How to Apply

Start a conversation with Admissions Director josie.agshapiro@parkdayschool.org, 510-496-5151, or book a time for a phone call or to Zoom.

Browse Online Viewbook

Virtual Tour

2021-2022 Tour Registration

• If health regulations permit, Weekday Parent Tours will take place on Thursday or Friday mornings at 8:45am beginning in October. If in-person tours aren’t possible, we will lead small group virtual tours to show you live classes in session, concluding with a Zoom Q&A with school leadership.

• If health regulations permit, Weekend Open Houses will take place in November and December from 10am to 12pm. Our typical program includes activities for students, while adults visit classrooms and/or participate in mini-classes with Park Day teachers. Virtual sessions (should in-person gathering be prohibited) will include panels with current parents, students, and educators.

• Other events, including  family mixers, are offered in January and/or early February (health regulations permitting).

• Contact josie.agshapiro@parkdayschool.org
  to begin a conversation during the spring and summer.

Kindergarten Readiness

• We recommend that children have turned five years old no later than September 30  in the year they start kindergarten.
• Call 510.496.5151 to check in about a student with an October birthday. We are happy to share more about our program and Kindergarten readiness.
• Students applying in grades 1-8 should be of an age that falls within the range of the rising class. If you have a child who is unusually old or young for their grade, call to check in.

Begin the Application

A complete application includes:

• Parent/Guardian Application form and application ($90 application fee. Contact us if a fee waiver is needed.)
• Teacher recommendations (one for K-5th, two for 6th, 7th & 8th) and complete transcripts for two years (grades 1-8 only) due with completed application.
• Financial aid application priority deadline for 2020-2021 was January 17 through the SSS system. Our SSS school code is 5669. Learn more about affordability, and contact 510-496-5151 if financial aid is needed after January 17.
• All aspects of the parent application can be completed online, and school forms can be emailed electronically from the application portal directly to your child’s teacher.

Download Kindergarten Recommendation Form

Download 1-8 Recommendation Form

Download Transcript Release Form

Teacher recommendation forms are required for all applicants, and are due with your application.

• Email your child’s teacher an electronic recommendation form through the online application portal in the “Action Items” section.
• We use the shared EBISA teacher recommendation forms. It is fine to ask your child’s teacher to make a copy of the completed recommendation form and send the same version to multiple EBISA schools.
• Transcript Release Forms are required for grade 1-8 applicants. As a time-saving measure to facilitate the application process, you are encouraged to also upload transcripts directly through the online application.
• Some OUSD schools do not permit recommendations: if this applies to you, please arrange for a coach, activities teacher, or other adult who knows your child in a group setting, to fill out the EBISA teacher recommendation form.

ISEE scores are not accepted in the Park Day Admissions process.

“Over the past century, progressive schools have put a lot of effort and attention into developing effective alternative forms of assessment. Instead of the one-size-fits-all standardized exams (issued in schools and through many admissions processes)… Park Day School instead favors the sorts of evaluation supported by research and described in the landmark National Research Council report How People Learn…assessments that provide students with opportunities to revise and improve their thinking, and help teachers identify problems that need to be remedied.”

–  Excerpted from Loving Learning: How Progressive Education Can Save America’s Schools by Tom Little

Upon receipt of your 2020-2021 application, you will be invited to sign up for your child’s Zoom visit and assessment. 2021-2022 applicants will visit school in person beginning January, 2021.

• Assessments include a family conversation with our admissions director, with student-teacher learning activities to follow via Zoom.
• Student visits vary by age. Assessments during our remote learning program differ from our in-person process, and are only one aspect of our admission process.
• Families may be asked to print some learning materials for their children for use during the Zoom session with one of our teachers.

Learn About In-Person Student Visit (2021-2022)

• Park Day sends admission decisions electronically one week following a completed application and Zoom interview & assessment.
  • Tuition information for the upcoming school year will be included in the acceptance notice.
  • Families who have applied for financial assistance will be notified of any financial assistance allocation at the same time they receive their offer of admission.
  • To enroll, families must return signed enrollment contract and the required deposit within one week of receipt.
  • We know that choosing a school is a monumental decision, and are here to support you every step of the way.