Admission to Key
Key encourages your inquiry and application at any time throughout the year for any grade level. There are currently spaces available in a handful of grades throughout the School for the 2008-2009 academic year. While the enrollment for next year will fluctuate as we work through the admission and financial aid seasons, there are currently openings in several grades including tenth, ninth, second, first, and Pre-Kindergarten for four-year-olds. It's not too late to apply for admission or Financial Aid!
The School's admission literature package, which includes an application, can be obtained through the Key School Admission Office.
Key School sustains a strong academic curriculum that encourages intellectual rigor, independence of thought, curiosity, creativity, and openness to differing ideas and perspectives. The School seeks to enroll young people of at least average ability and above average determination who demonstrate the potential to meet high academic standards and contribute to the vitality of the School. In its belief that students learn from one another, Key has been committed from its inception to the principle that diversity in the cultural, ethnic, racial, and economic backgrounds of its students is vital to the School's ability to achieve the highest standards of learning both inside and outside the classroom.
Admission decisions are made by a committee whose membership includes faculty and administrators. In giving careful consideration to the applicant’s match with The Key School program, the committee is guided by concern for the best interest of each student.
Application
The first step in the application process is to return the Application for Admission and the application fee to the School. Upon receipt of the Application, the Admission and Communication Office will send an Application Acknowledgement Packet that includes:
- The Records Release Form, to be signed and sent to the applicant's current school;
- Teacher Reference Forms, to be forwarded to the appropriate teachers;
- An acknowledgement letter, further detailing the application procedures and the process for scheduling an appointment for testing and/or visiting.
Parents should inform the Admission and Communication Office if the applicant has special needs that may be pertinent to the application process or to the school visit.
Testing and Visiting
Pre-School applicants complete a series of developmental exercises in individually scheduled sessions. Parents are invited to accompany their pre-schooler during this evaluation process.
Students applying to first grade are scheduled for a visit and are given subtests of the Stanford Early School Achievement Test (SESAT) and the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning (DIAL-3). Other applicants to the Lower School (grades two through four) take subtests of the SESAT, the Stanford Achievement Test, the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test, and a spelling test.
Applicants to the Middle and Upper Schools (grades five through twelve) take the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) or subtests of the Educational Records Bureau Comprehensive Testing Program (ERB-CTP). Students may register to take the ISEE on one of two Saturday exam sessions at Key School. These applicants are also asked to complete a questionnaire and write an essay.
Student visits are an important part of the application process, with day-long visits scheduled for students applying to grades two through twelve. Beginning in December, applicants for the upcoming school year may schedule testing in conjunction with the school visit.
Enrollment
Once accepted to the School, pending availability of space in the class, an enrollment contract can be issued. If there is no available space, accepted applicants are added to the waiting pool. As spaces become available, students in the waiting pool are offered enrollment contracts. If unable to offer a space in the grade to which a student applied, the Admission and Communication Office will, upon request, update the application for the next school year and invite the student, at no further cost, to be re-evaluated for admission.
Tuition and Fees
Download Tuition and Fee Schedule
Affording Our School
Key School firmly believes that economic diversity in its student body strengthens the learning environment for all. Therefore, Key School encourages all academically qualified students who are interested in its programs to apply to Key for admission, regardless of family financial status. While families committed to providing a Key School education are willing to make sacrifices, there are circumstances that preclude paying the full tuition. The School's Financial Aid Program is designed to assist families who cannot meet the full cost of an independent school education. Financial Aid is available to students who have been accepted to the School and whose families demonstrate financial need. To assess the level of need, the School uses the calculations of the School and Student Service for Financial Assistance (SSS) in Princeton, NJ. Awards for 2007 - 2008 will be made in the spring of 2007; consequently, applications for financial aid should be made early. After completing the Application for Admission, financial aid forms may be requested from the Admission and Communication Office.
Monthly payment plans and educational loans with favorable interest rates are also available through outside institutions. More information about these options will be forwarded upon request.
The Key School does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, color, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
