HOW TO APPLY

Following a school tour, interested parents are encouraged to begin the application process and then schedule a direct meeting with their child's prospective teacher. To begin this process, all families are asked to register with our easy-to-use online TADS system (Tuition Aid Data Services). Please see all details below!

BEGIN YOUR APPLICATION

Please begin the application process by creating your new account in our easy-to-use online TADS system (Tuition Aid Data Services). TADS is the management system our school and all prospective families use to apply and register, and all current families use to enroll and for tuition and billing.

NEXT STEPS

Please review and follow the instructions below, paying special attention to the age-level program you are enrolling your child in, as there are differences.

REFERENCES

Early Childhood Program:

  • *If your child has not attended formal schooling, please have a primary caretaker complete the form.

Elementary and Middle-School Grades:

  • Please complete the Request for School Records Form.

  • Ask a current/former teacher of your student to complete the Grades Teacher Reference; please ask the teacher to send this confidential form directly to ethompson@ithacawaldorf.org.

  • *First Grade Applicants: Please complete the First Grade Teacher Readiness Form.

Please email ALL forms to ethompson@ithacawaldorf.org

ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT & CLASSROOM VISIT

Early Childhood Program:

Our EC faculty will invite a prospective student and his/her/their parent/caregiver(s) to visit our program from 11am-12pm during a school day. The children can mingle and explore our EC playground, while the adults observe and discuss questions (parent-teacher interview).

Elementary and Middle-School Grades:

Students are invited to arrive promptly at 8:30 am (unless otherwise arranged with the Enrollment Coordinator) and be prepared for a full day of school. Dismissal is at 3:00 pm.

Please Bring:

  • Weather Appropriate outdoor apparel- Children spend much of their day outside.

  • Water Bottle

  • Lunch + Snack

  • Change of clothes

  • Indoor shoes

  • Outdoor shoes

Note: While face-to-face interviews are preferred, circumstances may prevent the feasibility of an interview in Ithaca before an acceptance decision needs to be reached.  If this is the case, please contact our office about the possibility of a Zoom interview.  

Summer Applicants: Most of the same steps apply to students applying while school is closed over the summer. We try to arrange the visit portion either during our Summer Program, or with a selection of prospective classmates, in order to offer a makeshift classroom/peer experience.

PARENT/GUARDIAN INTERVIEW

Once all application materials and visit have been received and reviewed, the teacher will arrange an in-person or phone interview with the parents to share observations and ask/answer questions.

ADMISSIONS DECISIONS

After the parent/guardian interview, you will receive notice of your child’s acceptance decision.

Once you have been notified of your child's acceptance, you will have two weeks to complete the enrollment forms on TADS. Enrollment terms can be found here.

TUITION AGREEMENT/DEPOSIT

Once your child is enrolled, you will receive a notification from TADS to complete the Tuition Agreement, which allows you to choose your payment plan and agree to the terms of payment.

The first tuition payment is due on June 15th for all payment plans (single payment, two-payment, and 10-payment plans). For returning students, monthly payments must be completed by May 1 of the current school year to be fully enrolled in the upcoming school year. For NEW mid-year students, one month of tuition AND the Supply Fee is due before they arrive at IWS.

  • Tuition Agreement Terms and Conditions are available for review here.

SUBMIT MEDICAL & VACCINATION RECORDS/EXEMPTION

Our school’s Policy on Vaccination is available for review on the Terms & Policies page.

All FORMS