Zion Lutheran School

Overview

Zion Lutheran School is a Lutheran K-8 private school in Anaheim, California, serving grades K-8, founded in 1939, with about 90 students. Tuition for 2025-26 is $6,430 to $7,145, which puts it in the lower 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. The school accepts F-1 international students and issues the I-20 needed for a student visa.

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 Admissions page lists three steps: complete the online application, have the student take an admission assessment, and meet one-on-one with the principal as parent or guardian; transfer students also have their academic records reviewed. The admissions contact is Stephanie Simpson (714-535-3600, extension 401 or 408). International students follow a separate process: submit a complete set of documents - the I-20 application form, a copy of the passport, the tuition contract, proof of bank funds, the homestay/guardian questionnaire, a notarized guardianship authorization, and academic background records and English transcripts - and pay the application fee, the registration fee and the full year’s tuition; the school then interviews the parent or guardian first and the student second, either in person or over WeChat, and issues the Form I-20 once the student is accepted.

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

The tuition schedule posted on the school website’s Admissions page is still the one for the 2025-2026 school year: for one student in grades K through 8, congregation members pay $6,430 per year and non-members $7,145. Combined rates for multiple children: members pay $11,574 for two, $16,396 for three and $20,576 for four or more; non-members pay $12,860 for two, $18,220 for three and $22,864 for four or more. As of the date of verification, the school website had not posted a K-8 tuition schedule for the 2026-2027 school year.

Registration fee: $550 for the first student and $500 for each student after that, nonrefundable once the student has been accepted; during the new-student open registration period, a $200 deposit is paid first and the balance is billed by FACTS as an incidental fee charge. The registration fee already covers textbooks, classroom supplies, PE equipment, Bibles, playground equipment and earthquake and safety supplies, one yearbook per student, and one parent account on the chore system per household; the school states explicitly that it charges no separate technology fee, computer fee, library fee or after-school care registration fee. Three monthly payment plans are offered - 9 payments (September through the following May), 10 payments (August through the following May) and 12 payments (June through the following May) - which for one non-member student come to $794, $715 and $595 respectively. International students (I-20) are priced separately: tuition for the 2026-2027 school year is $12,750, payable in full at visa verification, plus a nonrefundable $250 international application fee and a $550 registration fee. That rate is a package price, and the school website states that it already includes all textbooks, technology fees, world language course fees, Bibles, planners, the yearbook and spirit shirts. Note that the checklist page of the school website’s I-20 application PDF is labeled “2026-2027 School Tuition ($12,750.00)” while the contract text in the same PDF still reads “The annual International Student rate is $12,750 for the 2024-2025 academic year”; the school year stated differs between the two, though the amount is the same. Families are advised to confirm in writing with the school before enrolling.

Financial aid: The school offers in-house financial aid, which requires a Financial Application; the school works with FACTS Management on the needs assessment, and all information is kept confidential. The school website does not publish the share of families receiving aid, award amounts or an application deadline (school website, FAQs page; tuition schedule PDF).

Academics and programs

• The campus has a computer lab, a science lab, an art room and a maker space, with an emphasis on STEAM projects; every student in grades K-4 has an iPad, and students in grades 5-8 bring their own devices (school website, Academics page)
• NWEA assessments are given throughout the year (school website, Admissions page)
• Music includes a band and a choir; keyboard and other after-school enrichment classes and electives are also offered (school website, Admissions page, Academics page)
• The campus has a full-size gymnasium and outdoor courts, with boys’ and girls’ basketball, volleyball, track and field, and football teams (school website, Academics page)
• Before- and after-school care (SAC) runs Monday through Friday from 6:30 am to 6:00 pm, billed in 15-minute increments; a Summer Day Camp is also offered (school website, FAQs page, Academics page)
• Uniforms are required schoolwide in grades K-8; all teachers hold a California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) teaching credential and current first aid and CPR certification (school website, FAQs 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
Zion Lutheran School	Anaheim	K-8	$6,430	On-campus assessment	15	—
Prince of Peace Lutheran School	Anaheim	K-8	$7,650	—	15	2.3 mi
Minaret Academy	Anaheim	K-8	Not published	On-campus assessment	—	1.1 mi
The Islamic Education School (TIES)	Anaheim	K-8	$7,000	—	—	3.4 mi
St. Joseph Catholic School	Placentia	K-8	$8,495	On-campus assessment	20	3.3 mi

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2025-26 rate of $6,430, 9 years covering grades K-8 come to roughly $57,870 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $68,000. 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	13.3 miles
Northwood	10.5 miles
Turtle Rock	15.0 miles
Portola Springs	14.5 miles

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

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• Tuition year recorded as 2025-26 — the K-8 tuition schedule PDF posted on the school website’s Admissions page is still the 2025-2026 version, and no 2026-2027 domestic tuition schedule appears on the school website, though the intern…
• Synod — neither the school site (zionanaheim.com) nor the church site (zionanaheim.org) states whether the congregation belongs to the LCMS, the ELCA or the NALC; the school holds NLSA accreditation, so the …
• Head of school — the school website’s Staff page says only “Mr. Buskirk, Principal,” without giving a full name
• Chinese program — the school website’s Academics page says only that enrichment offerings include “world languages,” without naming any language; the fee description in the 2026-2027 international I-20 application for…
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track Zion Lutheran 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.