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 key details about applying to each division below. Requirements differ based on the grade to which your student is applying; more details are available in the grade-division checklists.

LOWER SCHOOL

• Our main entry year in the Lower School is Nursery, our 3 year old program. We typically enroll 30 new students into our Nursery program each year.
• Grades Pre-K – Grade 4 are considered non-entry years. The Poly Admissions Committee reviews applications for interviews on a rolling basis for non-entry years.
  • Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten are mini entry years at Poly, we enroll 5-10 new students each year in each of these grade levels.
  • Available spaces in Grades 1- 4 are based on attrition, the number of students we are able to enroll each year will vary.
• We maintain strict age cutoffs for Poly Prep Lower School enrollment. Students with fall birthdays must apply for the appropriate grade according to the chart below. Students with birthdays from mid-June to August 31 have the option to repeat a grade and apply to the grade below the one indicated in the chart.

	Age by September 1 of the entry year (2025-2026)
Nursery	3 years old
Pre-Kindergarten	4 years old
Kindergarten	5 years old
Grade 1	6 years old
Grade 2	7 years old
Grade 3	8 years old
Grade 4	9 years old

• Application Checklist for Nursery (entry year) and Pre-K – Grade 4 (non-entry years)

MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Grades 5 and 6 are main entry years for Poly Middle School. We typically enroll 15-20 new students for Grade 5 and around 35 new students for Grade 6.
• Grades 7 and 8 are non-entry years for Middle School, although the class size does grow by a few students in both grades. Applications for interviews for non-entry years are reviewed on a rolling basis.
• Every year, some students choose to repeat the grade they are currently in at another school. Repeating a grade should be a family conversation factoring academic, social, and mental readiness for the next grade. Please note that a student can only apply for one grade in each admissions season.
• Application Checklist for Grades 5 & 6 (entry years) and Grades 7 & 8 (non-entry years)

UPPER SCHOOL

• Grade 9 is the main entry year for Poly Upper School. We typically enroll 35-40 new students each year. Grades 10-12 are non-entry years at Poly, and admission is based on attrition. Applications for interviews for non-entry years are reviewed on a rolling basis.
• Application Checklist for Grade 9 (entry year) and Grades 10-12 (non-entry years)

Information Sessions and Community Events

We offer a variety of optional opportunities to connect with our Poly Prep community members. Check out our events list for more information!

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.