How to choose a private elementary school in Kissimmee

1. How they teach

Most Christian schools near Kissimmee teach from a textbook program such as Abeka or BJU, or from self-paced workbooks. The whole class usually moves through the same lesson on the same day.

The Montessori elementary schools in the area are mostly in Celebration and south Orlando, and almost all of them are secular. Children learn with hands-on materials and move at their own pace. Catholic parish schools follow Florida's state standards, and a premium school in Celebration teaches the International Baccalaureate program.

None of these is right for every child. Ask yourself whether your child learns best by listening and writing, or by handling things and working on their own.

2. What you will really pay

Published kindergarten to fifth grade tuition around Kissimmee runs from about $7,650 to $13,900 a year. Most schools that publish their prices also add $175 to $1,500 a year in registration, curriculum, technology, activity or testing fees.

The average Step Up For Students award is around $8,000. So the number to compare is tuition plus every fee, minus your award. On published 2026-27 price sheets, that gap runs from about $850 to $6,000 a year at most schools, before care, lunch and uniforms. Several schools do not publish prices at all, so ask for the full fee schedule in writing.

3. Who they admit

Admissions rules vary more than parents expect. Some local schools require an entrance test, a minimum grade average or test percentile, church attendance or membership, fluent English, or a trial period after your child starts. Some do not offer support for children with learning differences.

None of that is wrong, but you want to know before your child sits a test. Ask every school what it requires, and what happens if your child does not meet it.

4. How many children share a teacher

Published student-to-teacher ratios at private schools near Kissimmee range from about 8 to 1 up to 22 to 1. Directory figures are often out of date, so ask how many children will be in your child's room this year, and how many adults.

5. How the school day fits your work day

Many local schools offer before-school and after-school care from about 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, usually billed separately. Most private schools do not run buses, and many tuition-free charter schools do not either.

If drop-off and pick-up are the hard part of your day, ask about care hours, the cost, and whether the school has any transportation help.

6. Whether they speak your language

Kissimmee is a bilingual city, and several public and charter schools nearby offer free dual-language programs. Among private schools, Spanish is often a weekly class at most, and few private school websites have a single page in Spanish.

If Spanish matters at home, ask whether it is part of the school day, and whether the office can talk with you in Spanish.

What about charter schools?

Charter schools are tuition-free public schools run independently of the district. Several within a few miles of downtown Kissimmee offer dual-language or International Baccalaureate programs, and many fill their seats by lottery each winter. They cannot teach religion, and most nearby do not provide buses.

If a free school and a faith-based one are both on your list, a Step Up scholarship may make the private option free too. Compare them on the same six points.

Questions to ask on every visit

Take this list with you. A good school will answer all of it without hesitating.

• What is the total yearly cost for my child's grade, with every fee, after my Step Up award?
• Do you require testing, a grade average, church membership or fluent English to enroll?
• How many children and how many adults will be in my child's room?
• How do you teach reading and math, and how will I know if my child is on track?
• What happens when one child bullies another?
• What are the care hours, and how could my child get to and from school?
• Can someone in the office talk with me in Spanish?
• Can my child start in the middle of the year?

Where SWREA fits

Still We Rise Excellence Academy is a Christ-centered Montessori school for kindergarten through fifth grade at 1904 Michigan Avenue. Tuition is $8,000 a year with no registration or materials fee, so the average Step Up award covers all of it and most families pay $0.

There is no admissions testing, no church membership requirement and no English fluency requirement. Classes are twelve children to a teacher, Spanish is part of every day, and we have a transportation partner for families who need help getting to school. Children can start in any grade on any school day of the year.