Admission

Admission Process

Canterbury School DOES NOT accept any government tuition vouchers or state-funded scholarship programs, including Step Up for Students.
Financial assistance is available to students in grades 5-12 ONLY. 
Pre-K3-fourth grade students are NOT ELIGIBLE for financial aid.

ADMISSION TIMELINE 2025-2026
Applications Open September 1
Financial Aid and Admission Application Deadline January 15
Decisions Released February 28
Applying for Ninth Grade?
Applicants who complete the admission process before December 1 are eligible for early decision notification in January. 

LATE APPLICANTS

Applications received after January 15, 2025, are considered late applicants. All late applicant files must be completed to be considered for rolling admissions. Interviews and entrance exams will only be administered if space becomes available. If space does not become available, the applicant may decide to roll the application over to the following admission season. All school records must then be updated with current information. Acceptance may be offered to a qualified late applicant.

Applicant Instructions

The admission process begins by completing an online application.  Logging in to our centralized admissions platform will simplify the process for your family and provide access to Cougar Campus, our information portal. 

Your Cougar Campus account is where you will:
  • Complete and submit your admission application
  • Register for the ISEE (Admission test for grades 5-11 only)
  • Send electronic teacher recommendation forms to your child’s teachers 
  • Upload required admission documents
  • Monitor the progress of your child’s application
ISEE Admission Test
All applicants applying for grades 5-11 are required to take the admission test. Canterbury School uses the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE).

Register for the At-Home ISEE here. The Canterbury School code is: 100511
 
Please make sure you review the registration deadlines.

Our Methods of Evaluation

List of 5 items.

  • Pre-K3

    Candidates for Pre-K3 must be toilet trained and must be three years old prior to August 1. Applicants are evaluated using a norm-referenced early childhood screening tool. Additionally, a visit to the school for a small group “play date” will be scheduled to further observe the child’s developmental and social skills with same-age peers.

    Please note    : For families wishing to matriculate to Pre-K4 the following year, we take developmental readiness into consideration. If your child is attending our Pre-K3 program, all developmental readiness observations and assessments required for Pre-K4 placement will be completed before February, during school hours while your child is in attendance.

  • Pre-K4

    Candidates for Pre-K4 must be four years old prior to September 1. Applicants are evaluated using a norm-referenced early childhood screening tool. Additionally, a visit to the school for a small group “play date” will be scheduled to further observe the child’s developmental and social skills with same-age peers.

  • Kindergarten

    Candidates must be five years old prior to September 1. Applicants are evaluated using developmental and kindergarten readiness assessments. Additionally, a classroom visit will be scheduled to further observe the child’s cognitive and social skills, as well as readiness for our kindergarten program.

  • Grades 1-4

    Applicants are evaluated in the areas of reading and mathematics using a nationally normed, standardized achievement test. In addition, applicants complete a writing sample. A full-day class visit will be scheduled following completion of the assessment and submission of all required documents.

  • Grades 5-11

    Applicants are evaluated in the areas of reading comprehension, writing, and math using the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE). A full-day class visit will be scheduled following completion of the assessment and submission of all required documents. 
THE WAIT POOL
If space in a grade is not available, admissible applicants will be notified of wait pool status. Students are not ranked or ordered on a list of available spaces. If a space becomes available, the Admission Committee will review all applicants in the wait pool and make a decision based on the current profile needs of that class.

Canterbury School