Application Procedures

Thank you for visiting The Elisabeth Morrow School website.  The Office of Admissions and Financial Aid accepts applications throughout the year (up to grade seven), however, qualified candidates with completed files will be offered spaces for the 2013-2014 academic year beginning in February, 2013.  Therefore, we recommend that families begin their applications around October/November with the goal of completing the process by December/January (prior to the year of entry).  Applications completed during this time will be notified of the Committee's decision on the dates listed below. 

The advertised notification dates DO NOT mark the completion of an admissions season and applications will continue to be reviewed based on space availability.  Please know that only completed files will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee. Therefore, we strongly suggest to call or email to see that the required documents have been received.  

Independent School Admissions Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY) Notification Dates for the 2013-2014 admissions season (for entrance fall 2014)

The Elisabeth Morrow School is a member of The Independent School Admissions Association of Greater New York.  As a member school, we follow the admissions guidelines set by ISAAGNY. 

The Office of Admissions and Financial Aid will begin to notify candidates with completed admissions files on the following dates:

Three-Year-Old and Four-Year-Old Programs
Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Kindergarten and Grade One
Friday, February 7, 2014

Grades Two through Eight
Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Step One: Visit The Elisabeth Morrow School

Open House and Event Schedule for the 2012-2013 Academic Year

Request a packet of information and attend a campus tour (by appointment) or an open house (Event Calendar 2012-2013). We encourage prospective parents to tour the campus and see the classrooms in action. Tours and open houses are held throughout the year and are usually held in the mornings.  Visiting the campus is a valuable method of learning about life at The Elisabeth Morrow School.  We recommend that you attend tours or open houses without young children.  An application is not required to tour the school.  Once a family has made the decision to apply, then the process is as follows:

Step Two: Application for Admission

Candidates applying for the 2013-2014 academic year are strongly encouraged to begin the process in September/October 2012.  Candidates who complete the admissions process by December 2012/January 2013 will be notified on the advertised notification dates.

Applications are accepted throughout the year for all grades through grade seven and are reviewed based on space availability. Mail the completed application form along with a $60.00 non-refundable application fee. The Admission Office staff will acknowledge receipt of your application with a thank you letter.

Step Three: ERB and ISEE Testing

Candidates for Prekindergarten through Grade Four will be assessed by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) either at The Elisabeth Morrow School or at the ERB office in New York City.

Candidates for Grades Five through Seven must take the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE). Parents may register online by following the links in this paragraph or schedule an appointment by calling ERB directly at 212-672-9802 or ISEE at 800-446-0320.

Step Four: Parent Questionnaires

Please share information about the candidate by completing the parent questionnaire(s). In assessing candidates, especially young children, detailed and concrete information will help the Admission Committee make informed decisions.  Parents of applicants to the Three-Year-Old Program through Grade One must complete two questionnaires:
Parent Questionnaire for Age Three through Grade One
Parent Questionnaire for Age Three through Grade Seven

Step Five: Teacher Recommendations and Transcript Requests

The Admission Committee requests that the most current transcripts and teacher recommendations be forwarded from the candidate’s current school to The Elisabeth Morrow School after November 1.  Regardless of the child's age, if a parent received a written progress report from their child's current school or daycare, we ask a parent to sign a Transcript Request Form and submit it to the current school.  This will allow the school to release copies of the progress reports to The Office of Admissions and Financial Aid.  Progress reports are requested when available in addition to Teacher Recommendations (please see the checklist on the right hand side of this page to download the appropriate Teacher Recommendation Form for your child's grade level).

Step Six: Parent Interviews, Student Playgroup, Classroom/School Visits

Please contact the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid to arrange a visit. The screening process involves a playgroup for candidates to the Three-Year-Old Program through Grade One. A morning visit to the school is required for candidates to grades two through seven. Additionally, parents are asked to share information about the candidate in a parent interview. The parent interview can sometimes be scheduled during the time of the child visit, so please inquire with the Admission staff.

Step Seven: Admission Decisions

The Admission Committee’s decisions are determined by a thorough review and discussion of each of the required components of the candidate’s file. This includes the contents of the parent questionnaires, school reports and testing as well as the observation notes from the playgroup or student visit and the parent interview.