Admissions Policy & Process
Admissions Policy
The Blake School seeks students whose strong ability, performance and promise suggest they will thrive in the school’s challenging academic environment and who will contribute to the life of the school in a variety of areas including the arts, athletics, leadership and service. Students admitted to Blake and their families are expected to embrace the school’s mission statement, statement of core values, and commitment to pluralism.
Admissions decisions are based on a combination of factors, which may include a personal interview with the student and his or her parents, academic record, admissions tests, recommendations from teachers, a classroom visit and other appropriate information. Academic readiness or achievement, social and behavioral maturity, motivation and special talents will be considered. Composition of a given grade and the school as a whole influence the decisions of individual student selection.
Through the admissions process, Blake builds a strong student community with balance in several areas:
- Children of families new to Blake, children of alumni/ae, and siblings
- Gender
- Diversity in race, ethnicity, religion, and socio-economic background, and as further defined in the school’s commitment to pluralism
In all cases, the school retains the right to determine, in its sole discretion, whether or not to admit or re-enroll a student. The Admissions Committee, working closely with Blake faculty and administration, makes final decisions under the overall supervision of the head of school.
Admissions Process for Prospective Parents and Students
The admissions process for parents . . .
You meet with school administrators, faculty, parents and others who can give a sense of what life at Blake would be like for your family and your child. In turn, our admissions team spends time with you in relaxed conversation to learn about your child. Parents, particularly those new to a process such as this, tell us they find the experience to be interesting and fun. After all, most parents enjoy talking about their child, and we’re very eager listeners.
The admissions process for prospective students . . .
During a day visit to the school, your child interacts with teachers and students to get a feel for the academics, arts and athletics at Blake. Each child also participates in some form of age-appropriate screening or testing. Specifically for:
PRE-KINDERGARTEN AND KINDERGARTEN: Screening consists of child-friendly, game-like activities in a one-on-one setting.
GRADES 1–5: For younger applicants we give special attention to teacher recommendations and progress reports, and we conduct elementary-level achievement and ability screening.
GRADES 6–12: In addition to the careful review of teacher recommendations and academic transcripts, we conduct standardized testing.
What happens when we are unable to admit a child?
We understand how disheartening this can be. But to live our mission and provide excellence of program, we have to maintain small class sizes. As a result, we cannot accept all applicants. Also, occasionally Blake isn’t the right fit for a child. The discussions and the process, in every case, help the family focus on the best school choice for each child.
