Visiting the School Before Applying
Information Sessions for the Upper School are held on Wednesday mornings during the fall. These programs, which include a tour, are intended to give prospective applicants and their parents a better sense of Sidwell Friends School before making the final decision to apply. Click here to register.
Please note: all applicants to Upper School, along with their parents/guardians, will also have the opportunity to tour the campus with a current Sidwell Friends student when they visit for their interview. If you are applying to the 9th grade, you will be contacted after submitting an application to schedule your visit to the School. For more information on our 10th or 11th grade application process, please see below.
We are also having a Saturday Open House for the Middle and Upper Schools on the Wisconsin Avenue campus in the fall. Click here to register online for the Open House.
How to Apply
In order to be considered for admission, Sidwell Friends requires the following materials: Part I, the Application Form, Student's School Visit and Interview, SSAT or ISEE Testing, two Teacher Evaluations (English and Math), School Transcript, Parent Statement, and Applicant Questionnaire.
Application
Families must submit Part I, the Application Form, which we prefer to be completed online, by December 15, 2011. You will receive an email confirming receipt of your online application. Please note: Part II materials (teacher recommendation, school transcript, test results, etc.) do not need to be submitted with the application. The application itself is sufficient to begin the admission process. However, all supplementary materials must be received by the Admissions Office by January 15, 2012.
Application Fee
There is a $60 fee to submit an application, which is paid by credit card when applying online. If the application fee creates a true financial hardship for your family, a limited number of waivers are available. Please call the Admissions Office to discuss the possibility of a fee waiver.
Student's School Visit and Interview
Ninth grade applicants: Applicants to ninth grade and their parents will be asked to visit Upper School for an interview with a member of the Admissions Committee and will be offered an optional tour of the Wisconsin Avenue campus led by a current Upper School student tour guide. These visits are scheduled during the school day from October through early February. The visit will be scheduled after we have received Part I, the Application Form. Please note that we cannot guarantee an interview for applicants who apply after December 1, 2011.
Tenth and Eleventh grade applicants: Space for these grades is determined during the winter and is based on total enrollment of the Upper School and attrition. Tours and interviews will be scheduled if space is available.
Sidwell Friends School does not accept applications for twelfth grade.
Shadow Visits for Applicants
We will offer a limited number of shadow dates for applicants to ninth grade who would like to observe classes in the Upper School. These spaces fill up quickly, so please call the Admissions Office to schedule. We must receive Part I before you can schedule these visits.
All accepted students will be invited to spend a day in the Upper School before the enrollment contract deadline.
Testing
The applicant needs to take either the Secondary School Admissions Test (SSAT) or Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) in October, November, December, or January.
The Sidwell Friends School code for the SSAT is 7366 and for the ISEE is 090200. Complete registration and fee information is contained on the SSAT and ISEE Web sites.
Teacher Evaluation
Two Teacher Evaluations are required. These confidential forms should be completed by your child’s current Math and English teachers and submitted directly to the Admissions Office by the teachers.
School Transcript
Transcripts for the first grading period of the current school year and a completed report from the previous year are required for the applicant. It is the responsibility of the parent to request that these official records be sent to Sidwell Friends by submitting the Transcript Request Card to their child’s current school. The school will mail the transcript directly to us.
Parent Statement and Applicant Questionnaire
These forms help us to learn more about your child and family.