The Geneva School

Overview

The Geneva School is a Christian K-12 private school in Lake Forest, California, serving grades K-11, founded in 2017, with about 135 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $12,000 to $22,000, 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 15.

Admissions

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

The school publishes the following application details. The school website’s Admission Requirements page states that the school has no entrance exam: kindergarten applicants must pass a kindergarten entrance screening conducted by the school’s kindergarten teacher, and transfer students may need placement testing. Admission depends on a complete file, including a pastor’s recommendation, a teacher recommendation and a family interview; parents must indicate that they understand the school’s biblical philosophy of education, and at least one parent must be a professing Christian who agrees with the Statement of Faith. Neither the Admission Process page nor the Admission Requirements page lists an application opening date, a deadline or an application fee amount.

The main entry points at a K-12 school are kindergarten, grade 6 and grade 9; seats in other grades open only when a family leaves. Plan on a 12-month runway: visit in the fall, submit materials and test in the winter, and receive decisions in the spring. Applications for mid-year grades can be filed at any time, but availability depends on that year’s openings.

Tuition and fees

The school website’s Tuition page publishes annual tuition for the 2026-27 school year: Junior Kindergarten (age 4) half day (8:00-13:00) $12,000 and full day (8:00-15:00) $14,880; Lower School (K through grade 6) $17,200; Middle School (grades 7-8) $18,050; Upper School (grades 9-11) $22,000. The Upper School currently has discounted rates as well: grade 9 $13,200, grade 10 $15,400 and grade 11 $17,600. The school has no separate member and non-member rates, because under the rules on the Admission Requirements page every admitted family already has at least one parent who is a Christian (school website, Tuition page and Admission Requirements page)

Financial aid: The school website’s Tuition page states that “Tuition assistance is handled on a case by case basis” and asks families to contact the school office directly; the school website does not publish award amounts or the share of students receiving aid, and does not mention any third-party application platform such as FACTS or Clarity

Academics and programs

• The classical core curriculum: analytical phonics and reading, literature and writing, chronological history, Latin, formal and informal logic, advanced sciences (biology, earth science, chemistry, physics), art, music and physical education (school website, About Us page and Academics page)
• The Philosophy page lists the subjects taught as Math, History, Language Arts, Latin, Geography, Literature, Theology, Music, Art and Science, with Latin beginning in grade 3 (school website, Academics > Philosophy page)
• The Rhetoric School (the high school years) is built around small Socratic seminars, training students in outlining, argument, proof, research and speaking, with an emphasis on advanced study of ancient languages (the school website’s wording is ancient languages, without naming specific languages) (school website, High School page)
• Dual enrollment (college credit) courses are offered at the high school level (school website, High School page)
• The school website’s High School page provides a College Entrance & graduation requirements document containing a side-by-side comparison of two graduation and college paths, “tgs plan vs uc & private plan” (school website, High School page)
• The Academics section also has The Kindergarten Advantage, a Book List, After School Activities and Summer Packets (school website, Academics section)

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 Geneva School	Lake Forest	K-11	$12,000	On-campus assessment	15	—
Capistrano Valley Christian Schools	San Juan Capistrano	K-12	$19,500	On-campus assessment	15	9.3 mi
Newport Christian School	Newport Beach	K-12	$9,912	ISEE	17	11.0 mi
TVT Community Day School (Tarbut V’Torah)	Irvine	K-12	$37,285	On-campus assessment	—	8.7 mi
St. Margaret’s Episcopal School	San Juan Capistrano	K-12	$37,000	ISEE	—	8.9 mi

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2026-27 rate of $12,000, 12 years covering grades K-11 come to roughly $144,000 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $180,000. 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	6.1 miles
Northwood	8.9 miles
Turtle Rock	7.9 miles
Portola Springs	5.8 miles

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

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• Fee detail — the school website’s Tuition page lists only annual tuition by division and the Upper School discount, and publishes no application fee, registration fee, deposit, payment plan or international stude…
• AP count — the school website’s High School page mentions only small Socratic seminars, classical languages and dual enrollment, and gives no list of AP or honors courses, so the number cannot be confirmed
• F-1 students — none of the admissions pages on the school website mention international students, the I-20 or the F-1 visa
• Enrollment — the school website’s Why Geneva and History pages say only that the school was founded by 24 families and that families come from more than 37 churches, and do not publish enrollment; this page uses …
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track The Geneva 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.