Application Process

Thank you for your interest in Poly Prep!

Our application for the 2025-2026 school year will open on September 3, 2024.

Please see our key application dates below. Requirements differ based on the grade to which your student is applying.

ENTRY YEARS VS. NON-ENTRY YEARS

• Our entry years are Nursery and Grades 5, 6, and 9.
• Non-entry years are Pre-K to Grade 4 in the Lower School, Grades 7-8 in the Middle School, and Grades 10-12 in the Upper School.
• Families interested in non-entry year applications must submit certain supplementary material along with their preliminary application, due November 22, 2024. Please see each respective divisional checklist for specific application components and deadlines.
  
  Non-entry year preliminary application includes:
  • Short application questionnaire
  • Final report card from 2023-2024
  • Parent/guardian statement (all non-entry grades)
  • Video of student speaking (PK-1)
  • Middle School age cut-off form (Grades 7-8)
  • Graded writing sample (Grades 7-12)
  • PSAT or regent scores (Grades 10-12). 

Only non-entry year applications with all of these components submitted by November 22 will be considered.

KEY APPLICATION DUE DATES FOR ENTRY YEARS: NURSERY, 5,6,9

September 1, 2024

• Application opens for the 2025-2026 Academic Year

November 22, 2024 – DUE

• Preliminary Application
  • Short application questionnaire
  • Final report card from 2023-2024
  • Half-day or full-day attendance form (Nursery)
  • Middle School Age Cut Off Form (Grades 5-6)

December 15, 2024 – DUE

• Supplemental Materials Part 1
  • Graded Writing Sample (Grades 5-12)
  • Student videos (Nursery)
  • Financial Aid Application (optional)

January 9, 2025 – DUE

• Supplemental Materials Part 2
  • ISAAGNY Parent / Guardian Statement
  • ISAAGNY Current Teacher Recommendations
  • Official Transcripts from Current / Prior Schools (Grades 2-12)
  • ISAAGNY Student Essay (Grades 5-12)
  • ISEE / SSAT Standardized Testing *MANDATORY* (Grades 2-12)

Poly Prep’s Test Requirement Policy for the 2025-26 Admissions Season

Beginning September 2024, standardized testing will again be part of the admissions process for Grades 2-12. While we took a hiatus from requiring test scores during the pandemic, we’ve found that adding a standardized testing component provides an additional data point to evaluate applicants’ readiness for our academic program. The test results, considered among all other application materials like transcripts, essays, and recommendations, helps to give us a more comprehensive picture of each student. Reincorporating testing aligns us with best practices at other leading independent schools and allows for a more holistic admissions review process. Families are welcome to submit scores for either the SSAT or ISEE.

There are plenty of things to worry about right now for students and their families. Applying to school should not be one of them.

Please check out the links below for more specific information about our application steps.

Application Checklists by Division

Poly Prep Country Day School is a proud member of the Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY). Founded in 1965, ISAAGNY aims to ensure orderly, professional, and equitable admissions processes at member schools: we do so by observing a shared admissions timeline, engaging in professional development to hone our collective craft, exchanging resources and best practices, and more. The resulting spirit of cooperation serves schools, families, and nearly 30,000 students across greater New York.

Nondiscrimination Policy

Poly Prep adheres to a long-standing policy of admitting students of any race, religion, religious or spiritual practices, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, immigration status, handicap, disability, physical body type, weight, marital status, family structure, economic situation, neighborhood of residence, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, veteran status, age, sex, creed, genetic predisposition, disease carrier status, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local law to all rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.

The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, religious or spiritual practices, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, immigration status, handicap, disability, physical body type, weight, marital status, family structure, economic situation, neighborhood of residence, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, veteran status, age, sex, creed, genetic predisposition, disease carrier status, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local law in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs.