Apply to Middle School

List of 4 items.

• 1) Submit your preliminary application. (Opens September 5, 2023 / Deadline: 12:00 noon on November 17, 2023)

  To begin the process of applying, a short preliminary application form and application fee of $75 are required.* We encourage families to submit this as soon as possible in Ravenna. The application is available after September 5, 2023 at noon and due no later than 12:00 noon on November 17, 2023.
  
  *If the application fee presents a hardship for your family, please use fee waiver code NEEDFA.

• 2) Schedule your family's Dalton visit -- which includes a school tour and an interview of the student.

  There is one required visit to Dalton as part of the student's application. The school tour and student interview are held in one visit, to minimize the impact of missing work/school for families. Time slots fill up quickly so we encourage you to schedule your visit at the time of submitting your application. Scheduling becomes even tighter and less flexible later in the admissions season, so please don't delay submitting your application and scheduling your appointment until the end, if possible. All visits take places between October and early December.
  
  The entire visit lasts approximately 60-75 minutes; it begins with the school tour for the student and parents, then is followed by a 20-30 minute student interview with either an Admissions staff member or a member of our middle school faculty or administrative team.
  
  This visit can be scheduled through Ravenna immediately after the application is submitted. 
  
  Additionally, parents should schedule a short zoom meeting with our Director of Middle & High School Admissions to discuss your child's application. This is also scheduled through Ravenna.

• 3) Schedule admissions testing.

  All student applicants are required to submit recent admissions testing results from either the ISEE (Independent School Entrance Examination) or the SSAT (Secondary Schools Admissions Test). This testing should take place during the fall of the student's application, between August and the first week of January, and dates for testing must be scheduled directly with the testing providers (see their websites, linked above). Preferred dates and locations for testing do fill, so be sure to register for this testing as early as possible.
  
  Fees for this testing range from $140 to $200, but fee waivers available for low-income families. After submitting your preliminary application to Dalton, you may review eligibility and request a fee waiver from Dalton here.

• 4) Submit supplementary materials.

  Supplementary application materials can be submitted and managed through Ravenna, and must be submitted by January 11, 2024. Required supplementary materials include:
  

  • parent statement (form available in Ravenna)
  • student identity statement (form available in Ravenna *for high school applicants only*)
  • transcripts/report cards for last year and the current (fall) term
  • teacher recommendation (form available in Ravenna) for English/language arts and mathematics (to be completed by a teacher who has taught the student within the last year)
  • recommendation (form available in Ravenna) from the student's guidance counselor or a school administrator (such as principal, division head, or placement counselor)
  • admissions testing score report (to be sent directly from ISEE or SSAT)

  Any optional submissions (additional teacher or personal recommendations, work sample submissions, etc.) should also be submitted by this time, if you wish for them to be included in the application file. 
  
  If you are applying for financial aid, please ensure that you meet the deadline for submitting your financial aid application and documentation (deadline: December 1, 2023); see the detailed instructions on Ravenna or read more here on Tuition and Financial Aid. 
  
  Throughout the admission process, the Ravenna system will allow you to track Dalton's receipt of all of the above documents (with the exception of financial aid, which is managed in Clarity).