FAQ

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.

Countryside holds a Community Open House in October, and separate elementary and middle school information meetings each winter. In addition, parents are encouraged to make appointments with the Admissions Director for individual tours to see the classrooms in action.

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 an application for the wait pool, and will be contacted to arrange a student visit if a space subsequently becomes available.

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 usually relocate each year, leaving openings in varied classes.

Our elementary classrooms - Kindergarten/1st grade, 2nd/3rd grade, and 4th/5th grade - are each combined classrooms of approximately 30 students with two teachers, one for each grade level. Since half the class changes each year, new students find it easy to fit in.

Even the parents are warmly welcomed. We hold events each fall for new families to meet our existing families and become a part of our community. In addition, we pair existing families at Countryside with incoming families during their first year through our Buddy Family program. The goal is to help the new family feel welcome, introduce them to other families, and to give them another resource to answer the types of questions parents ask each other.

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.

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
• copies of past report cards for applicants to grades 1-8

Once the written application is reviewed, qualified applicants for whom there is a potential opening will be invited for a Saturday group visit (for kindergarten applicants) or for a full day visit in the classroom (for 1st through 8th grade applicants). Further assessments will be done during this visit.

Applications are available starting the January before desired fall admission.

Applications must be submitted by the end of February for elementary grades or the end of March for middle school grades for consideration in the first round. All applications submitted by the due date are evaluated equally, without regard to "first come, first served." Applications will be considered until all openings are filled. Please check the Admissions Timelines on the "Apply" page for further details relating to admissions deadlines.

For the 2024-25 school year, Kindergarten decisions will be made by March 9, 1st through 5th grade by April 26 at the latest, and middle school by April 30.