FAQ

You are committing for your child to attend from the first school day in September to the last school day in June. The Summer Program operates during July and August and enrollment is optional.

Cedar Crest Academy’s campuses are small by design to create a close family-like culture. Each campus hosts exciting school-wide activities and celebrations, and these would not be possible without engaged parents committed to participating and volunteering.  For this reason, we  require a level of "Parental Involvement" from all families. As a result, we seek enthusiastic and positive families who are involved in their child's education and development. 

Click here to see specific requirement for Parent Involvement.

All meals and snack are provided in the monthly and annual tuition. Each campus employs a full time cook who prepares meals and snacks from fresh ingredients each day.

Pre-Primary: morning snack, hot lunch, and afternoon snack.

Elementary: morning snack and a hot lunch. Afternoon snack is provided to students enrolled in After Care.

Visit our Food Program page for more details.

Yes, we offer four two-week sessions at all four campuses for our Pre-Primary students. Parents may enroll their children for the entire summer or sign up for specific weeks.

Click here for more information on this year's Summer Camp Program.

All four campuses follow a four to five-step admissions process that is designed to help us mutually understand if Cedar Crest Academy is the right fit for you and your child. Visit out Admissions Page for a detail look at each step.

We are looking to admit children that will thrive in a highly capable academic program with small class sizes. Cedar Crest Academy also seeks families who have a strong connection to their children’s educational experience, value social and emotional learning and are looking for a school where they will actively engage with the school community.

Cedar Crest Academy is proud to employ a group of phenomenal teachers who are knowledgable, personable, and creative. Each teacher brings a variety of skills, degrees, and experiences to the table. We are proud to share that most teachers hold a Bachelors degree or more across both programs. 

Please find biographies of our teachers, including training and experience here.

Yes, we offer an After-School Vendors program. Families enter into a private contract with a vendor of their interest to host the program right at Cedar Crest. Students enjoy attending programs with their friends after school, and parents love that their children are in the same safe environment. Please see our After School Vendors page for more information.

Uniforms (Bellewood Only)
Elementary students who attend Bellewood are required to wear uniforms each day, except on their birthdays and spirit days. Our uniform provider is Dennis Uniform. To shop online, please visit Dennis’ website at www.dennisuniform.com and enter our school access code: XCEDAR.

Also, each Friday, students are encouraged to wear their House t-shirts. Please make sure that all articles of clothing are clearly labeled with your child’s name.

Shoes
We ask families to do their best to coordinate their child’s shoes with our uniforms. We kindly request that much of the shoe be brown, black, or white. Shoes MUST BE closed-toed and at least have a strap across the back. On days children participate in physical education, they are strongly encouraged to wear athletic shoes, with much of the shoes being black, brown, or white.

Students in Kindergarten through Fifth Grade rotate through ten Clubs during the school year, engaging in a wide variety of activities. Students participate in two Clubs per week for a five to seven-week period. Click here to view our Clubs page.

All Elementary students are assigned to a House for the school year. Houses are comprised of students across all Elementary grade bands and are not grade band-specific. Within each House, students are encouraged to show their school spirit through various competitions, activities, and events. The team format fosters multi-age friendships and school spirit in the elementary school.  Please see our School Houses page for more information.

Cedar Crest Academy is a highly capable academic program that prepares students to continue their academic success in the top private schools in the area or accelerated public school programs as desired. No matter where our students go, like an Osprey, they will soar!  Go Ospreys! 

While we are a young elementary still building our pipeline of graduates, our students have already been accepted to the following schools.

• Lakeside School
• Forest Ridge
• Open Window Middle School
• International Community School Kirkland
• Bellevue Christian
• Highly capable/gifted public school programs

The Admissions Assessment is the fourth step of our Admission Process.  Elementary applicants (Kindergarten - Fifth Grade) participate in a visit day with an academic assessment to ensure fit with the program. The Assessment will cover basic subjects and concepts at their grade level to ensure that the applicant can smoothly transition to the school and the grade they are applying for.

Our Pre-Primary admissions process is a fluid system that is based on the number of applications we receive.  For example, we may have far more Preschool applicants than Pre-K or Young Preschool one year. As a result, a campus may go from 2 preschool classes to 4 to accommodate the influx of applicants. As a result, there is no way to quantify the likelihood of admission, but we try to place as many students as possible and will offer other campuses if need be.

Cedar Crest does not make any age or grade exceptions. A child must be the appropriate age by August 31st of the school year you are applying.

• Preschool (3 years old by 8/31)
• Pre-Kindergarten (4 years old by 8/31)

Our Cedar Crest Community reflects a diverse set of speakers from around the world. As a result, it is common for some students to speak a limited amount of English when joining. For those students, we ask parents to practice English in their home environment prior to the first day of school, so they have a smoother transition. We also like to remind parents that students pick up languages quickly and will adjust to speaking English at school over the first few months.

Our teachers and staff work closely with our our students learning English. We give parents basic phrases and words to practice in English at home. We also ask parents to share common phrases in their mother tongue so teachers can better help students. Parents can also read books, listen to music and review some basic flashcards in English.

At the Pre-Primary level, we are looking for students who are interested in learning and are curious about the world. Children who are involved, engaged and work well with other children typically do best at our school. This includes students who are familiar or have a basic understanding of letters, number and emotions, although this is not required for admission.

Yes. All Pre-Primary students must be fully potty-trained in order to attend our school.  No pull-ups or diapers are allowed.

Of course, we understand that accidents happen and our teachers log all potty accidents, so we may collectively keep track.