How to Apply

Thank you for considering Marin Country Day School for your family. Our admission season for the 2018-19 school year is now open. The application deadline is January 12, 2018. Please read on for more information on the application process.


STEPS

Campus Tour

To inquire about touring campus, click here!

Join current MCDS parent Tour Guides for a look at campus and a small presentation from administration. Tours are scheduled on select mornings October through January.

Please tour before submitting an application. Families are not required to tour again if reapplying for the same child.

Reservation required, adult only event. If you require special accommodations or a Spanish or Mandarin translator, please contact us at admission@mcds.org. If relocating outside the admission season, a tour can be arranged.

Online Application

After a campus tour, prospective families will continue the application process online.

Ready to apply? Click here to create your admission account.

Applications and supporting documents are due January 12, 2018. Applications are due October 20, 2017 for siblings, faculty and staff applying to kindergarten.

Applications for indexed tuition are due January 12, 2018. To learn more about our affordability model, indexed tuition, click here.

NOTE:

    • We do not accept applications to 8th grade
    • We are no longer a test site for the ISEE
    • Application fee is $100, is payable online by credit card, and goes toward the cost of assessing applicants. If you require a fee waiver, please contact Kara Diaz at kdiaz@mcds.org.

Parent / Guardian Interview

After a tour and once an online admission account has been created, a thirty minute parent interview may be scheduled with a member of our admission team. Self-scheduling is available on the homepage of the family admission portal.

Parent interviews are an opportunity to meet a team member in person and engage inan informal exchange. Only one interview is needed per family; any/all parents or guardians are expected to attend.

Student Assessments / Visits

Kindergarten

  • Applicants are required to attend an on-campus group screening to assess developmental and social readiness. Screenings are held on select mornings and will be scheduled by the admission team once the child's application is processed. Sibling applicants will be screened on or before 11/30/17. New famiy applicants will be invited to screen between December 2017 and February 2018.


Sixth Grade

  • Admission Saturday is on 2/3/18. Sixth grade applicants only will visit campus, meet teachers, and participate in fun activity sessions as a way to assess fit and readiness. Please save the date and RSVP by emailing Zoe Davis (zdavis@mcds.org). Out of area applicants who are unable to attend, please be in touch with the admission team about alternatives to this step.
  • Sixth Grade Visits are a chance for applicants to spend time at MCDS during a normal school day. Visits are held on select Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8am to 1:20pm. Visits will be scheduled by the admission office once the child's application is processed. This required step is in addition to Upper School Admission Saturday.

Grades 1 to 5 & 7

  • Applicants are invited to campus between October and February for a classroom shadow visit on a normal school day. These visits occur on select mornings from 8 am to 10:30 am for applicants to grades 1-5 and 8-1:20 pm for those applying to seventh. Visits will be scheduled by the admission office once the child's application is processed.



Notifications & Family Decision Deadline

After the admission checklist has been completed, apps have been processed, and assessment results have been gathered, the Admission Committee will mail notifications on March 14 and post them online via admission portals on March 15. Families will have until 10 a.m. on March 22 to accept or deny admission offers.

Tuition determinations will be mailed with decision letters on March 14. If you need to discuss your tuition offer between March 14 and March 22, please contact Indexed Tuition Coordinator Kara Diaz directly.

ENTRY POINTS

Traditional entry points for admission are kindergarten and sixth grade. Admission to all other grades is based upon attrition, and therefore difficult to predict if and when spaces may become available. We encourage you to apply if you feel MCDS would be a good fit for your child and family; should space become available we admit students from the current applicant pool.

  • Kindergarten Applicants

Children who are not age five by August 1 in the year they would enroll are not 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.

  • Sixth Grade Applicants

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.

  • We do not accept applications to eighth grade.

DATES & LINKS

Important Dates

  • October 20, 2017: Applications due for siblings, faculty & staff
  • January 12, 2018: Applications due for new families
  • January 12, 2018: Applications due for indexed tuition
  • March 14, 2018: Decision letters are mailed
  • March 15, 2018: Decision letters are available online at 12:00 pm PST
  • March 22, 2018: Family Reply deadline is 10:00am PST sharp

Helpful Links