FAQs Admissions

Q: How can I receive admissions materials from RCDS?
A: If you are interested in applying to RCDS, please call us at 914-925-4513. From September to early December, you may apply online. View online application information. Starting in late September, prospective parents and students are encouraged to visit the campus to have a tour and interview with an Admissions Officer.

Q: How do I apply to RCDS?
A: In order to apply to RCDS, a student and/or family must first submit an application form to our office. Applicants to Grades 3 and above must come in for a formal student interview at some point in the process. The interview should be scheduled at the same time as the parent visit and tour of campus. An application folder (including teacher recommendations, admissions testing, writing samples, and other materials) must be completed by January 15 to be considered in our first round of admissions decisions.

Q: What is the deadline for submitting an application?
A: The application form and application fee ($75) are due by December 15 (December 1 for Kindergarten). All other pieces of the application folder (see below) are due by January 15.

Q: What are the other pieces that make up the completed application folder?
A: Other required pieces of the application for Grades 4 and above include:

•    school recommendation from a principal or counselor
•    teacher recommendations
•    most recent school reports
•    school transcript from previous academic year
•    standardized testing completed at current school (if available)
•    graded writing sample (Grade 7 and above)
•    student questionnaire (Grade 5 and above)

Recommendation forms are included in the Application Materials Packet.  These recommendation forms should be delivered to the applicant’s school by the parent and returned directly to the RCDS Admissions Office by the applicant’s school.  We recommend that the teachers have ample time to get to know the applicant well, and suggest that these forms are given to teachers after November 1.

For applicants to Grade 7 and above:
A graded writing assignment of the applicant’s choice must be submitted from the current academic year.

Q: Are there any required screenings or testing for admissions?
A: Yes. The type of testing required depends on the grade level.

For applicants to Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten:
Small group visits at RCDS in December (Kindergarten) or January (Pre-Kindergarten), and individual screening at RCDS by appointment (November through January). N.B.: September 1 is the cut-off date for birthdates of applicants to Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten. Applicants to those grades must be age 4 and 5, respectively, by September 1 of the year of entrance.

For applicants to Grades 1 and 2:
Individual screening at RCDS by appointment. N.B.: September 1 is the cut-off date for birthdates of applicants to Grades 1 and 2; applicants must be age 6 and 7, respectively, by September 1 of the year of entrance.

For applicants to Grades 3 and 4:
Students applying to Grades 3 and 4 are required to sit for admissions testing at RCDS in January. N.B.: September 1 is the cut-off date for birthdates of applicants to Grades 3 and 4; applicants must be age 8 and 9, respectively, by September 1 of the year of entrance.

For applicants to Grades 5 through 12:
Students applying to Grades 5 – 12 must take the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) or the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) at any convenient test site. RCDS must receive test results by mid-January. For information about the ISEE, please call 800-989-3721, or you may visit them at www.iseetest.org . For information about the SSAT, please call 609-683-4440. Their website is www.ssat.org. Be sure to have results forwarded to RCDS by ISEE or SSAT by indicating RCDS as a score recipient when registering.

Q: Is there a preference for one standardized test versus another?
A: The Admissions Committees at RCDS do not have a preference between the ISEE and the SSAT.

Q: Are there any other parts of the application process?
A: Yes. There is an optional but encouraged component. Applicants to Grade 4 and above may come for full-day or half-day visits to classes once the application form is on file at RCDS. These visits are typically available from October through December. Please call ahead at 914-925-4513 to make the necessary arrangements. The number of available dates is limited.  RCDS will provide lunch when appropriate, but visiting students will not be allowed to participate in physical education activities. Please call with any further questions about visiting days.

Q: How many students do you admit each year and at which grade levels?
A: