1. Students will be escorted to their assigned room for the test. Students should dress modestly (no leggings) and comfortably, as the test is several hours long. A short break will be provided. You may bring a small snack (granola bar, fruit, etc.) and a water bottle for the break. The test will end at 12:00pm.

    On the day of the HSPT, representatives from the school will be holding the required parent interviews.

  • Students should not bring a calculator. The use of calculators and dictionaries are prohibited. Pencils and paper will be provided. Cell phones must be powered off and watch alarms disabled. Cell phones are not allowed to be used at all from 8:00 AM until you leave the school building.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Students bring a bagged lunch.

  • During a special ceremony during the first week of school, new students are placed in a house and are welcomed by their new housemates. Siblings are assigned to the same house. Once a house has been chosen for a student, they will remain in that house.

  • Chesterton Academy welcomes transfer students each year who come from public, private, homeschool, and online high school environments. Our academic dean works closely with each transfer student to ensure his or her success as they transition to Chesterton. We welcome all inquiries and visitors. Please call to schedule a meeting at 630-442-1424.

  • Yes. We do require daily Mass attendance for all students as well as four years of Catholic theology; the curriculum is infused with Catholic thought throughout the classes. However, all are welcome! CATHF admits students of any race, creed, or national origin.

  • Yes, we have several students who take the BNSF train to and from the Lisle station.

  • Uniforms must be purchased from Schoolbelles. Please visit the parents' information page for more information on our uniform expectations.

  • Chesterton students are required to read two books over the summer each year. In 2023, we have added a family book to read as well.

  • All new students are required to attend (in uniform) an orientation session for their grade on campus during the first week of school in August. We have an annual picnic for incoming freshman and their families in June.