The application and admission process supports and fulfills the mission of The Country School. The School seeks a diverse student body and provides a challenging academic program in a warm and nurturing environment. The School provides an age appropriate structure with complementary classes in the arts, music, technology, and physical education.
The Application Process
Each family considering applying for admission to The Country School should attend, if possible, an Admissions Preview event. The application process shall begin when the application is completed and submitted with the application fee to the Admissions Office. Upon submission of an application, the parents should notify the applicant's current school of their intention to apply elsewhere. Applications are kept on file until the appropriate admission year or assessment date. Specific information is then requested for each applicant in order to create a student profile. This information remains confidential and will not be returned regardless of the admission decision reached.
Admission Criteria
Acceptance is determined on a combination of the following criteria:
- Previous school records
- Individual admission assessment performance
- Emotional maturity
- Ability of the child to benefit from our program
- Ability of the school to meet the child's needs
- Space availability in the appropriate grade level
The Admission Decision
The Admission Committee reviews thoroughly each student's file and are made promptly and will be made in the best interests of the prospective student, his or her family, and the school. Using the criteria stated above, the committee makes one of five decisions:
- Acceptance: the student meets all requirements for admission and space is available in the appropriate grade level
- Contingent Acceptance: admission is offered on the condition that the child completes a specific remediation or tutorial program.
- Wait Pool: student meets all requirements for admission, but space does not currently exist.
- Wait a Year: the student is not ready for admission but would benefit from a "year-to-grow" and may re-apply for admission the following year.
- Denial: student does not meet the necessary criteria or does not evidence promise for success in The Country School environment.
In situations where there are more qualified applicants than spaces available and the applicants are considered of equal merit by the Admissions Committee, the following are given priority for an opening:
- Students of current Country School families, alumni (alumni are those who have graduated from The Country School), faculty and administration
- Students with other siblings making application to The Country School
- Date of application
The families of accepted students will be notified by mail. The School must receive the following by the designated date in order to reserve the accepted applicant's space:
- Enrollment fee: 10% of tuition expense
- Signed enrollment contracts
Wait pool assignment is for students who qualify for admission, yet the grade for which they are applying does not have space available. When an opening occurs, applicants are selected from the wait pool using the same criteria listed above. However, an additional consideration for selecting an applicant from the wait pool may be the ratio of boys to girls currently enrolled. Since the order of selection may change with each additional applicant, wait pool candidates are not ranked in an order.
The families of students who are not accepted will be notified by mail. All decisions by the Admissions Committee are final. The contents of each applicant's file are for admissions purposes only and shall not be released.
The Country School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, nationality or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, employment policies, financial aid programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.