Admission FAQ

We are happy to hear that you are interested in applying!

The first step is to complete our online inquiry form. Upon submitting the form, you will receive an email with instructions on how to set up your Admission Portal account. The email will include your Admission Portal username and a link to set your password. Please note that the password link expires after three days. We recommend saving your username and password so that you can return to the portal in the future to complete additional steps in the admission process or review your application status.

Please contact our office at admission@episcopalacademy.org to have the welcome email resent or to reset your password.

The Admission Portal allows applicants to apply and manage their application online. Important application checklist items such as teacher recommendations, interview scheduling, and school record requests can be managed from one location. All checklist items will appear in a list on your application with an indication as to whether it is required, optional, and eventually complete. Once all the required checklist items are green with an indication of complete, the application is finished.

To be considered in the main admission season, all application materials and admission activities must be received and completed by December 15, 2022. Applications received after this date are encouraged, and are reviewed on a rolling basis.

 

 

 

Yes! If you accidentally entered incorrect information, or if the request was not received by the recommender, please contact our office and ask to cancel the specific request. Once cancelled, this will allow you to resubmit the information for the recommender.

Please note that you will receive an email when each recommendation request has been submitted and when the form has been completed by the recommender.

In your Admission Portal, the checklist item will show as sent upon submitting the request. Once your child’s school records or recommendations are received by EA, the checklist item will update to a green box and will be labeled complete. For recommendations only, you will also receive an email when the form has been submitted by the recommender.

Applicants for grades 2-4 should complete the ISEE Primary (Independent School Entrance Exam), and applicants for grade 5 should complete the ISEE Lower Level (Independent School Entrance Exam). Please request ISEE results to be forwarded to The Episcopal Academy (School Code 395550). If a WISC-V (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) has been taken, please feel free to submit in addition to the ISEE.

Applicants for grades 6-12 are required to complete the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) or the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT). EA’s ISEE code is 395550 and our SSAT code is 3016.

ERB is offering a new on-demand, remote proctoring solution for the ISEE Online for students applying to Grades 5-12. The at-home solution will enable students to take the ISEE at times that work for them from the comfort of their homes. ERB recommends reading this guide before your child’s scheduled test date to ensure that you and your student are ready for testing! If you are interested in registering for this option, simply select the ProProctor option at registration.

EMA is offering a new at-home administration of the SSAT. The SSAT at Home will have the same content, length and quality of the traditional SSAT and will be their main testing solution this year. Testing will be available every Saturday and the first Sunday of each month from 9am to 3pm EST. Check out the SSAT at Home guide to help your student prepare.

Students can also take a computer-based ISEE or SSAT at a Prometric Test Center. These centers offer the ISEE exam for students entering Grades 5-12 and the SSAT exam for students entering Grades 6-12. A parent or guardian is required to stay on-site with the student for the duration of the test. Please click here to find more information and check on the status of test centers in your area. More information on Prometric Test Centers can be found here.

Fee waivers are available for both the ISEE and SSAT. ISEE is also providing access to the highest level of interactive ISEE test preparation at no cost to fee waiver recipients. Please contact our office at admission@episcopalacademy.org to request a waiver.

If testing arrangements through these services prove difficult to arrange, please contact our office directly at admission@episcopalacademy.org or (484) 424-1450.

We partner with School and Student Services (SSS) in our financial aid process. The first step is to visit the SSS Family Portal and create your account. If you applied for financial aid last year, log into the Family Portal using the same email address and password.

The next step is to submit a Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) as soon as possible. After you pay the application fee and submit your PFS, you can access the “My Documents” section to upload and submit the required documents. We require your 2021 1040 Federal Tax Return, including all W2s and appropriate schedules, as well as your 2022 1040 Federal Tax Return once available.

Admission decisions will be communicated within two weeks of receipt of a completed application. Offers of admission are made on a rolling basis, as space permits.

If you have been offered admission, please confirm your enrollment by noon on March 1. To confirm your enrollment, please complete and submit your online enrollment agreement and tuition deposit. In grades where selectivity and demand are especially high, failure to enroll by March 1 may jeopardize the latitude to enroll. Students offered admission after March 1 are asked to confirm their enrollment plans within two weeks from the date of acceptance.

 

Our enrollment is 1,253 students, with approximately 541students in the Upper School, 292 in the Middle School, and 420 in the Lower School.

Prekindergarten: 36
Kindergarten: 30
1st Grade: 8
2nd-4th Grades: based on attrition
5th Grade: 10
6th Grade: about 20
7th and 8th Grades: based on attrition
9th Grade: about 40
10th - 11th Grades: based on attrition

All admissions decisions are made by a committee comprised of faculty, staff, and administrators.

Lower School: The student's EA visit day/playdate and current teacher recommendation help us get to know your child's personal qualities. ISEE testing and report cards (2nd-5th grade) give us insight into academic strengths and areas of growth.

Middle and Upper School: All five pieces of the application (transcript, recommendations, standardized testing, student visit, and community impact) are important. While the strength of the transcript is of primary importance, recommendations and testing help us understand a child's readiness for our academic program. The student visit enables us to get to know the student in a more holistic way.

An academic "fit" between the student and The Episcopal Academy is the most important aspect of admission. Beyond that, any contribution the Middle or Upper School student can make to the school in terms of artistic or musical ability, athletic talent, or other specific and developed interests are appreciated and taken into appropriate consideration. Outside interests or activities are not factors considered for Lower School applicants.

For all grade levels, academic fit is the most important. A willingness to participate in a variety of community activities is also important. Many of our applicants are qualified to meet with success at EA but admission is very competitive and we receive more applications than there are spaces available. Our goal is to admit students with skills and abilities that will help create a talented class with diverse interests and backgrounds.

Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Age Guidelines:

The decision regarding the appropriate age to start school can be complex. Many factors determine a child’s readiness: emotional/social maturity, fine/gross motor development, cognitive ability, and of course, chronological age. We ask parents to include us, as professionals, in this important decision prior to submitting an application, which might fall outside of our age guidelines. We are happy to guide you with this readiness decision. An individual parent and student visit play an important role in this process.

As educators, we discourage parents from giving their child an extra year before starting school without a valid reason to do so. Being too old for one’s class can be as difficult for a child as being too young. We expect children to be 4 years old by September 1 to start Pre-K, and similarly, 5 years old by September 1 to begin Kindergarten. Ideally, we aim for the grade level to stretch no more than one year from the oldest child to youngest, with that September 1 date as the key factor. We believe this is best for children’s development and instructional planning.

With that said, every child is special and unique. We remain open to discussing individual cases and are here to lend our expertise in the effort to best place your child for success, not only as he/she begins school but as the student progresses through school.

We take note of children who are siblings and/or children of alumni. In a situation where there is one space in a grade, and two equally qualified applicants, the offer would likely go to the child who had a family connection to EA.

However, there are times when admission is denied for the benefit of the child. There are also situations where all qualified "connected" children cannot be offered admission because of lack of space in a grade. We cannot offer admission solely to siblings or alumni children; new families must be given consideration as well. All EA families, at one time or another, were themselves "new" families.

30% of our students identify as students of color.

None. The Admission Committees do not know who is applying for financial aid.

There is a limited amount of need-based financial aid available for current families and new families. Any student, at any grade level, is welcome to apply for financial aid. In the Upper School there are some designated grants given to a few 9th graders who display a very well-rounded application consisting of strong academic ability and talents which will contribute to and enhance the school. These awards are all need-based.