Visit our Affording a Nueva Education page to learn more about our financial assistance program. 

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

• Details regarding an admissions application fee waiver can be found on Ravenna.
• Applying for financial support to help cover the cost of the IQ assessment is a separate process from applying for financial assistance. To apply for a voucher, please complete the Application for IQ Assessment Financial Assistance Voucher. Please note that Nueva vouchers are valid only for psychologists included on our Psychologist Resource List.
• Please contact our Financial Assistance and Family Partnership Coordinator at alazo@nuevaschool.org for a Clarity fee waiver. 

Visit our Affording a Nueva Education page to learn more about our financial assistance program. 

In considering students for admission, we look for evidence of: 

• Intellectual curiosity and engagement
• Independent thought and depth of ideas
• Creativity and flexibility in approach to problem-solving
• Divergent and critical thinking
• Ability to listen to, build on, and contribute ideas

To learn more, visit our Why Nueva page. 

Visit our Grades PreK–8: IQ Assessment page to learn more. Upper School applicants are not required to submit IQ assessment results. 

Our main entry points are pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 5, 6, and 9. Families are welcome to apply to grades pre-K through 10 as openings may occur. Applications for admission to grades 11 and 12 are only considered in special circumstances. 

Below are approximate average openings in each grade:

• Pre-kindergarten: 14–16 applicants
• Kindergarten: 20–22 applicants
• Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4: 0–3 applicants
• Grade 5: 15–20 applicants
• Grade 6: 20–25 applicants
• Grades 7 and 8: 0–3 applicants
• Grade 9: 40–45 applicants
• Grade 10: 0–3 applicants
• Grades 11-12: only considered in special circumstances. 

Pre-kindergarten Applicants

Children applying for pre-kindergarten must be 4 years old by May 16, 2027. 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 Round I of the pre-kindergarten admissions process must be 4 years old by March 5, 2027.

If your child turns 4 years old by May 16, 2027, they can apply to Nueva during Round II of the pre-kindergarten admissions process. 

A portion of the pre-kindergarten class is offered enrollment in mid-March (Round I), with the remainder notified in late March (Round II). Students who receive waitpool letters during Round I  will be reconsidered in Round II of the pre-kindergarten application process. 

Please see the "Who is eligible to apply during Round II of the prekindergarten admissions process?" question if your child does not meet the Round I age cutoff. 

If your child turns 4 between May 25 and August 31, 2027, they are not candidates for admission into our pre-kindergarten program. This is due to age requirements and the alignment of age-eligible test dates with our school admissions and enrollment deadlines. We encourage you to consider having your child apply to our kindergarten program next admissions season. 

K–10 Grade Applicants

Children applying for kindergarten must be 5 years old by September 1, 2027.

Children applying for first grade must be 6 years old by September 1, 2027.

With each grade, the child will be one year older: 7 years old for second grade, 8 years old for third grade, and so on.

Additional Grade Placement Considerations

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 school's mission. 

Nueva generally places students with their age-based cohort, particularly at the Lower School level. That said, if you believe your child is a better match for a lower or higher grade than our age categories indicate, please contact our office. We are happy to consider your request, and ultimately, our team will make the recommendation we think is best for each child. 

Yes. If you have previously applied to Nueva, you are welcome to reapply. Please note that, with the exception of IQ results for Lower and Middle School applicants (which may transfer), application materials do not carry over. Please submit the Family Information Form, and we will contact you with next steps.

Lower and Middle School Applicant Families: In some circumstances (see below) the IQ assessment does roll over.

For the purpose of our admissions process, in-range Wechsler IQ assessments are valid for two consecutive admissions cycles. 

If your child took the Wechsler IQ assessment last season and did not score within the range to be eligible to continue in the application process, and you would like to apply again this season, they will need to retake the IQ assessment. It’s important to note that applicants may take the IQ assessment only once every 12 months; they must wait a full calendar year before retaking it.

If you have questions about your results or if an existing report is valid and you would like to use it this season, please email admissions@nuevaschool.org. 

Applications for admission for the fall of 2026–27 are available in early September and are due January 5, 2027.

The application process for all grades involves several 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 is happy to help you.

If you are applying for the fall of 2027, please create an account through Ravenna, our application and event registration platform, as early as you can. Once you have created an account, you will be able to register for Program Previews, Admissions Office Hours, and more. 

The Guarantee Deadline applies only to students applying to Kindergarten and grades 5–10. Applicants who meet the prerequisites by this date are guaranteed the opportunity to participate in an in-person Activity Session. The Guarantee Deadline is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Below, you’ll find more details about the materials that must be submitted by the Guarantee Deadline. Please note that no other steps are required to meet the Guarantee Deadline.

PREREQUISITES

Kindergarten and Grades 5–8

• IQ Assessment results submitted and determined by Nueva to be in range to continue in the application process
• Family Information Form and application fee submitted

Grades 9–10

• Family Information Form and application fee submitted
• Parent Written Questionnaire submitted

Yes. Our admissions events fill up quickly, so families who submit the application early have greater access to admissions events.

For applicants to kindergarten, Middle School, and Upper School, submitting the Family Information Form (along with in-range IQ assessment scores for Kindergarten and Middle School applicants, or the Parent Written Questionnaire for Upper School applicants) by November 3 guarantees an opportunity for an Activity Session. 

For applicants to grades 1–4, we encourage you to submit IQ assessment results and the Family Information Form by early November. 

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

No. To help mitigate bias in our review process, we consider only the required application materials and assessments. We respectfully ask that no additional documents—including recommendations from current or former Nueva community members—be submitted on behalf of a student or family. These will not be accepted.

No. We do not accept late applications or mid-year transfers for any grade. All decisions are made in the spring for the following academic year. 

Yes. We accept applications from international students. The process is the same for all applicants, including those from outside of the United States. Our program is conducted entirely in English; students must be fluent in English to be considered for admission to Nueva. Nueva issues I-20 visas to enrolled students who require one. 

Nueva does not offer a boarding or homestay program for any grade. Students are expected to live in the Bay Area with their parents or legal guardians. 

Admission to Nueva is not automatic or guaranteed. Each applicant, regardless of their connection to the school, is evaluated based on the same criteria. Our goal is to ensure that all decisions are made with the best interest of each individual child in mind. 

While we deeply value the strong relationships we have with our current community members, we encourage every family to explore all available school options. This approach ensures that the final choice is the best possible fit for their child’s unique needs and growth.

No. Because our classes are intentionally small and we want to protect that intimate learning environment for current students, we're not able to offer weekday shadow day visits for applicants. We'd still love for your family to get to know Nueva—we invite you to attend our school and admissions events, where families can meet and hear from a wide variety of Nueva students, parents, faculty, and administrators, both virtually and on campus.

Accepted students in grades 5–10, along with their parents/guardians, will have the opportunity to spend a morning or afternoon on campus during decision week (mid-March).

Admissions Decision Notification

Admissions decisions for pre-kindergarten (Round I) and for kindergarten through grade 10 are released through Ravenna on March 12, 2027, at approximately 4 p.m.

Pre-kindergarten Round II admissions decisions are released through Ravenna on March 24, 2027. Enrollment contracts, with the deposit, are due back in the Admissions Office on March 26, 2027.

Admit Decisions

An admit decision means the Admissions Committee believes the student is a strong match for Nueva's program and community. Families of admitted students must notify the Admissions Office of their decision to accept or decline the offer by March 19, 2027. Early responses are very helpful and appreciated! 

Waitpool Decisions

A waitpool decision means the Admissions Committee sees the student as a potential match for Nueva's program, though we're not able to offer a space at this time. We place applicants in the waitpool because additional spaces may open up by the end of the summer—though this isn't guaranteed. The waitpool for any grade is not ranked.

Pre-kindergarten applicants who receive a waitpool letter in mid-March are reconsidered during Round II of the pre-kindergarten admissions process.

Decisions Not to Offer Admission

This decision means the Admissions Committee is not able to offer admission or a spot in the waitpool at this time. It does not reflect a judgment about a student's qualifications—rather, it reflects the many factors weighed during our holistic review process, including how a student's profile aligns with our program and community, and the number of highly qualified applicants relative to available spaces.

Decisions not to offer admission are final and cannot be reconsidered.

Students come to Nueva from across the Bay Area, but most live in San Mateo, Santa Clara, and San Francisco counties.

• San Mateo County families make up the largest portion of our community, representing over 65% of all students.

• Santa Clara County is home to nearly 20% of our students.

• San Francisco County families represent just over 11% of our student body.

We also welcome a small number of students from Alameda, Marin, and surrounding areas.

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 Bay Area. Please explore these options on our transportation page.

Nueva does not offer a boarding or homestay program for any grade. Students are expected to live in the Bay Area with their parents or legal guardians.