The Camino School

Overview

The Camino School is a Catholic K-8 private school in Laguna Woods, California, serving grades K-8, founded in 2024, with about 88 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $13,900, which puts it in the middle range among Orange County private schools at this level. Religion classes are required, so confirm your family is comfortable with that before applying. Average class size is about 19.

Admissions

No standardized entrance exam; admission uses an on-campus assessment or visit day.

The school publishes the following application details. For the 2026-27 school year, the current year, the school website states that several grades are close to full and encourages families to apply early; outside the formal admission cycle students are admitted on a rolling basis, with no guarantee of space. The formal cycle for the 2027-28 school year: (1) inquire through Inquire Today at the top right of the school website, or by phone or email; (2) schedule a tour, or arrange a Shadow Day in class; (3) create an account in the TADS online admission system through Apply Today at the bottom of the school website; (4) complete the online application for each child before April 1, with a $50 application fee charged once per family, after which applications are still considered on a rolling basis but space is not guaranteed; (5) families who want their financial aid award at the same time as their decision must submit the aid application together with the application; (6) family interviews are held in March or April 2027, by invitation, and run about an hour; (7) decisions go out on May 1, 2027, and a $500 deposit per family is due within one week of acceptance to hold the place. Classes are capped at 20 students, half girls and half boys (school website, Admissions page).

The main entry points at a K-8 school are kindergarten and grade 6. Younger applicants are usually evaluated through an on-campus visit, while most applicants above grade 5 need an ISEE score. Start in the fall of the year before entry: visit first to confirm the school is a fit, then decide whether to register for testing.

Tuition and fees

For 2026-27 tuition is charged per family rather than per student: $13,900 for a family with 1 child; $25,200 for 2 children, or $12,600 each; $34,300 for 3 children, or $11,433 each; $34,300 for 4 children, or $8,575 each; and still $34,300 for 5 children, or $6,860 each. In other words, the family rate is capped at $34,300 from three children up. The school website states that this price is below the actual cost of educating a student, and that the school raises the money to cover the difference (school website, Admissions page, FAQ page).

The application fee is $50, charged per family rather than per child. A $500 deposit, also per family, is due within one week of acceptance to hold the place; the school website states that the deposit is not an additional charge and is credited against tuition at enrollment (school website, Admissions page).

Financial aid: Need-based financial aid is offered by the school and applied for through TADS. The school website publishes its actual figures: 27% of families currently receive aid, averaging $11,000 per family. Families may apply at the same time as the admission application, in which case the decision and the aid award are given together, or after acceptance, in which case the award is given within two weeks. The school website states that the school “has committed to covering the gap between tuition and the actual cost of education, and to providing additional financial aid to every family in need” (school website, Admissions page, FAQ page)

Academics and programs

• A classical liberal arts curriculum: the Our Curriculum page on the school website lists materials subject by subject for K-2 and for grades 3-5, covering Religion (Baltimore Catechism, The Golden Bible, Ignatius Bible, a Bible timeline), Language Arts (Phonics & Penmanship, Wordly Wise 3000 Books 3-5, Easy Grammar, the IEW writing program, assigned read-alouds and poetry memorization), History & Geography, Science, Math, Latin, Music and Art (school website, Our Curriculum page)
• Math uses Singapore Dimensions Math, from KA-KB through 5A-5B, which the school website describes as Singapore’s flagship math program (school website, Our Curriculum page)
• Latin is the school’s foreign language: K-2 uses the I am Reading Latin Stories series and memorizes Latin prayers including the Signum Crucis, Pater Noster, Ave Maria, Gloria and Salve Regina, while grades 3-5 use Prima Latina and Latina Christiana (school website, Our Curriculum page)
• Music meets once a week for choir and music appreciation, with Christmas and spring concerts; art meets once a week for drawing, paired with art history from the Renaissance to the modern period, museum visits and an annual spring art show (school website, Our Curriculum page)
• Single-sex classes in the upper grades: the school website lists character formation as one of its three pillars and carries it out by grouping upper-grade students by sex, with boys taught by an all-male teaching team and girls by an all-female team. This begins with the grade 5-6 class in the 2026-27 school year (school website, FAQ page, Our Model page)
• One-on-one mentorship: every student is paired with a faculty or staff mentor for regular one-on-one conversations, which the school website describes as accompaniment in “character, faith and practical wisdom”; the home page also lists “1:1 speaking & writing programs” (school website home page, Mentorship page, Campus Life page)

How this school compares

These are the nearest schools at the same level and a comparable price. Select a name to open that school’s admissions guide:

School	City	Grades	Tuition	Entrance test	Class size	Distance
The Camino School	Laguna Woods	K-8	$13,900	On-campus assessment	19	—
Abiding Savior Lutheran School	Lake Forest	K-8	$10,500	On-campus assessment	—	1.8 mi
Montessori on the Lake	Lake Forest	K-8	$20,000	On-campus assessment	—	1.6 mi
Aliso Viejo Christian School	Aliso Viejo	K-8	$12,296	On-campus assessment	22	3.7 mi
Anneliese Schools – Willowbrook Campus	Laguna Beach	K-6	$18,350	On-campus assessment	—	3.1 mi

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2026-27 rate of $13,900, 9 years covering grades K-8 come to roughly $125,100 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $147,000. Neither number includes registration fees, deposits, uniforms or activity fees. A California 529 plan can cover up to $10,000 per child per year of K-12 tuition.

Getting there from Irvine

These are straight-line distances from neighborhoods where many Irvine families live. Actual drive times will be longer, and a morning rush-hour trip typically takes 1.5 to 2 times as long as an off-peak one:

Neighborhood	Straight-line distance
Woodbury	6.2 miles
Northwood	8.4 miles
Turtle Rock	5.6 miles
Portola Springs	7.1 miles

The website does not describe bus service; confirm this during your visit.

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• School type — the evidence on the school website shows clearly that this is a Catholic school. Its mission is to lead students to Christ, it has a full-time chaplain, Religion is a formal subject, it is committed …
• City — the campus is in Laguna Woods, at 24252 El Toro Rd., Laguna Woods, CA 92637, and the footer of the school website matches the CDE filing address. CDE records “Laguna Beach Unified” because that field…
• Accreditation — the home page, About Us, Admissions, FAQ and Campus Life pages on the school website carry no mention of WASC, WCEA, CAIS or any other accrediting body; the footer says only that the school is a memb…
• High school placement — this is a K-8 school that opened only in 2024, and the About Us, Our Model, Admissions and FAQ pages on the school website publish no list or count of the high schools graduates go on to
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track The Camino School’s admissions calendar, prepare students for the campus visit and interview, and review application materials before they are submitted. Book a school-selection consultation or read the Chinese version of this page.