Park Street School was founded in 2002 as an outgrowth of the successful preschool, Park Street Kids, founded two years earlier. It is affiliated with the Park Street Church. The school was founded by a group of mothers from the Park Street Church who recognized a real need for a good school in the neighborhood, says Park Street's communication director, Kim Twitchell. Since then the school has grown by leaps and bounds and it now receives many more applicants per year than it can accept. Seventy-five percent of Park Street's students come from downtown Boston neighborhoods and the vast majority walk or ride a scooter to school. The school is committed to diversity and most of its students come from families outside the Park Street Church community. The school says Christianity is its guiding principal and it puts a lot of emphasis on fostering Christian values in its students. The school's gymnasium features a climbing wall and recess is often held on the Esplanade or Boston Common. To enroll their child parents must submit an application and application fee, visit an open house and schedule their child for one-on-one testing. Tuition is $15,100 per year for kindergarten; $17,500 per year for grades 1 - 3 and $19,600 for grades 4 - 6. Financial aid is available.