Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Choosing a school raises important questions. Below you will find straightforward answers about Mount St. Michael Catholic School, our Catholic identity, educational approach, student experience, admissions process, and cost.
If your question is not answered here, contact our admissions team at 214-337-0244 or email Judy Saldana at j.saldana@msmcatholic.org.
About MSMCS
What is Mount St. Michael Catholic School?
Mount St. Michael Catholic School is a private Catholic school in Dallas serving children from toddler age through eighth grade.
Our educational path begins with Montessori learning and continues through a classical curriculum in grades one through eight. Catholic faith and formation are integrated throughout the school experience.
MSMCS partners with families to help every child become the person God created him or her to be.
Where is MSMCS located?
Mount St. Michael Catholic School is located at:
4500 West Davis Street
Dallas, Texas 75211
The campus includes academic buildings, sacred spaces, athletic areas, outdoor classrooms, natural areas, a farm, an apiary, and an outdoor amphitheater.
What ages and grades does MSMCS serve?
MSMCS serves students from approximately 18 months through eighth grade:
- Toddler Montessori: 18 months–3 years.
- Montessori Pre-K and Kindergarten: Pre-K3–Kindergarten.
- Classical Grammar School: Grades 1–4.
- Classical Dialectic School: Grades 5–8.
Age requirements, developmental readiness, and placement policies should be confirmed with Admissions for the applicable school year.
What is the mission of MSMCS?
Mount St. Michael Catholic School forms students in courageous virtue grounded in the truth of Christ: to reason clearly, to choose morally, and to serve faithfully.
This means that academic learning, spiritual formation, personal responsibility, relationships, service, and character development are understood as parts of one educational mission.
What makes MSMCS different from other schools?
MSMCS combines a deeply Catholic identity, Montessori education in the early years, classical education in grades one through eight, outdoor and agricultural learning, and close partnership with families.
Students are taught to acquire knowledge, recognize relationships, reason carefully, communicate clearly, grow in virtue, and place their gifts in the service of God and others.
The best way to understand the difference is to experience the school firsthand.
Faith Formation
Do families have to be Catholic to attend MSMCS?
No. MSMCS serves Catholic families as well as non-Catholic Christian families who seek a Christ-centered education and can respectfully support the school’s Catholic identity.
Families should understand that MSMCS is fully and intentionally Catholic. Prayer, Catholic teaching, Mass, sacramental life, and faith formation are central to the student experience rather than optional additions.
Families from outside the Catholic Church are encouraged to discuss religious participation and expectations during their visit.
Will my child attend Mass?
Yes. Daily Mass is an integral part of school life at MSMCS.
Students also participate in daily prayer, the Angelus, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, religion instruction, and other forms of Catholic worship and formation.
How do non-Catholic students participate in Mass and prayer?
Non-Catholic students participate respectfully in the prayer and worship life of the school while observing Catholic sacramental norms.
Does MSMCS prepare students for the sacraments?
Yes. MSMCS provides Catholic sacramental preparation in partnership with parents and the Church.
The current school program includes preparation for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion in second grade and Confirmation formation for eligible older students.
Eligibility, parish involvement, documentation, and the timing of sacramental celebrations should be confirmed with the school.
Is religion taught as a separate subject?
Religion is a core academic subject, but faith formation extends well beyond religion class.
Catholic teaching shapes how students encounter literature, history, science, human dignity, moral responsibility, service, relationships, discipline, and the purpose of knowledge itself.
What is Catechesis of the Good Shepherd?
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a Montessori-based approach to faith formation grounded in Scripture and the liturgy.
In a carefully prepared environment called the atrium, children encounter biblical and liturgical materials, listen, pray, work independently, and reflect on their relationship with God.
Academics
Montessori
What is Montessori education?
Montessori education is a developmentally responsive approach in which children learn through purposeful activity, hands-on materials, movement, repetition, and increasing independence.
The teacher carefully observes each child, presents lessons according to readiness, and prepares an orderly environment in which children can concentrate, make constructive choices, and take responsibility for their work.
What is the role of the Montessori teacher?
The Montessori teacher acts as both instructor and careful observer.
Rather than directing every child through the same activity at the same moment, the teacher introduces appropriate materials, observes the child’s development, and guides the child toward increasingly challenging work.
This is structured, intentional teaching—not unmonitored free choice.
What do children learn in the Montessori program?
Montessori students build foundations in practical life, sensory development, language, mathematics, geography, science, culture, grace, courtesy, coordination, order, and independence.
Children progress according to developmental readiness while teachers ensure that they encounter the full range of essential materials and experiences.
Does Montessori mean children can do whatever they want?
No. Montessori offers freedom within a carefully prepared and ordered environment.
Children make purposeful choices from developmentally appropriate work, follow established routines, care for materials, respect others, complete activities, and return materials for the next student.
The goal is disciplined independence—not the absence of structure.
Is Montessori a good preparation for classical education?
Yes. Montessori develops habits that support later classical learning, including concentration, observation, order, independence, precise language, memory, coordination, and delight in discovery.
The transition is intentional. Students move from learning through concrete experience toward a classical program that increasingly emphasizes language, knowledge, reasoning, and articulate expression.
Classical
What is classical education?
Classical education is a language-centered approach that gives students a rich foundation of knowledge and teaches them how to reason, communicate, and connect ideas across subjects.
At MSMCS, students encounter history, literature, religion, science, mathematics, art, music, and language as related parts of a coherent understanding of God, humanity, and creation.
[Explore Classical Education]
What is the classical Trivium?
The Trivium describes three dimensions of learning: grammar, dialectic or logic, and rhetoric.
- Grammar establishes the essential knowledge and language of a subject.
- Dialectic or logic teaches students to examine relationships and reason soundly.
- Rhetoric teaches students to express truth persuasively and beautifully.
These dimensions correspond broadly to students’ development, but they are not rigidly separated. Children remember, reason, and communicate at every age, with the emphasis changing as they mature.
Does classical education encourage critical thinking?
Yes. Critical thinking is one of its central outcomes.
Students first acquire substantial knowledge. They then learn to ask appropriate questions, identify assumptions, recognize relationships, evaluate arguments, distinguish truth from error, and express conclusions clearly.
Critical thinking is built on knowledge rather than separated from it.
Is classical education only about Greece, Rome, and old books?
No. Classical education draws from the accumulated wisdom of Western civilization, including Greece and Rome, but it is not limited to the ancient world.
Students study ideas, events, discoveries, cultures, works of literature, and human achievements across history. They also learn to evaluate the past truthfully, including its failures and injustices, through reason and Catholic moral teaching.
Is classical education too rigid or serious for children?
It should not be.
At MSMCS, rigor exists alongside wonder, imagination, beauty, nature, movement, laughter, friendship, art, and joyful discovery. Children are capable of serious learning without being treated like miniature adults.
How does technology fit into the curriculum?
Technology should serve learning rather than dominating it.
MSMCS emphasizes direct instruction, books, conversation, handwriting, hands-on work, nature, experimentation, and human relationships. The school’s current device practices and grade-level technology policies should be confirmed before publication.
The MSMCS Experience
What does a typical school day look like?
The daily schedule varies by age and program.
A student’s day may include prayer and Mass, uninterrupted Montessori work, classical academic instruction, religion, mathematics, language, history, science, art, music, physical activity, outdoor learning, agricultural studies, meals, recess, and community responsibilities.
How does MSMCS protect childhood while maintaining high expectations?
MSMCS gives children room for wonder, imagination, nature, movement, friendship, beauty, laughter, and developmentally appropriate growth.
At the same time, students receive meaningful academic work, clear boundaries, real responsibilities, constructive correction, and progressively greater expectations.
Protecting childhood does not mean removing every challenge. It means ensuring that challenges are purposeful, appropriate, and supported by adults who know the child.
What does “known, loved and challenged” mean?
It means that teachers seek to understand each child personally, recognize the child’s God-given dignity, and call the child toward genuine growth.
Being known without being challenged can become indulgence. Being challenged without being known can become impersonal pressure. MSMCS seeks to hold care and expectation together.
Does MSMCS offer outdoor learning?
Yes. Outdoor learning is part of the school’s educational approach.
The campus includes outdoor classrooms, natural spaces, agricultural studies, a farm, and an apiary. Students encounter living systems, stewardship, practical responsibility, scientific observation, and the wonder of God’s creation.
Does MSMCS offer athletics, arts, and clubs?
MSMCS provides student-life opportunities that may include athletics, visual and performing arts, clubs, service, community celebrations, and school traditions.
Offerings may vary by grade, enrollment, season, facilities, and available leadership. Families should consult the current activities listing for confirmed programs and schedules.
Are students required to wear uniforms?
Yes. MSMCS students follow a school uniform code.
Approved garments are currently ordered through the school’s designated uniform provider. Families should review the current uniform requirements before purchasing because items and policies may change by school year.
Is transportation available?
No, we currently do not offer bus transportation. Families must provide students with transportation to and from school. Carpooling is highly encouraged!
Does MSMCS offer before-school or after-school care?
Yes, our Extended Day program is offered before and after school. Before-school care starts at 7:00am and ends at 7:30am. After-school care starts at 3:30pm and ends at 6:00pm. There is a small fee for this which will be billed through FACTS. There is no need to register for after school care but we do ask families to notify us if morning care is needed.
Does the school provide lunch?
No, MSMCS does not offer a lunch program. Families are expected to pack a students’ lunch. We kindly ask that lunch be a balanced meal that includes protein, veggies, carbs and fruits.
Student Life & Support
How does MSMCS support students who learn differently?
Teachers work to know their students, communicate with families, provide accessible instruction, and make appropriate accommodations within the school’s available resources.
MSMCS is not equipped to provide every type or intensity of specialized service. Support decisions are made individually based on the child’s documented needs, the classroom environment, and the school’s capacity.
Should we disclose a diagnosis, evaluation, or accommodation plan during admissions?
Yes. Families should provide complete and accurate information about evaluations, diagnoses, accommodations, previous interventions, and relevant educational history.
This information helps the school determine whether it can serve the student responsibly. Disclosure is not an admission that a child lacks potential; it is essential to making a sound placement decision.
Sensitive records should be submitted through the school’s approved secure process—not through a general website inquiry form.
Does MSMCS provide special education services?
MSMCS may provide classroom accommodations and learning support within its staffing, expertise, and available resources, but it should not be represented as offering the full range of services available through a public-school special education program.
Families should discuss the child’s specific needs with Admissions before applying or enrolling.
How does MSMCS challenge advanced students?
Teachers can provide deeper questions, more demanding texts, advanced application, expanded responsibilities, and opportunities to make increasingly sophisticated connections.
Appropriate challenge is not always equivalent to moving a child into a higher-grade textbook. The goal is depth, mastery, reasoning, and meaningful growth.
What is MSMCS’s approach to discipline?
Discipline at MSMCS is intended to be formative and restorative.
Students are expected to recognize harm, accept responsibility, make appropriate repair, and develop the virtue necessary to make better choices. Clear boundaries and consequences remain important, but the goal is growth rather than punishment alone.
What happens if a student struggles after enrolling?
The school and family should communicate directly, identify the nature of the concern, establish appropriate support or intervention, and monitor the student’s progress.
If MSMCS ultimately determines that it cannot provide the environment or support a student needs, the school should communicate honestly with the family and help clarify the next decision.
Any trial-enrollment or continued-enrollment policy should be explained in writing before enrollment.
Admissions
How do we begin the admissions process?
Begin by exploring the website and scheduling a personalized campus visit.
If your family decides to move forward, the process currently includes an online application, student placement assessment, family interview, admissions decision, enrollment, and new-parent orientation.
Do we need to tour before applying?
A personalized visit is the intended first step.
The tour allows families to understand the school’s Catholic identity, educational approach, expectations, and campus before investing time and money in an application.
Should both parents attend the tour?
MSMCS encourages both parents or guardians involved in the educational decision to attend whenever possible.
This gives everyone an opportunity to receive the same information, experience the campus, and ask questions directly.
What is the purpose of placement testing?
Placement testing helps the school understand a student’s current academic development, identify possible needs, and determine appropriate grade or program placement.
It is one part of the admissions process and should not be treated as the sole measure of a child’s ability or potential.
What happens during the family interview?
The family interview is a conversation about your child, your family’s educational goals, MSMCS’s Catholic identity, academic and behavioral expectations, and the school-family partnership.
It also gives both the family and school an opportunity to raise questions before making a final decision.
Does applying guarantee admission?
No. Submitting an application or paying the application fee does not guarantee admission.
MSMCS considers the completed application, educational records, assessment, family interview, grade-level capacity, alignment with the school’s mission, and the school’s ability to serve the student.
Does MSMCS accept applications throughout the year?
MSMCS has historically accepted applications after its priority deadline when space remains available.
Because capacity varies by program and grade, families applying after the priority period or during the school year should contact Admissions before submitting an application.
What happens if a grade is full?
A qualified student may be placed in a wait pool or on a waitlist when no appropriate place is available.
The school should explain the current waitlist procedure, how families receive updates, whether priority categories apply, and whether additional action is required.
Can students transfer to MSMCS during the school year?
Midyear admission may be considered when space is available and the school determines that the timing and placement would serve the student well.
Families should contact Admissions before applying to discuss current availability, records, assessment, curriculum alignment, and transition considerations.
How long does the admissions process take?
The timeline depends on application completeness, assessment availability, family-interview scheduling, grade-level capacity, and the time of year.
The admissions team should provide an estimated timeline after receiving the completed application and required records.
Tuition
How much is tuition?
For the 2026–27 school year, annual tuition is:
- First child: $8,655.
- Second child: $8,345.
- Third child: $7,830.
- Fourth child: $7,520.
Half-day Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 tuition is 80% of the applicable annual rate. Toddler Montessori and the Eagle’s Special Program use separate tuition structures.
Tuition and fees are subject to change.
Are fees included in tuition?
No. Application, enrollment, materials, middle-school activities, uniforms, supplies, and other student expenses may be charged separately.
Families should review the complete tuition-and-fee schedule and ask for a grade-specific estimate before enrolling.
Are sibling discounts available?
Yes. MSMCS currently publishes reduced annual tuition rates for the second, third, and fourth enrolled children from the same family.
The school should confirm how sibling order is calculated when children are enrolled in different programs or schedules.
Does MSMCS offer payment plans?
Yes. For 2026–27, families may pay tuition in full or through an 11-month FACTS payment plan.
Monthly payments are currently scheduled on either the fifth or twentieth day of the month.
Is financial assistance available?
Limited need-based financial assistance is available to qualifying families through FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment.
Financial-assistance applications, supporting documents, and deadlines are separate from the application for admission. Assistance is not guaranteed.
What is TEFA?
The Texas Education Freedom Accounts program is a state-administered education savings account program.
Families accepted into TEFA may use state-allocated funds for approved educational expenses, potentially including tuition at a participating private school. State eligibility, awards, and deadlines are administered by the Texas Comptroller—not by MSMCS.
Does receiving TEFA funding guarantee admission to MSMCS?
No. TEFA funding and MSMCS admission are separate.
A student must complete the school’s admissions process and receive an offer of admission. The family must also meet all TEFA requirements, and MSMCS must be confirmed as a participating school.
Can a family receive both TEFA and MSMCS financial assistance?
In most cases, no. MSMCS will need to make financial adjustments to offer more support to families in need who do not receive TEFA.
Tours
How do I schedule a tour?
Complete the online visit form and select your preferred date and time.
A member of the admissions team will contact you to confirm the appointment and provide arrival instructions. Submitting a request does not finalize the visit until the school confirms it.
How long does a tour take?
Please plan for approximately 45-60 minutes.
Families with multiple children or detailed questions about learning support, tuition, or program placement may want to allow additional time.
Should our child attend the tour?
That may depend on the child’s age and the purpose of the visit.
Complete the visit form and indicate who plans to attend. The admissions team will tell you whether bringing your child is recommended for the initial tour.
What will we see during a tour?
A tour may include Montessori and classical classrooms, the chapel and sacred spaces, outdoor classrooms, agricultural areas, the farm and apiary, athletic facilities, and other parts of the campus.
What is available to observe will depend on the school calendar and the time of your visit.
What should we ask during our visit?
Ask the questions that will help you understand whether your child can flourish at MSMCS.
Families often ask about:
- Catholic practices and expectations.
- Montessori and classical education.
- Academic challenge and homework.
- Student support.
- Discipline and communication.
- Class size.
- Tuition and financial assistance.
- Student life and activities.
- School-day logistics.
- The transition from a current school.
- High-school preparation.
The visit should be a candid conversation, not simply a presentation.
Plan Your Visit
Still Have Questions?
A website can answer many questions, but it cannot replace a conversation or campus experience.
Contact the admissions team if you would like to discuss your child’s needs, program availability, affordability, or the next step in the process.
Mount St. Michael Catholic School
4500 West Davis Street
Dallas, Texas 75211
214-337-0244
info@msmcatholic.org