Schools seek to create communities with a diversity of children and families depending on the school’s philosophy and criteria. ISSFBA schools generally make admission decisions in committees. The members of these committees vary but usually include staff members such as the Director of Admission, Division Head, Learning or Reading Specialists, teachers and sometimes the Head of School. The Division Head and teachers look to enroll children who will achieve success in their program. Committees make admission decisions based on the child’s school visit, assessment, transcripts and Student Evaluation Form from the child’s present school. Each school values these various components differently depending on their beliefs about their relative importance. In conjunction, they strive to create a diverse, well-balanced group of students who will succeed and feel affinity within their community. First and foremost, schools seek to make decisions with the child’s best interest in mind.
Suggested K-8 Notification Dates
Suggested Notification dates for K-8 Applicants to enter in the 2023-24 academic year are:
Snail Mail: Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Electronic Notification: Thursday, March 16, 2023 at noon
Family responses due back: Thursday, March 23, 2023 or Friday, March 24, 2023 (some schools will align with high schools in the area on March 24)
Suggested Preschool Applicant Mailing Dates (San Francisco only)
Suggested Notification dates for preschool/TK/JK to enter in the 2023-24 academic year are:
Snail Mail: Monday, March 6, 2023
Electronic Notification: Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at noon
Family responses due back: Tuesday, March 14th, 2023 at 10 am
Please note that some schools will mail preschool/TK/JK decisions with their kindergarten decisions. Be sure to check in with each school you are applying to and confirm relevant dates.
Waiting Pools
Waiting pools are active during the notification period, particularly as the contract deadline approaches. Once parents have signed a contract with an ISSFBA school, other ISSFBA schools do not typically offer a contract.
If you have not enrolled your child in an ISSFBA school by the enrollment contract due date, you may wish to speak directly to those schools at which your child is waitlisted to find out if they will continue to keep an active wait list after the response date.
The Bay Area Directors of Admission have put together this short video to answer some frequently asked questions about the admission process.