Admissions Process

List of 7 items.

• 1. Submit an Inquiry

  Completing this short form in five minutes or less is an excellent first step to indicate that you’re interested in joining our Davidson Day Patriot community. You'll receive an email from our Admission team with additional information and an invitation to start an application. Submit your inquiry now.

• 2. Schedule Your Tour

  Let’s coordinate a visit for your family! Scheduling your tour with our admission team allows your family a personalized tour and on-campus experience so that you may assess how it might feel to join our community. We look forward to meeting you on campus! Schedule today.

• 3. Apply Online

  Due to the disruption many prospective Davidson Day families--families like you--experienced in March–June, we’ve established a summer application deadline of Wednesday, July 15 to ensure that your family has the time, space, support, and personal connection with our admission team to make sure we’re the best fit. In our normal admission cycle, the priority deadline is February 1. Applications received after February 1 will be considered on a rolling basis and students admitted pending availability in their class year. Those not admitted due to space considerations will be placed on a waitlist and will be offered admission should a spot open. When you apply online, you’ll also send an application fee of $100.

• 4. Request Current Transcript

  We foster academic excellence.  It’s what we do.  So we ask for transcripts to understand how your child learns, the coursework they’ve completed, and the classes and extracurricular activities that will make sense for them to take when they join Davidson Day.  By learning where prospective Patriots have been in their academic journey, we’re able to customize the options for their path forward to graduation and beyond to ensure their success.  To complete this step, please download, complete, and submit the Records Release Request form. This authorizes your child’s current school to send your student’s records to Davidson Day.

• 5. Request Teacher Recommendations

  We want to understand how your student learns, and what your student is already interested in. There’s no better way for us to learn about your child than by reviewing confidential teacher recommendations. At this step in our Admission process, confidential online forms are completed by the teacher(s) that you request submit recommendations. These are submitted directly to the Admission Office (no work required from you other than sharing contact details for current teachers).

• 6. Schedule Your Child's On-Campus Visit

  It’s really important for your student to experience our school community on his/her own. We expect prospective Patriots will feel an instant connection and will feel welcomed and supported. Plus, visiting for a half-day or full-day allows prospective Patriots to meet students, faculty, coaches, and club advisors, ensuring they’ll be able to be involved from their first day as a Patriot. We’re with you through this process, but your student needs the time and space to assess how they’ll feel when they join our community!

• 7. Schedule Admission Assessment

  • Our prospective two-, three-, and four-year-olds will join a classroom to participate alongside their would-be peer students, with teachers observing to assess fine and gross motor skills, collaboration, and areas of individual interest. This visit will be brief while providing ample engagement for prospective students to explore and familiarize themselves with our secure, spacious early childhood classrooms designed for this important stage of early learning.
  • Our prospective Kindergarten students will take the Gesell Kindergarten Readiness Assessment on campus at Davidson Day at a time convenient for your family. 
  • Our prospective 1st–4th Graders will conduct a reading assessment and MAP testing at Davidson Day during their on-campus shadow visit.
  • Our prospective 5th–12th Graders will take the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE). You may already be familiar with this exam, as most regional independent schools use this assessment in their application process. For consideration in our first round of decisions, students are advised to complete the assessment prior to our February 1st priority-screening deadline.
  • Because of the standardization across schools in our region, your student will sit for the assessment in one of a variety of locations, including Davidson Day, from October through April.
  • Testing is proctored on Saturdays and takes several hours, and test results are sent automatically to the schools to which your prospective student is applying.
  • Information about the ISEE and registration for the test can be found at WWW.ERBLEARN.ORG. Note that there is an additional testing fee of $125, required to register for the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE).