Applications for admission for the fall of 2023–2024 will be available in early September, and due January 12, 2023. The application process for all grades involves a number of steps, and we strongly recommend that you carefully review our Visit and Apply pages to better understand the requirements of the grade you are interested in. If you have any questions about any part of the process, the Admissions Office will be happy to help you. Please email us at admissions@nuevaschool.org. 

If you are  applying for the fall of 2023, please create an account through Ravenna, our online scheduling and application system, as early as you can. Once you have created an account, you will be able to register for program previews, optional events, and on-campus IQ appointments.

Pre-kindergarten Applicants

Children applying for pre-kindergarten must be 4 years old by May 30, 2023. However, we evaluate pre-kindergarten applicants at two distinct times during the admission season due to the timing of when applicants are old enough to take the IQ assessment.

Children applying for the first round of pre-kindergarten admissions must be 4 years old by January 26.

If your child’s birthday falls between January 27 and May 30, they will be considered a 'late birthday' pre-kindergarten applicant. Late birthday applicants apply by January 12, 2023 and sit for the IQ assessment in late March and April. We ask that children be 4 years of age when being assessed; however; applicants must be minimum 3 years, 10 months old. 

In order to accommodate children with later birthdays, the Admissions Office will accept only half of the pre-kindergarten class on March 17, 2023. The Admissions Committee meets again in April to evaluate children with late birthdays and those in the wait pool from the first round. Admission decisions for the remaining pre-kindergarten spaces will be mailed April 7, 2023.

If your child turns four between May 31 and August 31, they are not candidates for admission into the PreK program at the Nueva School for the coming fall. This is due to testing age requirements and how age-eligible test dates align with our school admissions and enrollment deadlines. We greatly hope you return to us next year. We look forward to getting to know your family then!

K–12 Applicants
Children applying for kindergarten must be 5 years old by September 1. Children applying for first grade must be 6 years old by September 1. With each grade, the child will be one year older: 6 years old for first grade, 7 years old for second grade, 8 years old for third grade, and so on. The process of determining placement for eligible candidates begins with observing your child in the age range standard for the Nueva School. Given that Nueva draws candidates from many educational backgrounds, grade placement is assessed in the context of a child's age cohort, social and emotional development, academic skills, and the mission of the school.

If an applicant seems more appropriately matched for a lower or higher grade, the Admissions Office will make a recommendation to the family.

Families are welcome to apply to all grades as openings do occur every year. Actual numbers vary from year to year due to attrition or possible grade expansion. Below are approximate average openings in each grade:

• Pre-kindergarten: 14–16 applicants
• Kindergarten: 20–22 applicants
• Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4: 2–4 applicants
• Grade 5: 10–15 applicants
• Grade 6: 20–25 (main entry grade for middle school)
• Grades 7 and 8: 1–3 applicants
• Grade 9: 35–45 applicants
• Grades 10, 11, and 12: 1–3 applicants

Acceptance into the wait pool means that the Admissions Committee believes your student is a potential match for Nueva’s program. We place applicants in a wait pool because more spaces may open up by the end of the summer. We cannot give families an estimate of the likelihood that their student will be accepted, so we encourage wait pool candidates to secure a place at another school. You will be notified right away if a space opens at Nueva and the Admissions Committee selects your child. The wait pool ends when school starts in the fall.

The wait pool is not ranked. It represents a pool of applicants that the Admissions Committee will draw from if a student cannot enroll or re-enroll. When choosing an applicant from the wait pool, the Admissions Committee evaluates learning styles, abilities and talents, and various facets of the grade to build a well-rounded class.

Yes. Financial assistance is available for all grades starting at pre-kindergarten and is based solely on financial need. This assistance is in the form of grants, not loans - they never have to be repaid. The Financial Assistance Committee uses School and Student Services (SSS) as the basis when determining the amount for which a family qualifies. Currently, approximately 20 percent of the student body receives financial assistance totaling over $6 million. Financial support extends beyond tuition and helps cover additional school-related costs including, but not limited to, extended care, field trips, and transportation.

If you have additional questions or would like more information about financial options, please contact the Admissions Office at 650-350-4528 or email admissions@nuevaschool.org. We also encourage you to visit our Affording a Nueva Education page. 

Yes. If the application fee is a financial hardship for your family and you plan on applying for financial assistance, fee waivers are available. 

• The process of applying for a reduced on-campus assessment fee is a separate process from applying for financial assistance. To request a reduced fee, please complete the Reduced Fee Application Form.

• Details regarding an application fee waiver can be found on Ravenna.

• Please contact the admissions office at admissions@nuevaschool.org for a timed writing sample fee waiver. 

Yes. Submitting your application before the winter break allows more flexibility in scheduling on-campus IQ assessments (Grades preK–8). These typically fill quickly, so it’s recommended to schedule one as soon as possible.

All applicants are asked to meet our stated deadlines. Only applications that are completed by the deadline will be considered in the first application review. We understand that documents coming from the applicant’s current school (transcripts) might be sent after the application deadline, and only those documents will be accepted after the deadline.

The Admissions Committee carefully reviews completed files and releases decision letters March 17, 2023. All decisions will also be available to view through your Ravenna account on March 17, 2023 after 4 p.m. Families must notify the Admissions Office of their decision to accept or decline the offer within one week of receiving the notice. Early responses are very helpful and appreciated! 

Pre-kindergarten applicants who receive a wait pool letter in mid-March are considered in the second round of pre-kindergarten decisions, which are mailed April 7, 2023. Enrollment contracts, with deposit, are due back in the Admissions Office the following week.

No. Students travel to school from the North Bay, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, East Bay, and the Coast. Families from the Central Peninsula represent 34 percent of the Nueva community. About 15 percent of our families live in the San Francisco area, and 33 percent commute from the Southern Peninsula. Nueva offers several bus routes from San Francisco and the Southern Peninsula. Upper school students are provided Caltrain passes as part of their tuition.

A multitude of transportation options connect Nueva to communities throughout the Peninsula, San Francisco, and the greater Bay Area. Please explore these options on our transportation page.

No, we require only the school evaluations and documents listed on Ravenna. Additional letters of support will not be included in a student's completed application. We do our best to mitigate bias in our reading and decision process. Therefore, we will consider only required application materials and evaluations and respectfully request no additional documents be submitted on behalf of a student or their family. 

The Wechsler Intelligence Quotient (IQ) assessment is an individually administered assessment for children that yields a measure of general intelligence and knowledge.

The IQ assessment samples various cognitive and intellectual functions, such as language and mathematical ability, reasoning skills, and perceptual-motor abilities. However, it does not capture other important aspects of a child, such as motivation, curiosity, creativity, the ability to transition, social and self-help skills. These attributes are assessed during My Nueva Day, and through current school evaluation and records.

We offer a limited number of on-campus appointments and they fill quickly. The WPPSI-IV (for applicants under six years old) and the WISC-V (for applicants over six years old) evaluations are offered on the Nueva Hillsborough campus. The on-campus fee is $350 for the WPPSI-IV and $450 for the WISC-V. Your family will receive a numerical report via email*.

As mentioned above, parents are encouraged to go to their online Ravenna account as soon as possible to view on-campus appointment scheduling options.

To request a reduced fee for on-campus appointments, please complete the Reduced Fee Application Form. If you have any questions about reduced fees, please contact us at admissions@nuevaschool.org.

 *Nueva's on-campus testing does not provide a narrative report. If applicants need or desire a narrative report, they should schedule the Wechsler test off-campus. If you have consulted a psychologist privately, you will need to ask him/her when you can expect the results and what will be included in the report.

To make an appointment, click here for a list of licensed, independent psychologists in our area. This list is not an endorsement of these psychologists nor is it a comprehensive list for the Bay Area. The psychologist must return the results and narrative report to the Admissions Office via email (results@nuevaschool.org) promptly following the evaluation. Off-campus IQ test results for grades 5 through 8 are due at 5 p.m. on January 19, 2023. Please read the Guidelines for Submission and print, sign, and submit the Authorization for Release/Exchange of Confidential Information on page 2 of the Guidelines to the administering psychologist.

On-campus appointments for the WPPSI-IV evaluation (for children under the age of 6) are offered from September through December 2022. If you choose to schedule an on-campus appointment, submit Part I of the application then email results@nuevaschool.org to request a registration code. Please note that slots are limited, are released on a rolling basis, and fill up rather quickly. 

To request a reduced fee for on-campus assessments, please contact us at admissions@nuevaschool.org.

Please contact admissions@nuevaschool.org if you have any questions or concerns about your child sitting for an IQ evaluation.

*Nueva's on-campus testing does not provide a narrative report. Test results are mailed to families and they include a face sheet with numerical scores and percentiles along with a general description of the subtests administered on the test. If applicants need or desire a narrative report, they should schedule the Wechsler test off-campus.

For children who are taking the Wechsler evaluation on campus, your application must be submitted through your Ravenna account in order to register for an appointment.

For off-campus assessments, you can have your child take the Wechsler evaluation before you apply, but we will not accept IQ results until after we have received Part I of the Nueva application. 

Unfortunately, IQ assessments are the one evaluation where any type of practice will invalidate the child's scores. Children exposed to assessment content, preparation, and tasks, typically exhibit behavior that indicates prior exposure. When it is clear that a student has been exposed to the evaluation materials, their results will become invalid and their application will be withdrawn from our admissions process. Should prior exposure be indicated, children would need to wait one full year before sitting for the assessment again.

Rest assured that during the evaluation, each sub-assessment has sample questions to ensure the child's understanding of the task. The best way to support and prepare your child is to make sure they have enough rest, eat a good meal/snack, and have some basic understanding of what to expect in their meeting. Let your child know that they will meet with someone who is interested in learning about their ideas, and who will lead them in problem-solving tasks and activities. There will be some questions that they will be unable to answer since the assessment is designed for children of all ages. They are not expected to know all the answers, but simply try their best.

The IQ evaluation provides a "snapshot" of your child's cognitive skills at a particular point in time. It can also provide important insights about your child's approach to different types of tasks.

The Admissions Committee has found from experience that students with a Full Scale Wechsler IQ Score of 130 (98th percentile) and above are more likely to be successful in Nueva’s program. For this reason, this is considered our target range in the Nueva application process. 

The IQ evaluation is the first step in the application process to determine if Nueva is a potential match for your child. Once an applicant has scored in the range considered for admission, you will be able to schedule other steps through your online Ravenna account.

The Admissions Committee carefully considers all factors in a child's profile such as developmental readiness, language exposure, academic skills, motivation, curiosity, social intelligence, resilience, and creative and divergent thinking in addition to the information yielded on the IQ scores and subtests. These attributes are assessed during My Nueva Day, and through school evaluations and records.

If you prefer not to know your child’s scores, you can request that they not be sent to you at the time of the evaluation. In that case, you will only receive an email advising you of the next steps, as appropriate.

Please review our Guidelines for Submission for more detailed information about evaluations off-campus. Please click here for a list of psychologists in your area. This is not an endorsement for these psychologists or a comprehensive list of Bay Area psychologists. Any licensed psychologist can administer the Wechsler evaluations. Nueva does not have a preference as to which psychologist you choose. You can also find local psychologists by using the American Psychological Association’s Psychologist Locator.

Be sure the psychologist you choose administers the WPPSI-IV for children under six years old or WISC-V for children over six years old. Older versions or other IQ evaluations will not be accepted. 

You will need to print and sign the release form on the second page of the Guidelines to Submit Assessment Results document, and submit it to the psychologist. The psychologist must email or mail the signed release form, evaluation results, and narrative report directly to the Admissions Office. WISC-V results are due January 19, 2023 and WPPSI-IV results are due January 26, 2023. Once our office receives the IQ assessment results and your child's application, we will advise you of the next steps, as appropriate.

If you have any questions about whether your child's results are in range for Nueva admissions, please don't hesitate to call 650-350-4528 or email results@nuevaschool.org.

We feel that an in-person assessment gives us a better picture of a student's abilities, so we currently do not accept results from virtual administrations. 

In the event of another global pandemic, virtual options will be explored.

If a child does not score in range for the current admissions year, please know that you are welcome to schedule him/her to retake the evaluation after twelve months have passed.

If your child recently received an educational evaluation in another setting, you should check to see if you already have results from the Wechsler assessment. If the results are less than two admissions cycles old, you may submit them along with the completed application. The Admissions Office may request or recommend an additional evaluation if deemed appropriate. If you have any questions regarding previous evaluations, don't hesitate to contact us. 

If your child’s first language is not English, it is important for the psychologist to have this information prior to the assessment. Please let us know when you are scheduling the appointment.

There is no difference in the administration, content, or scoring of the evaluation, but it does help the psychologist interpret the results. The Wechsler instructions are given in English, and the results are relative to a child's age and normed on a mono-lingual English population.

If you have any questions about the process as it relates to your child's linguistic profile, please contact the Admissions Office at 650-350-4528 or admissions@nuevaschool.org.

We recommend that children be at least four years old, because the evaluation yields more information. However, children can be at least three years, ten months old to take the Wechsler assessment. The Wechsler scores adjust for age, and are based on your child's birth date, as well as extensive studies of children in the same age range.

As one would expect, there is variation in the ability of young children to perform and focus on tasks. Some young children may not be ready to sit for an hour for the assessment. For multi-lingual children, with a primary language other than English, an assessment at a younger age may under-represent a child’s cognitive abilities. If you are unsure of your child's readiness, feel free to contact our Admissions Office for more information.

With young children in particular, we encourage parents to downplay the notion of a “test” and suggest that it is a time to have an adult's undivided attention to complete tasks and help with important jobs. It is a great time to share what they know.

The psychologists will help your child feel relaxed and engaged. If your child is sitting the evaluation off campus, a similar approach is recommended.

We strongly recommend that parents do not discuss the results of the assessment with young children because they lack the context for processing the information.

If your child seems ill, please call us at 650-350-4528 and email results@nuevaschool.org to reschedule your child's appointment. We ask that you take your child’s temperature before coming to the on-campus appointment. If it is elevated (100 Fahrenheit or more), or if your child has other symptoms of illness, she/he will not be able to sit for the evaluation.

If your child is even slightly sick, we ask you to keep him/her at home and reschedule your appointment. It is important that children are healthy and feeling well for the one-time evaluation, as it cannot be taken again within a calendar year. A child's condition may worsen during the assessment, or he/she may be contagious and put others' health at risk.

We will charge a $50 cancellation fee if you do not show up for your appointment or do not give us adequate notice (24 hours) of your need to reschedule.

WISC-V assessment results for grades 1–8 must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. one week after the admissions application deadline.

WPPSI-IV assessment results for grades PreK–1* must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. two weeks after the admissions application deadline.

Please note that the earlier the results are sent in, the more options there are in terms of scheduling other steps in the application process.

*Results for Late-birthday PreK applicants (children turning four years old between January 27 and May 30) must be received by March 30, 2023.

As always, if you have any questions, please ask!

Families must apply via School and Student Services (SSS) and submit a Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) by mid-January and upload multiple tax forms and other financial documents by early February. Details about the application process and important deadlines are found on the Affording a Nueva Education page.

No. Financial assistance at Nueva is provided in the form of grants and not loans. Repayment is not required.

The estimated family contribution (EFC) amount that SSS shows you is a figure based on national standards and does not yet incorporate any adjustments initiated by Nueva based on our review of your specific situation. In most cases, these adjustments reduce your EFC.

The financial assistance application process asks for information about the financial resources available to each living parent and/or legal guardian. Custodial parents, non-custodial parents, step parents, birth parents, adoptive parents, married parents, unmarried parents, remarried parents, never married parents, opposite sex parents, same-sex parents, and legal guardians are all expected to participate in the financial assistance application process since educational expenses are considered a shared responsibility. When parents live together, a single, jointly prepared PFS is typically submitted along with the required tax forms and other documents. When parents are in different households, each will need to establish a separate family account with SSS, complete a PFS for their own household, and submit the supporting documentation. Please contact us in cases where a parent is completely uninvolved in the student’s life and providing no financial support.

Financial assistance is based solely on a family’s demonstrated financial need and varies widely by situation and typically ranges from 10 to 90 percent of tuition.

Yes. Financial assistance is available to applicants entering pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

Yes. Financial contribution and financial assistance is determined annually and parents must submit a PFS and supplemental financial documents each year. When there is little or no change in a family’s financial circumstances, however, the school endeavors to renew the support at a similar level (to the extent the annual budget allows).

Nueva offers two deferred payment options—one that spreads payments over three months and one that spreads payments over 10 months. Both options involve a one-time set up fee, but neither adds interest to the amount due. The fee is waived for families receiving financial assistance.

Yes. We recognize that a family’s financial situation can change. Families are encouraged to apply for financial assistance at any time, regardless of whether they did so the year before.

Yes. If you feel you may need financial assistance for your child to attend Nueva, you are encouraged to apply.

We recognize it may be a burden for some, but to be considered for financial assistance, completed tax forms are needed by early February -- well in advance of the IRS deadline of April 15. A preliminary version of your 1040, complete with all pages and schedules may be uploaded initially, but a copy of your final forms and schedules will need to replace it before a final decision can be made regarding financial assistance. Application materials received after the deadlines are at a disadvantage and may not receive full consideration and funds may be limited.

In order to enable full engagement in our wide range of school programs and activities, financial assistance helps to cover other non-tuition school-related costs. Families that receive financial assistance will automatically qualify for a similar level of assistance for many school-related expenses such as school-sponsored transportation, extended day, music programs, and school-mandated tutoring and evaluations.

For new students, notice of financial assistance decisions will accompany letters of acceptance to The Nueva School. For continuing students, financial assistance decisions are provided in February or early March. Incomplete applications may delay decisions.