The Best Private Schools in Uniontown, Kansas
Discover 3 exceptional private schools in Uniontown. Find the perfect educational environment for your child with our comprehensive reviews and ratings.
School Overview
Top-Rated Private Schools
St. Mary's-Colgan Catholic Schools
Catholic Diocese of Pittsburg
St. Mary's-Colgan is a highly-regarded Catholic school system serving southeast Kansas, including Uniontown area families. The school offers comprehensive education from preschool through high school with a strong college preparatory focus. Known for excellent academics, the school features advanced STEM courses, competitive athletics programs, and robust fine arts offerings. The campus includes modern facilities with science labs, performing arts spaces, and athletic complexes. With small class sizes and dedicated faculty, the school maintains a 100% college acceptance rate and consistently produces National Merit Scholars.
Programs:
Christian Learning Center
Independent Christian School
Christian Learning Center provides classical Christian education to students throughout southeast Kansas, including Uniontown families. The school emphasizes rigorous academics integrated with biblical worldview across all subjects. The classical approach includes grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages with strong emphasis on critical thinking and communication skills. The school features small class sizes, individualized attention, and a family-oriented community. Programs include comprehensive college preparation, competitive sports, music, drama, and community service opportunities. The school is known for its strong parent satisfaction and character development focus.
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St. Martin's Academy
Independent Catholic School
St. Martin's Academy offers a unique classical Catholic education with an emphasis on outdoor and agricultural experiences, serving students from Uniontown and surrounding communities. The school combines rigorous academic formation with hands-on learning through its working farm and outdoor program. The curriculum centers on the Great Books tradition, Latin language study, and classical liberal arts. Students benefit from small tutorial-style classes, Socratic discussion methods, and integrated humanities approach. The school's distinctive outdoor program includes farming, animal husbandry, and wilderness skills alongside traditional college preparatory academics.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about private schools in Uniontown, Kansas
What are the primary private school options available for families in Uniontown, Kansas, and what are their core educational philosophies?
Uniontown, Kansas, is served by a small number of dedicated private institutions, each with a distinct focus. The primary options are St. Mary's-Colgan Catholic Schools (PreK-12), which offers a comprehensive, faith-based education rooted in the Catholic tradition; the Christian Learning Center, which typically provides a Protestant Christian educational environment; and St. Martin's Academy, a unique boarding and day school for boys emphasizing classical education, outdoor work, and character formation. Given the rural setting, these schools represent the main alternatives to the public Uniontown School District, and their philosophies range from traditional parochial to specialized classical models.
How does tuition at private schools in Uniontown, KS, compare to state averages, and what financial aid options are typically available?
Tuition in Uniontown is generally below the average for Kansas private schools due to the lower cost of living in a rural community. However, structures vary. St. Mary's-Colgan, as a diocesan school, likely has a tiered tuition scale with active parishioner discounts. St. Martin's Academy, as a boarding school, has a higher comprehensive fee but may offer day student rates. All schools typically have limited financial aid budgets, often funded by parish support, endowments, or donor gifts. Parents should inquire directly about need-based aid, scholarships, and multi-child discounts. Kansas also offers the Tax Credit for Low Income Students Scholarship Program, which can provide scholarships for eligible families to attend private schools.
What unique academic or extracurricular programs do Uniontown private schools offer that leverage their rural Kansas setting?
Private schools in Uniontown capitalize on their environment for distinctive learning. St. Martin's Academy integrates its 200-acre campus into its curriculum through its "Ars Moriendi" program, involving farming, animal husbandry, and land stewardship. St. Mary's-Colgan, with its strong athletic tradition (especially football), often fosters deep community ties through sports, a central focus in small-town Kansas life. Agricultural science, FFA chapters, and an emphasis on close-knit, community service projects are common strengths. These schools offer a personalized education where students are known by all faculty, a hallmark of rural private schooling.
What is the typical enrollment timeline and process for private schools in Uniontown, and are there waiting lists?
Given the small size of these schools, enrollment is highly personalized and spaces can be limited. The main intake periods are often in the spring for the following fall, with St. Mary's-Colgan having a standard registration period for returning and new families. St. Martin's Academy, accepting boarding students from a wider geographic area, may have a more formal application process with interviews. It is crucial to contact schools directly by January or February, as some grades (particularly kindergarten and early elementary) may fill quickly. Waiting lists are not uncommon for specific grades. Most schools require records transfer, student/parent interviews, and for religious schools, baptismal certificates.
For families considering both public and private options in Uniontown, what are the key practical and philosophical differences?
The Uniontown School District (USD 235) provides a tuition-free, comprehensive public education with state-funded programs. The key differences lie in scale, specialization, and mission. Private options offer smaller class sizes (often 15:1 or less), explicit religious or value-based instruction, and specialized curricula (like classical at St. Martin's). The public district provides broader elective choices, mandated special education services, and typically more extensive extracurricular offerings. Philosophically, the choice centers on whether a family seeks education integrated with specific faith values or a particular pedagogical approach versus a secular, community-wide system. Practically, it involves weighing tuition costs against the desired educational environment and the importance of a faith-based or classical foundation.