Admission Policy

Juan Diego Catholic School students demonstrate responsible conduct and are focused on academics. ​Parents must support the philosophy of Catholic education and the policies of Juan Diego Catholic High School.

Proof of legal name, age, and custody

Before any child is admitted to school, the child's parents or guardians must present the child's birth certificate to the school registrar to verify the child's legal name and age. At least one parent/guardian of the child must sign the child's application for admission to the school. In case of divorce, records, including a certified copy of the Decree of Divorce, must be on file stating who has custody and when. In cases where the child’s name differs from the birth certificate, additional and supporting legal documents will be required.

Name of Student

Upon admission to school, a student shall be registered under the name that appears on the student's birth certificate. This must appear on the attendance register, permanent record file, and report card. The student may use a “preferred” name on papers, reports, etc.

Please note:​ If a student’s 20th birthday will occur prior to May of their graduation year, then the student will not be admitted to Juan Diego or may not be allowed to continue their enrollment at Juan Diego.

Immunizations

Per the Diocese of Salt Lake City, all students enrolled in Catholic schools must be properly immunized. The State Board of Health maintains the policy that students who have not been properly immunized or properly exempted from the requirements of immunization are to be excluded from school. The policy established by the Diocese of Salt Lake City will not permit Personal or Religious exemptions, but will allow a student to be enrolled if they have a Utah Health Department Medical Waiver signed by his/her physician.

Medications

When a student is taking prescribed medication, a parent must provide the medication in the official prescriptive bottle, with the doctor’s order that outlines dosage.

An ​Authorization to Administer Medication form must be completed by the parent and health care provider giving permission for the school nurse or authorized person to administer medication to the student. This form must be stored on campus with the school nurse.

No non-prescriptive (over-the-counter) medications, including Ibuprofen and Tylenol, will be given to any student unless ​an ​Authorization to Administer Medication​ form​ is completed. Special health care needs such as diabetes, asthma, and allergies that require self-administered medications that can be in the possession of the student (i.e. Diabetes medication, inhalers, Epinephrine Auto-Injectors) require completed specific medication forms in accordance with Utah Code 53A.

All medical release forms can be accessed through our website: ​www.jdchs.org​. On our homepage, click Current Parents & Students, scroll to the bottom of the page to select medical authorization forms. 

Students Residing with People Other than Parent/Guardian

Students are expected to reside with their parent(s) or legal guardian while attending JDCHS unless extenuating circumstances exist where this is contrary to the student’s health and well-being. Under such circumstances, every effort must be made for the student to reside with another family whose student(s) attend JDCHS. Students must have advance permission from the Juan Diego administration to reside somewhere other than with the student’s parent(s) or legal guardian and a professional assessment of the family situation may be necessary.

Educational Assessment Exam for New Students

All students entering Juan Diego Catholic High School must take an Educational Assessment Exam. The purpose of the exam is to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses that reflect college preparedness and academic performance and does not determine entrance into the school.

Freshmen

Students entering the ninth grade must successfully complete all requirements of their eighth-grade year and have a positive discipline and behavior record from the school they attended. Students must take an ​Educational Assessment Exam ​in their eighth-grade year.

Optional Freshman Qualifying Exams - ​Incoming freshman students who are interested in enrolling in honors-level courses in math, science, and world languages (Spanish and French), in addition to taking the ​Educational Assessment Exam,​ must participate in the Freshmen Qualifying Exams. ​Based on the results of the ​Educational Assessment ​and ​Qualifying Exams​ , students will receive recommendations for their ninth-grade courses.

Upper Classmen

Admission to Juan Diego in any status other than an incoming freshman is handled on a case-by-case basis. Evaluation factors include:

● Credits earned in courses similar to the Juan Diego curriculum

● Student’s progress toward graduation

● Grades and grade point average

● Standardized test scores

● A letter from a school official indicating attendance and discipline record

● A letter from the school indicating good financial standing (when applicable)

Any Catholic student moving from outside of the Diocese will be granted admission to the school provided they meet the graduation requirements of Juan Diego.

Transfer of credit from another school to JDCHS

Credits will be accepted at face value from educational institutions that are fully accredited by a state or regional accreditation association. If a school is not accredited, JDCHS reserves the right whether or not to accept credits earned from the non-accredited school.

Because students come to Juan Diego from a wide variety of schools and academic programs, grade points earned from other schools ​are NOT calculated ​into a student’s JDCHS cumulative GPA. A clear explanation of this policy is sent with a student’s transcripts to the next educational institution the student attends.

Withdrawal Procedure

Parents who wish to withdraw a student from Juan Diego should contact the student’s counselor who will facilitate the process. All school property must be returned and all financial obligations must be met before transcripts will be forwarded to another institution. Once a family signs a tuition contract with Juan Diego Catholic High School, they are responsible for the full payment of that tuition and any outstanding fines or fees, whether or not their student finishes the school year at Juan Diego unless they have purchased a Tuition Assurance Policy.