Countryside School welcomes applications from students at all grade levels.
Each year we search for boys and girls who would benefit from our mission of joy in learning and excellence in education. Your child may be the student we are looking for to create our incoming kindergarten class, fill an opening in other elementary grades, or add to our middle school.
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Q
What is the class size?
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A
Countryside School has a capacity of 148 students - a total of 88 in the elementary grades and 60 in middle school. Elementary grades are combined in multi-age classrooms as Kindergarten/ first grade, second/third grades, and fourth/fifth grades, with a primary contact teacher for each grade level. The student:teacher ratio is 14:1 in Kindergarten, and 15:1 in first grade, giving the K/1 classroom 29 students and 2 teachers. The student:teacher ratio for 2nd through 5th grades is 15-16:1, but many subject classes are much smaller. The Middle School (grades 6-8) has a maximum of 60 students, divided into 4 homerooms. Their classes range from 6-18 students per section.
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Q
Who does Countryside accept?
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To qualify for admission, a student should be working at or above grade level in all subjects and be able to work successfully in the Countryside environment. A kindergarten applicant must be five years old by September 1st and be ready for a full-day academic kindergarten program.
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Q
How do I find out more about Countryside?
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Countryside School holds a community Open House in November, and separate information meetings about the elementary and middle school programs each February. Individual tours for parents to visit the classrooms are encouraged and arranged with the Admissions Director, Judy Kaplan, either by phone or email.
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How do we enroll?
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Countryside School enrolls students through an application process. This procedure helps identify children who will most benefit from the philosophy and goals of the school program and enables us to better balance classrooms by age and gender.
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How do we apply?
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An application consists of a parent tour to learn about the school; parent questionnaire; student questionnaire for applicants to grades 3-8; a teacher recommendation; and copies of past report cards. Once the written application is reviewed, qualified applicants for whom there is a potential opening will be invited to visit for a day in the classroom (for first through eighth grade applicants) or for a group visit (for kindergarten applicants). Further assessments will be done during this visit. Applications are available in January for entry the following fall. You can download the forms from our website (under Application Packets) or contact Countryside by phone or email and we will be pleased to mail you one.
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Q
When are applications due? When do we find out admissions decisions?
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Applications must be submitted by the end of February for elementary grades or the end of March for middle school grades. All applications submitted by the due date are evaluated equally, without regard to “first come, first served.” Please check the Admissions Timelines for further details relating to admissions deadlines.
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Q
For which grades do you accept new students?
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A
The two main points of entry to Countryside School are kindergarten, when the class first forms, and 6th grade, where the class capacity expands greatly. Students are admitted to other grades if space is available. Several families relocate each year, leaving openings in varied classes.
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Q
Do you have a wait list?
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Qualified applicants for whom no space is available will be placed in that year’s wait pool in case an appropriate opening occurs. The wait pool expires when the next admissions season begins. Countryside does not form a wait list prior to review of applications. However, we do maintain a list of interested families and their contact information, so that we can send invitations to information meetings and applications when available each winter.
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Q
It’s after the deadline. Can I still apply?
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Certainly! Applications submitted after the deadlines will be reviewed if space still remains available after the first round. Call for information about remaining openings. Late applicants for whom there is no space may submit a shortened application, and will be contacted to complete the application if a space becomes available.