From Inquiry to Enrolment: What to Expect When Applying to an Independent School

Embarking on the private school admissions journey is both exciting and complex. Whether you are just beginning to research options or are already knee-deep in applications, our goal is to guide you through the milestones that matter most so you can navigate this process with absolute confidence.

Admissions is a multi-step journey. It involves deep research, alignment checks to ensure a school matches your child’s current and long-term educational goals, the application itself, and finally, understanding the nuances of interviews and decision outcomes.

Here is your step-by-step roadmap to navigating enrollment at Rundle.

Step 1: Discovering the Community through Open Houses & Tours

During the summer months, admissions teams are already looking ahead to the next school year, planning events like our annual Open Houses, which typically take place in September or October.

How important is it to attend an open house or campus tour?

It is incredibly important because it is your best opportunity to get an authentic feel for the school culture and environment. At an open house, we encourage families to:

• Look around the classrooms with an eye for your child’s specific needs. Is there enough natural light? Does the furniture look comfortable and collaborative? What catches your eye on the bulletin boards? How does the playground feel? 
• Connect with current students: Open houses offer a chance to talk organically with current students. Don’t hesitate to approach them! Ask them what they love about the school, what they would change if they could, what their teachers are like, and what their plans are for the future. Take note of the culture they present to you, and ask more about the culture the school provides. 

Virtual Q&As

If you leave the open house with lingering questions, we highly recommend attending a virtual Q&A session with an enrollment officer. Usually hosted weekly via video call, these sessions are a one-stop-shop for details on busing, before- and-after-school care, classroom resources, class sizes, student-to-teacher ratios, and co-curricular activities. Even just sitting in to listen can be incredibly valuable, as other parents often ask questions you might not have thought of yet.

Small-Group Campus Tours

Depending on the campus you hope to attend, you can also sign up for a small-group campus tour led by an enrollment officer during regular school days. This allows you to see students and teachers in action, giving you a clear picture of daily routines and helping you visualize whether this is a space where your child will thrive for years to come.

Step 2: The Application Process

Once your questions are answered and you feel confident that Rundle is the right direction for your family, it is time to begin the application on our website.

What are the key aspects of the application process?

The digital application is designed to help our enrollment team really get to know your child. Remember, the admissions team only knows what you share, so completeness is key.

Depending on the campus and your child’s grade level, you may be asked to provide specific documentation, such as:

• Rundle Academy (Grades 4-12) and Rundle Studio (Grades 10-12): A recent psychoeducational assessment to verify a learning disability.
• Rundle College (Grades 7-12): Standardized SSAT scores.

What are the most important aspects of the application?

Beyond the required transcripts and standardized metrics, holistic context is the most important element. The application provides a dedicated space to upload reference letters. We highly encourage adding notes from a sports coach, a letter from a teacher highlighting an accomplishment, or a character recommendation from a community member. Providing a rich, 360-degree view of who your child is outside of just their grades helps us see the whole picture.

Step 3: Application Review & Best-Fit Alignment

Our enrollment team reviews it thoroughly. We approach this review with a focus on “best-fit” alignment. We want to be entirely certain that we can meet your child’s unique academic, emotional, and social needs with the specific support systems we have in place, ensuring they will happily thrive as part of our community for the long haul.

Step 4: Interviews & Admissions Decisions

An enrollment officer will move the application into one of three stages: an invitation to interview, a placement in our wait pool, or a notification that the application was unsuccessful.

How can parents prepare their child for an admissions interview?

Remember that it is not an interrogation; it is a casual, comfortable conversation between the enrollment officer, you, and your child. Admission interviews are usually paired with a personal tour of the school.

The best preparation is to assure your child that they just need to be themself. Encourage them to talk about their hobbies, what they enjoy about learning, and what they are excited about.

If spots are available, a formal placement offer can be extended following the interview. Your enrollment officer will be transparent about current seat availability either right before or during this meeting.

Understanding the Outcomes: Wait Pool vs. Unsuccessful

• The Wait Pool: If your child is wait-pooled, it means our team is completely confident that we can support their needs and that they would be a great fit at Rundle, but we currently do not have an open seat in that grade. The wait pool remains active until all tuition deposits are finalized for the upcoming school year. If a spot opens up between the spring and the start of the school year, the enrollment team reviews the pool and invites the next strongest applicant in for an interview and placement.
• Unsuccessful Applications: If an application is deemed unsuccessful, our team will always communicate transparently with you as to why. At Rundle, our ultimate goal is to only enroll students who we know will genuinely flourish in our specific environment. To ensure a school is a healthy long-term fit, we must carefully balance academic programming, social-emotional dynamics, and our available learning support resources.

Step 5: Next Steps (Accepting an Offer or Reapplying)

Once the admissions team makes a final determination, here is exactly what you need to know about securing your child’s spot or planning for the future.

Accepting a Placement Offer

If your child is offered a placement at Rundle, congratulations! To officially secure their seat, you will be asked to complete your enrollment paperwork and submit your initial financial commitments by the deadline outlined in your offer letter.

To finalize enrollment, families are responsible for:

• A non-refundable tuition deposit: Secures your child’s specific seat for the upcoming school year.
• Student facility fee: A one-time fee paid per child.
• Family membership fee: A one-time fee paid per family.

Because demand for placement is incredibly high and we frequently have families waiting in our pool, timely completion of these steps by the deadline is essential to ensuring your child’s spot is locked in.

Rolling Over an Application (If Wait-Pooled)

We know that being placed in the wait pool can be an anxious experience. However, if a seat does not open up for your child this year, please know that your journey with Rundle doesn’t have to end there.

If you remain interested in joining our community, you can re-apply for the following school year at absolutely no extra cost.

To do this, you do not need to fill out a brand-new application from scratch. Instead, simply connect with your dedicated enrollment officer in September. They will personally help you roll over the existing application in our system and guide you on how to update it with your child’s latest report cards, new achievements, or updated assessments.

We’re Here to Help!

We know how much care and thought goes into choosing the right school, and we are so excited to join you on this journey! If you ever have any questions or just want to talk through the application process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our enrollment team—we can’t wait to connect with you and get to know your family!