Admissions
Welcome!
Choosing Messiah Lutheran School is about more than just finding the right school for your child, it is also about finding the right fit for your family. I love helping new families learn about Messiah School because I was once one of the families being served by the school. My children attended school here and received an excellent education that prepared them for middle school, and also I experienced first-hand the support for our entire family. My goal is to share that with you, too! I am happy to assist as you discover what makes Messiah Lutheran School the right fit for your family!
Heather Haniszewski
Admissions Coordinator
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STUDENT APPLICATION
Here’s where you’ll find the info you need for new student applications and re-enrollment for current students.
Enrollment Instructions
New families
- Create an Application Account for each new student.
- A non-refundable fee of $27 will be collected for each application.
- Click here to create an account.
- Click here to log in to your account and create a new student application.
- You may log in and out of your account to resume an existing application.
- After you have completed your application process, watch your email for an invitation to enroll, which includes instructions to complete your enrollment packet and set up your Family Portal account.
- After you submit your application, the Messiah Admissions Office will schedule an interview and tour. In many cases, this visit has already occurred prior to application.
- After your enrollment packet is complete, you will receive an invoice for your enrollment fee.
- Your enrollment fee is required to hold your child’s seat.
Financial Aid:
- You will have the opportunity to apply for financial aid through your online Family Portal account.
- If you do not have the data needed to complete financial aid application, you can apply later.
- Our PRIORITY REVIEW deadline for Financial Aid Applications is JANUARY 30.
- If you experience a hardship after our deadline, please do not hesitate to ask for assistance.
Church Member Scholarships:
- Active members of Messiah Lutheran Church may request tuition assistance at Messiah Lutheran School and Lincoln Lutheran School. Watch for details in early summer.
- Members at Calvary Lutheran, Holy Savior Lutheran, and Redeemer Lutheran may also be eligible for scholarships. If you attend one of these three churches, please contact your pastor for more information.
Returning families
- Current K-4 students are eligible for PRIORITY ENROLLMENT upon successful completion of WEB FORMS and payment of ENROLLMENT FEES.
- Deadlines:
- Web Forms are due February 1
- Enrollment Fees are due February 15.
- Create an Application Account for each new student not already enrolled in Messiah Elementary or Early Childhood Center.
- A non-refundable fee of $27 will be collected for each application.
- Click here to create new student application account.
- Click here to log in to your account and create a new student application. After we receive your application, we will send your invitation to enroll.
- After your enrollment packet is complete, you will receive an invoice for your enrollment fee.
- Your enrollment fee is required to hold your child’s seat.
NEW for 2026:
FACTS Tuition Management now offers direct integration with IRS.GOV. This is our preferred method to verify your income and references your 2024 completed taxes.
- Our PRIORITY REVIEW deadline for Financial Aid Applications is JANUARY 30.
- If your financial situation has changed since 2024, please note this on your application in the provided narrative section
- If you experience a hardship after our deadline, please do not hesitate to ask for assistance.
CHURCH MEMBER SCHOLARSHIPS (K-5)
Church Member Scholarships:
- Active members of Messiah Lutheran Church may request tuition assistance at Messiah Lutheran School and Lincoln Lutheran School. Watch for details in early summer.
- Members at Calvary Lutheran, Holy Savior Lutheran, and Redeemer Lutheran may also be eligible for scholarships. If you attend one of these three churches, please contact your pastor for more information.
PRIORITY ENROLLMENT
Current Kindergarten through 4th grade students have priority for available seats through January 30. Families new to Messiah School may begin the application process now; see Step 1.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No. In fact, there are more non-Lutheran families at Messiah School than there are Lutheran. If you are looking for an environment to welcome your family, uphold your values, build a heart for service, nurture your child’s faith, and help you feel successful as a parent; Messiah is a great place to start. We offer an excellent Christ-centered education option for our community.
Families who are actively involved in the membership life of Messiah Lutheran Church may apply for a member tuition discount.
We believe in the Triune God – the three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God:
- the Father, creator of all that exists;
- Jesus Christ, the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all human beings and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death and Satan;
- and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God’s Word and Sacraments.
We believe that our Salvation comes from God “by divine grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone,” not by anything that we can do ourselves.
We believe that Jesus is the focus of the entire Bible and that faith in him alone is the way to eternal salvation.
Messiah School operates on funding from tuition, donor support, and Messiah Lutheran Church mission support. Please contact us to learn more about your cost to attend Messiah Lutheran School.
It is our hope that every family who desires a Christ-centered, academically strong education experience for their child does not find tuition to be a barrier to their choice. Financial aid and scholarships are available to all families.
Yes!
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE:
- Children of Professional Church Workers
- Children of Active Military and First Responders
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS:
- 2nd Child Scholarship
- 3rd and 4th Child Scholarship
- Active Messiah Church Member Scholarship
- Ask your home church if they offer scholarships for Christian Education
FINANCIAL AID FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS:
- All Messiah elementary students are eligible for financial aid based on need, verified through FACTS Tuition Management.
- About 30% of Messiah elementary students qualify for financial aid. Ask us for more info on how to apply.
FINANCIAL AID FOR PRESCHOOL STUDENTS:
- When applying for Preschool, please visit with the director to discuss financial need.
There are occasionally classrooms that fill up, so we encourage families to commit as soon as possible.
Can you serve my child who has a learning disability?
Messiah partners with Lincoln Public School specialists to diagnose learning disabilities. Children who live in the LPS attendance boundaries and are diagnosed with a learning disability may receive services during their school day, at Messiah, from LPS specialists who come to our building.
Students with more extreme disabilities, especially those requiring assistance throughout their day, may not be best served at Messiah as we do not have the ability to host specialists within our classrooms.
Do you use high stakes testing?
It is becoming too common in American public education systems to lean on high stakes testing as the primary determinant for student success and even teacher success. Messiah does use assessment tests, but for very different reasons.
- We want to know what students know so that we can help them grow, especially in areas of relative weakness. We use Fall assessments to help us get to know the individual strengths and weaknesses of the children in our classrooms.
- We want to know if the curriculum we have designed for Messiah is working — that students are achieving at or above the academic standards for their grade level. We use Spring assessments to measure how well our curriculum planning is working and to ensure the growth we expect to see from students is actually happening.
How are gifted students offered challenges if they are capable of more than the standard lesson?
The availability and ease of use of differentiation tools is important to us and is an important consideration in how we choose what tools to use in our classrooms. Differentiation is not just a tool for support; it is our primary strategy for enrichment and acceleration for capable and motivated learners.
In Grades K-2 (The “Learning to Read” phase), our focus is on building reading fluency and core mathematical concepts. For advanced students, this looks like:
- Reading: Moving students into higher-level reading groups earlier, providing complex vocabulary, and introducing more sophisticated comprehension tasks that require inference and synthesis.
- Math: Integrating advanced conceptual challenges and logic puzzles that require deeper reasoning beyond simple calculation.
In Grades 3-5 (The “Reading to Learn” phase), the ability to read fluently becomes linked to success in all subjects, especially math problem-solving.
Our experienced teachers naturally integrate accommodations for all learners. Specifically for advanced students, this often involves. Visiting specialists from LPS often comment on the seamless way our teachers integrate these higher-level challenges.
We do utilize adaptive technology platforms that provide a unique learning path for each student. There are unique curriculum aligned apps that we use in both Reading and Math. These tools leverage a student’s demonstrated ability to automatically present more complex and rigorous material, ensuring they are always moving along their individual learning continuum in reading and math. Teachers are able to leverage data from these tools to review the progress their students are making, and also invest face to face check-in time with each student.
On a more seasonal approach, we utilize the NWEA-MAP Growth Assessment each fall and spring. This data provides precise Ready-to-Learn indicators, allowing us to form flexible, advanced learning groups for targeted instruction in reading or math skills beyond their current grade levels.
Do you follow Common Core curriculum?
Common Core has become a “bad word” in some circles, and for good reason, but maybe not the reason most think. Any set of standards taken in isolation can become a problem if it becomes prescriptive for all students. Standards are meant to provide a framework from which to build.
We know the Common Core Standards, the Nebraska State Standards, the Lutheran School Standards, and many other subject specific standard sets. These standards collections all help Messiah teachers design curriculum and instruction for Messiah students based on several sets of standards, and then we exceed those standards.
How do Messiah teachers and students use technology?
We recognize that technology is an integral part of our students’ future, and we proactively explore how it can be a powerful asset for learning. Our goal is to equip every student with a robust understanding of digital tools, helping them discern how and when technology works best for them as they mature. However, our philosophy is rooted in balance: we deliberately refuse to replace the foundational elements of learning—such as paper books, handwriting, and face-to-face collaboration—with technology. We ensure our students are technologically comfortable, but never at the expense of their core academic and interpersonal skills.
What curriculum is used for Religion class?
With an eye to their lives beyond the classroom, Messiah does not offer a class called, “religion.” Instead, honoring our source of Truth, we call that class, “Bible Study.”
In Grades K-2, we use their current materials: Enduring Faith. We find that it does an excellent job balancing Biblical literacy with life application. In Grades 3-5, we chose to move to Bible Replay a few years ago as an engaging resource for that age group.
Do students learn Bible verses?
Messiah students memorize Scripture weekly. Our faculty is passionate about applying God’s word to everyday life and we go well beyond simple memorization. We have presented on this topic at the national Best Practices in Ministry conference in Phoenix! Here is a link to our presentation slides to give you an idea of what our Core Memory curriculum looks like and why we think it is a critical part of your child’s life.
How do teachers help build confidence within their students?
One of the hardest things for children to learn is the value of struggle. One unique method we use to address this topic at all grade levels is our Social Emotional Learning program. We’ve developed this in-house and, in it, balance the Fruit of the Spirit (from Scripture), and the Be Good People program. Please ask for more details if you’d like to learn more.
What kind of credentials do Messiah teachers hold?
Most of Messiah’s teaching staff holds a Masters Degree. All are certified by the State of Nebraska. In addition to academic credentials, Messiah’s teachers have received formal training in helping your child’s grow in their Christian faith.
Messiah school is approved by the Nebraska Department of Education under Rule 10 and is fully accredited by National Lutheran School Accreditation.
Do you welcome volunteers?
Absolutely!
- While we do not require volunteer hours of parents, we depend on them for many of the activities we offer.
- It is important to us that Messiah families know one another, and grow close to each other and to their Savior. Volunteering is a great opportunity to get to know other parents.
- Parents complete a survey each Fall so that our volunteer coordinator knows who to contact when specific needs arise during the school year.
Does Messiah require student uniforms?
No. We have a simple, child friendly, dress code. We do not believe that elementary age children require a uniform to succeed in school. Our desire is for children to maintain their unique character. We honor their unique learning styles. And we challenge them to grow.
Where do Messiah students go for middle school and high school?
After fifth grade, about 80% of Messiah’s students attend Lincoln Lutheran. The other children typically attend their neighborhood middle school. Messiah sends more students to Lincoln Lutheran than to any other middle school or high school. Usually, about 35% of the Lincoln Lutheran student body attended Messiah.
The Nebraska Department of Education does not allow interscholastic athletic competition before 7th Grade.
Messiah children often compete on the same team within local youth leagues, including the YMCA, and enjoy having one of the parents from their classroom as a coach. If your child is interested in joining a sports team, be sure sure to let your teacher know so that they can help connect with you with another parent from your classroom.
Messiah Lutheran School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. Messiah Lutheran School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.