Admission Policy

 

Welcome to The Wilberforce School admission process. We appreciate your interest in the school and invite you to learn more about the Wilberforce approach to education by browsing our website or e-mailing us at info@wilberforceschool.org

 

The Admissions Committee handles each child's application with great care.  The goal is to help your child and all of the students at Wilberforce to thrive. To that end, the application is designed to help the Admissions Committee understand the ability, motivation, and character of each candidate.  

 

Application

 

To download the application now, please click here.

 

Application Process

 

Step One:      Application -  Due Febuary 9

 

To download an application, click hereSubmit completed applications with a $75 application fee by February 9. Mail applications to the following address: 

               The Wilberforce School

                P.O. Box 1132

                Princeton, NJ  08542-1132

 

Step Two:      Financial Aid Application - Due February 9    (See Financial Aid Steps)

 

Step Three:    Admissions Testing - Saturday, February 21

 

Once your completed application is received, please make plans to bring your child to the school for 1.5 to 2 hours on Saturday, February 21.  Most testing takes place in the morning.  The school will contact you to schedule the exact time of testing once your completed application has been received.  Students applying for Explorers I and II are tested in groups. The testing environment is designed to assess school readiness.  Students applying for Class One and higher are tested on an individual basis. Individual testing includes informal inventories, standardized achievement, and school ability testing.

 

Step Four:     Recommendations and Records - due February 27

 

If your child has been enrolled in another school, please dowload the following forms and request that your child's current teacher and/or school complete the forms.  Please make sure that you or the teacher returns both completed forms to the school by February 27.  

 

Teacher Recommendation Form (Click here for the Explorers I & II FormClick here for all other grades.)  To be completed by your child's current or most recent teacher.

Release of Records Form To be given to the appropriate administrator in your child's school.  It is the applicant’s responsibility to make sure that the Teacher Recommendation and all school records are completed and returned to The Wilberforce School by February 27Click here for the release of records form.

Step Five:       Parent Interviews - February 26 (evening) or February 28

At Admissions Testing Day parents sign up for a parent interview.  Both parents are required to attend the interview.  All parents are required to read the following materials prior to the family interview: the Wilberforce Mission & Philosophy, Statement of Faith, and Curriculum Overview. All documents are available on this website.

Step Six:         Notification Letters - by March 14

The Admissions Committee will mail notification letters to families no later than March 14.

Final Step:       Tuition Installment - by April 17

Following notification of acceptance, the applicant's family has until April 17 to enroll by submitting the signed Enrollment Agreement with the Enrollment Fee and Tuition Deposit.

Waiting Pools

When a class is full, applicants may be places in a waiting pool for that class. If a slot opens up, students will be selected from the waiting pool to fill the open slot.

 

Age and Class Placement

 

Explorers I:  Older four year olds and young five year olds 

 

Explorers II: Older five year olds and young six year olds 

 

Class One:  Older six year olds and young seven year olds

 

A Special Note to Parents

 

We want each child at Wilberforce to thrive. Placement decisions are made on the basis of age, testing, and other factors. We pay particularly close attention to children whose dates of birth fall in or near the summer months.

 

Our curriculum is generally one grade level ahead of national norms in most subject areas. Experience with this program has shown that most children benefit by having more time to develop and mature before entering Class One. Being relatively young may not be a critical issue at the Explorers level, but when a child reaches Class One and above, the age disparity can be much more pronounced as these children begin to work at a higher level of academic difficulty alongside classmates who are as much as a year older.

 

Non-Discrimination Policy

The Wilberforce School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally made available to students at the school. The Wilberforce School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational and admissions policies, scholarship programs, or athletic and other school administered programs.