Admissions FAQ

Is membership required in any group or organization?
There is no membership required. Undercroft is a non-sectarian school that celebrates cultural diversity.

What is the admission process?
The parents take a tour of the school. Tours take place one Wednesday per month at 3:30 p.m. Please call the Undercroft office to schedule your tour. If the times/dates are inconvenient, individual tours can be arranged. The parents then schedule a 20-30 minute observation in a classroom, usually on a different day. Next, an interview is scheduled through the office and the child is interviewed at 3:30 in the afternoon by one of our guides. There is no formal testing involved. The teacher visits with the child to get a feeling for where the child is in his/her social and academic development. We attempt to speak with prior teachers in the case of transferring students and we request records from the previous schools. The primary concern at our school is that each child has a successful experience according to his/her own abilities. Each child is measured against him/herself - not against others.

At this time, we recommend that the admission process begin about a year in advance of the desired placement. To schedule a tour, observation or interview call the Undercroft office at 622-2890 and an information packet will be mailed the next day. You may also request an information packet by email . We ask that primary-aged children not accompany their parents for tours or observations. An elementary or middle school child is welcome to visit with the parent.

Is an entrance or screening test required? If so, what is the fee?
Please refer to the interview described in the admission process above. There is a $50 non-refundable fee to be paid at the time the application is submitted.

Is there a waiting list?
Undercroft has a healthy-sized waiting pool that we will most likely, and unfortunately, never be able to place. We call it a waiting pool rather than a waiting list because it is not a first-come, first-served process. In pulling applicants from the pool, we try to make the best possible match to balance the classroom in ages, genders and needs of the classroom. Undercroft’s goal is to provide a positive, initial educational experience for each child. One of the hardest parts of our jobs is to tell a family we have no space for their child or do not think Undercroft is a good match for their child. Also, although we give some preference to siblings and alumni, we cannot guarantee placement for those same reasons.

What factors determine acceptance?
Children with prior Montessori experience, siblings of current students and children of alumni are given some preference before we enroll other children in our classrooms. However, that preference is by no means absolute. Our goal is a balanced classroom of genders and ages. Thus, we place children according to the needs of that specific classroom. A balanced classroom meets the needs of all of the children in that classroom. For instance we gladly accept children with special needs but we cannot have too many children with the same type of special need in one classroom or it affects the quality of the education offered to all of the children in that room. Nearly all children are amenable to the Montessori method of education. We are interested in parents who are enthusiastic and supportive of our unique education method.

The Montessori curriculum is best described as a spiral that begins in the first year and ends in the third year at each level. For a child to receive all that the Montessori method offers him/her, a three-year commitment to staying at Undercroft is strongly recommended. Another thing to keep in mind is that because the great majority of our children begin at our school at age three, the chance of getting in at age four is less and at age five is significantly less. In our elementary program, we prefer that students have prior Montessori experience. However, this experience cannot guarantee placement due to space constraints or our concerns that the child’s placement at Undercroft will not be a positive experience for him or her. As space and classroom balance allow, we place a few children in elementary when we feel that the placement will be mutually beneficial to the applicant and the other students. Again, setting children up for success and not failure is of paramount importance to us.

What is the tuition?
For academic year 2008-2009: Half day primary $4776.00; half day primary with extended day (nap room) $7159; full day primary $7159; lower elementary $7552 upper elementary $7746 middle school $7804 before-school care $641 and after-school care $1760. Tuition payments may be made annually, bi-annually and monthly. The 10-month payment plan includes added interest. A supply fee of $275 per child is added for primary and elementary, a supply fee of $500 is added to Middle School supplies/enrollment. Click here for our current contract with tuition information.

Are there expenses in addition to tuition such as uniforms, large initiation fees, fees for insurance, books, trips or sports participation, and required donations?
Undercroft does not require any type of uniform. As stated before, there is a supply/enrollment fee. There is no fee for insurance but we may offer tuition insurance as an option for parents. Students participate in occasional field trips, ranging from $3.00 to usually no more than $10.00. There will be occasional minimal expenses in music and physical fitness. There are other optional expenses at Undercroft including school pictures, yearbooks, after school sports, and various fund-raisers throughout the year. There is no required donation or participation.

Is financial aid available? On what basis is awarded?
Financial aid is available on a limited basis in the form of tuition reduction. The aid is granted on the basis of financial hardship and commitment to Undercroft. Because funds are so limited at this time, we offer assistance only to students who have been enrolled at least one year. Undercroft is currently pursuing a means to broaden our financial aid.

Are parents required to participate in fund-raising events? Can they donate money instead of participating? We greatly depend on the donation of volunteer hours and the donation of money to keep our school progressing in excellence. We strongly encourage participation in our annual fund drive, regardless of the size of the gift. Our goal each year is 100% participation by parents, staff, and board.

Parents are not required to participate in fund-raising events but we strongly encourage them to do what they can whether their donation is in the form of money or time. Studies have proven that a child's success in school is linked to his/her parents' involvement in school. At Undercroft we pride ourselves on being a tightly knit community. Participation in school events initiates and strengthens friendships among parents.

Is there before and/or after-school care? What are the hours? How much does it cost? Who runs it?
Undercroft offers both before- and after-school day care. Before care begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends when class begins. After-school care begins at 3:00 and ends at 5:30 p.m. Before-school care costs $641.00 and after-school care costs $1760 annually. Monthly payments, which include interest, can be made. The program is run by Undercroft.

Is there an after-school sports program for both boys and girls?
Typically, there are no after-school sports programs offered by Undercroft. We facilitate the networking required to become involved in area programs. Our upper elementary students attend swimming classes at Miller’s Swim Class once per week during the school day, and fees are to be paid directly to Miller’s.

What extracurricular activities and clubs does the school sponsor?
In the 2007-2008 school year, we have the following after school activities available to students: In Harmony (a yoga class), Brownie troop, Junior Girl Scouts, soccer and band. Most are fee based and payable to the person organizing the group. Activities for 2008-2009 will be posted as available.

What is the school's community involvement?
The upper elementary classroom supports area non-profits through the service/outreach portion of their curriculum. One example is the weekly delivery of Meals-on-Wheels. The other classrooms sometimes also become involved in extracurricular activities based on the interests sparked by their studies. Our Middle School students participate in various community service projects. When possible, we try to make monetary donations or contribute food or other items to other non-profit organizations. The administrator is involved in several child-oriented organizations in the Tulsa community.

May I ask you for references?
We will be glad to provide you with references. Also, many of the employees of Undercroft have children who are attending or who have attended our school. They would love to share their personal experiences with you.