How to Apply
Please check back early September for all admission event details - at this time we are planning for all virtual experiences which will still include various ways of seeing the school in action.
Thank you for considering Marin Country Day School for your family. Our admission season for the 2021-22 school year will be open early September. Please read on for more information on the application process.
STEPS
- Campus Tour
- Online Application
- Parent / Guardian Interview
- Student Assessments / Visits
- Notifications & Family Decision Deadline
- Out of Town Applicants
Campus Tour
Please check back in early September for campus tour details.
For those interested in applying for the 2021-22 school year, after September 9 you may register for a tour as well as other school events. A virtual tour will be available on the website in early fall and Tour follow up events with the Head of School, Admission Team, and parent Tour Guides will be offered in the mornings and evenings to accommodate different schedules.
Online Application
After a campus tour, prospective families will continue the application process online through our admission portal, Ravenna. You may start your inquiry process here by creating your child's personal account and registering for a campus tour and other school-related events.
Ready to apply? We will be accepting applications for the 2021-2022 admission season starting in September. At that time, you may click here to apply.
NOTE:
- We do not accept applications to 8th grade.
- Application fee is $100, is payable online by credit card, and goes toward the cost of assessing applicants.
Parent / Guardian Interview
Parent/Guardian Interviews will be offered virtually for the 2020/21 Admission Season.
After a tour and once an online admission account has been created in Ravenna, a thirty minute interview may be scheduled with a member of our admission team through your Ravenna account.
These conversations offer an opportunity to meet a team member in person and engage in an informal exchange. Only one interview is needed per family; any/all parents or guardians are expected to attend.
Student Assessments / Visits
Please check back in early September for student assessment/ visit details.
Kindergarten and 1st Grade
All Kindergarten and 1st grade assessments will be offered between December and March the school year prior to entry. You will be able to sign up for a Kindergarten or 1st Grade Screening once you complete your application.
Sibling applicants to Kindergarten applying for the 2021-22 school year will be screened in late October or early November.
Grades 2-5
All assessments for those applying to grades 2-5 will be offered between December and March the school year prior to entry. You will be able to sign up for an assessment once you complete your application.
Out of area applicants who are unable to attend may schedule an alternative assessment with the admission team.
Grade 6
THE FOLLOWING IS THE STANDARD PROCESS FOR MCDS APPLICANTS TO 6TH GRADE, WHICH IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE FOR THE 2020/21 ADMISSION SEASON.
All assessments for those applying to grade 6 will be offered between December and March the school year prior to entry. You will be able to sign up for an assessment once you complete your application.
Out of area applicants who are unable to attend may schedule an alternative assessment with the admission team.
Upper School Applicant Visits: Applicants to grade 6 are invited to spend time at MCDS during a normal school day. Visits are held on select days from 8:00 am-1:20 pm. You may RSVP for a 6th Grade Applicant Visit after you have submitted an application. This required step is in addition to US Admission Saturday. Please check back here in September about whether or not MCDS will waive this requirement for 2020/21.
Upper School Admission Saturday: applicants to sixth grade are assessed in early February 2021. Out of area applicants who are unable to attend may schedule an alternative assessment with the admission team. Please check back here in September for information about how applicants can fulfill this requirement in 2020/21.
ISEE or SSAT: Grade 6 applicants are also required to take either the ISEE or the SSAT at any convenient and public test site before February 1, 2021. Please check back here in September about whether or not MCDS will waive this requirement for 2020/21.
Grade 7
THE FOLLOWING IS THE STANDARD PROCESS FOR MCDS APPLICANTS TO 7TH GRADE, WHICH IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE FOR THE 2020/21 ADMISSION SEASON.
All assessments for those applying to grade 7 will be offered between December and March the school year prior to entry. You will be able to sign up for an assessment once you complete your application.
Out of area applicants who are unable to attend may schedule an alternative assessment with the admission team.
Upper School Applicant Visits: Applicants to grade 7 are invited to spend time at MCDS during a normal school day. Visits are held on select days from 8:00 am-1:20 pm. You may RSVP for a 7th Grade Applicant Visit after you have submitted an application. This required step is in addition to US Admission Saturday. Please check back here in September for information about how applicants may fulfill this requirement for 2020/21.
ISEE or SSAT: Grade 7 applicants are also required to take either the ISEE or the SSAT at any convenient and public test site before February 1, 2021. Please check back here in September for information about whether or not MCDS will waive this requirement for 2020/21.
Grade 8
Notifications & Family Decision Deadline
After the admission checklist has been completed, applications have been processed, and assessment results have been gathered, the Admission Committee will post final decisions through your Ravenna account on March 18, 2021. Families will have until 10 a.m. on March 25 to accept or deny admission offers.
Out of Town Applicants
We welcome applicants who live outside of the Bay Area and outside of the United States. We also want to personally meet all applicants and their parent(s)/guardian(s) during the application process. For this admission season, we will be offering virtual meetings. This meeting is a significant priority for us as we look to make connections with new families and get to know applicants as deeply as possible.
Through your Ravenna Hub account, you can complete your child's application, sign up for events such as a tour, an interview and an assessment date for your child. For more information contact Admission Associate NJ Han at nhan@mcds.org for Kindergarten applicant families or Lowell Abbott at labbott@mcds.org for those families applying to grades 1-7.
ENTRY POINTS
We encourage you to apply if you feel MCDS would be a good place for your child and family!
LOWER SCHOOL APPLICANTS
- Kindergarten: Children who are five by August 1 in the year they would enroll are encouraged to apply; however there is not an absolute cut-off date. We have a developmental program that is appropriate for a range of children and waiting an extra year is not necessarily an automatic benefit.
- 1st-4th Grades: Admission to grades 1-4 is common, but based on attrition, so therefore difficult to predict exact number of yearly openings.
UPPER SCHOOL APPLICANTS
- 6th Grade: As students move from fifth to sixth grade, the program shifts from self-contained classrooms to a departmental structure and grade-level advisor groups. This format allows us to admit approximately twenty new students, expanding the size of the grade which broadens the social dynamic of the class.
- 5th and 7th Grades: Admission to grades 5 and 7 is common, but based on attrition, so therefore difficult to predict exact number of yearly openings.
MCDS does not currently accept applications to eighth grade.
DATES & LINKS
Please return to our website early September for important admission dates.
Important Dates
- Mid-October, 2020: MCDS sibling, faculty, staff applications due for Kindergarten applicants only
- Mid-January, 2021: Applications due for new families
- Mid-January, 2021: Applications due for
indexed tuition - March 18, 2021: Admission Notifications available in your Ravenna account at 12:00 pm PST
- March 25, 2021: Family Reply deadline is 10:00am PST sharp
Helpful Links
- Log in to your Ravenna Hub account (current applicants only)
- Apply for
indexed tuition (MCDS School Code is 4858)