Our high school students can participate in our CIF and Western Athletic Conference sport teams: Soccer, Basketball, and Volleyball.
Eldorado Emerson is fully accredited by WASC (www.acswasc.org). At our most recent accreditation review in 2009, we received the highest accreditation approval possible of 6 years as a result of our consistently high performance and standards.
We accept students to begin at any time during the school year, and we do not have any application deadlines. We do offer English as Second Language (ESL) classes. The international students attend all the domestic classes with other students except for English and Foreign Language. When the domestic students go to English and Foreign Language classes, the international students go to their ESL classes. We do not have admission testing. Students must have at least a B-grade average or better, and no behavioral issues, no smoking or drug-use, and have no history of any of these.
School begins at 9:00am and ends at 3:00pm each weekday. We offer before school care (7:30am to 9:00am) and after school care (3:00pm to 6:00pm) for $5 per hour. Siblings are $2.50 per hour.
The 2011-2012 school year consists of two terms (Term 2 ends on Friday 6/22/12) plus Summer Session (Monday 6/25/12 - Thursday 8/2/12). The 2012-2013 school year begins on Tuesday, September 4. Students enroll for either: one year at a time (a 12-month period including Summer Session, beginning at any time during the year, and a student I-20 is issued), OR they may enroll for only Summer Session ($1,200 for Summer Session only. No I-20 is issued, and student attends Summer Session classes on a visitor/travel visa).
Students may begin classes at Eldorado Emerson on any school day, but it is preferred, when possible, to begin classes at the beginning of a Term or Summer Session.
Eldorado Emerson is partnered with Lunch2You, a healthy and delicious lunch program. You can find out more at www.lunch2you.com (the registration code is ELDO). Students may order their lunch or bring lunch from home (for lunches brought from home, we provide hot water and microwaves).
We do not have boarding at our school, but we have many families who have repeatedly hosted our international students, so if you are in need of homestay, please let us know and we will be happy to assist you in finding just the right host family. Host families generally charge between $1,100 and $1,400 per month, which includes transportation and all food, except lunch during school days. If a student has family in the area, or has chosen a host family, that is fine with Eldorado Emerson as long as there is at least one adult who is age 25 years or older living in the home (although families are preferred).
International students should have a legal guardian who lives in the United States. If no legal guardian is available, then the student's parents (if there has been previous direct contact with the parents) or the placement agency (domestic or international) will be consulted regarding potential medical and/or legal decisions regarding the student which are outside the responsibilities of the student's host family.
There is no fee to apply to Eldorado Emerson Private School. Following is the procedure to apply to Eldorado Emerson:
1. Visit our school web site: www.eldoradoemerson.org
2. Provide the student's school transcript for their most recent 2 years of school, translated if necessary. Student must have a B-grade average or better to be accepted.
3. For students 7th Grade and above: Submit proof of pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine booster (in the United States, this is called Tdap). Students attending California schools must provide proof of this vaccination. See http://www.shotsforschool.org/tdaplaw.html if you would like additional information.
4. Under the "Resources" tab, under "International", print and fill out the following 5 forms: Enrollment Application, Student Permission Form, Financial Agreement, Rules & Regulations, SEVIS form.
If applying for at least one year of school, you do not need to complete the Summer Session form. If applying for only Summer Session, then the Summer Session form is the only form that needs to be completed.
Upon our review of the student's paperwork, if Eldorado Emerson accepts the student and the student would like to proceed, then the student may submit their tuition deposit. Upon receipt of the tuition deposit, we will create the I-20, receipt for I-901, and Acceptance Letter, and immediately Federal Express these documents to the student. The student uses these documents to apply for their F1 Visa at their embassay or consulate. Or, if the student is already attending another I-20 school in the United States, we will send an I-20 Transfer Request to the student's current school.
The annual tuition for grades 7th through 12th is USD $22,500 per student in advance for the 11-month school year ($20,500 for students 6th grade and younger). The student's annual tuition will be due again on the same month the following year, for the upcoming 12-month period.
There is deposit of USD $2,500 due previous to our delivery of the student's I-20. If the student cannot get a visa, $1,500 will be refunded (a letter from the agency refusing the student's entry must be submitted to our school). The entire remainder of tuition is due by the student's first day of school, and is not refundable. The annual tuition includes fees, but does not include books, which must be purchased (to own) by the student. There is a $1,000 tuition discount for siblings.
If you haven't already done so, be sure to check out the Happenings page on our web site! It's full of photos, and unique projects & events that go on at Eldorado Emerson, and will give you a great idea of the uniquely wonderfuly environment at our school (the Happenings link is on the home page right side, or under the Events tab).