Applications for admission for the fall of 2024–25 will be available in early September, and due January 9, 2024.

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 2024, please create an account through Ravenna, our application and event registration system, as early as you can. Once you have created an account, you will be able to register for Program Previews, Admissions Office Hours, optional events, and more. 

Pre-kindergarten Applicants

Children applying for pre-kindergarten must be 4 years old by May 28, 2024. 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 March 9, 2024.

While it is preferred that children be four years old when assessed, the minimum age for a child to sit for the WPPSI-IV (IQ assessment) is 3 years and 10 months. If your child takes the IQ assessment before January 9 and before they are 4 years of age, they can be considered during the first round of pre-kindergarten admissions. Alternatively, you can choose to wait until your child turns four to have them take the IQ assessment, in which case they would be considered during the late pre-kindergarten admissions process.

If your child’s birthday falls between March 10 and May 28, they may apply through the late pre-kindergarten application process. IQ assessment results are due on March 28, 2024, while all other application materials must be submitted by the January 9 deadline. Please keep in mind that if your child takes the IQ assessment after January 9 and their scores are not in-range, they will need to wait for a full 12 months before they can retake the assessment. As a result, they would not be eligible to apply for kindergarten admission in the following year. 

Approximately half of the pre-kindergarten class is offered enrollment in March, and the other half in early April. Students who receive wait pool letters in March will be reconsidered for the second round of offers mailed in April. 

If your child turns four between May 29 and August 31, they are not candidates for admission into our pre-kindergarten program. 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 you believe that your child is a better match for a lower or higher grade than our age categories, please contact our office. We are happy to consider your request and, ultimately, our team will make the recommendation we think best for each child.

Our main entry points are Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and grades 5, 6, and 9. Families are welcome to apply to grades PreK-10 as openings may occur. Applications for admission to grades 11 and 12 are only considered in special circumstances, such as a student's family moving from out of the area.

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: 10–20 applicants
• Grade 6: 20–25 (main entry grade for middle school)
• Grades 7 and 8: 0–3 applicants
• Grade 9: 35–45 applicants
• Grades 10: 0–3 applicants
• Grades 11-12: only considered in special circumstances. Please contact us directly at admissions@nuevaschool.org. 

Yes. If you have previously applied to Nueva, you are welcome to reapply. However, most of your application materials do not roll over. In some circumstances (see below), the Parent/Guardian Conversation and IQ assessment do roll over. If you are reapplying, please submit Part I of the application, and we will contact you regarding the steps that are waived. 

Steps that may be waived for reapplies: 

Parent/Guardian Conversation: If you completed a Parent/Guardian Conversation (formerly known as Parent Interview) last season, then this step is waived for this season unless your child is applying to a different division (e.g. you completed a Lower School application for 4th grade last season and are completing a Middle School application for 5th grade this season). Parent/Guardian Conversations are open to all 9th grade applicant families but are optional.

IQ Assessment (LS/MS Applications Only): For the purpose of our admissions process, in-range Wechsler IQ assessments are valid for two consecutive admissions cycles, and the assessment must have been taken within the last two years. 

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

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. 

Siblings and legacy applicants will only be admitted if they have demonstrated qualities likely to lead to their success at Nueva. While we value our strong relationships with our current families, we recommend that each family undergo a thorough review of potential school options to ensure that whichever school they choose is the best fit for their child. 

Yes. For applicants to grades K-10, submitting parts I & II of the application by November 13, guarantees an in-person My Nueva Day. For grades 9, it also guarantees an optional parent conversation. 

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.

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 Clarity as the basis when determining the amount for which a family qualifies.

Currently, approximately 18 percent of the student body receives financial assistance totaling $7 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. On-campus assessment appointments are only open to current community members (i.e., faculty/staff and siblings), families applying for financial assistance, and/or families applying through our partner community-based organizations (e.g., A Better Chance, Peninsula Bridge, SMART).

• 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. 

Due to the intimate size of our classes and the large number of applicants, we do not offer weekday shadow day visits for applicants. We invite your family to get to know Nueva by attending our school and admissions events. During these virtual and on-campus opportunities, families have the opportunity to meet and hear from a wide variety of Nueva students, parents, faculty, and administrators.

Accepted students to grades 5-10 will have an opportunity to spend a morning or afternoon on campus during decision week (mid-March). 

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 Admissions Committee carefully reviews completed files and releases decision through Ravenna on March 15, 2024 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 released through Ravenna on April 5, 2024. Enrollment contracts, with deposit, are due back in the Admissions Office the following week.

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 closes 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.

No, we do not accept late applications or mid-year transfers for any grade PreK–12. All decisions are completed in the spring for the following academic year. 

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.

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.

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. 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. 

The psychologist must submit the results and narrative report to the Admissions Office via email (results@nuevaschool.org) promptly following the evaluation. Off-campus IQ assessment results for grades preK through 8 are due by 5 p.m. on January 9, 2024. Please read the Guidelines for Submission document and print, sign, and submit it to the administering psychologist.

On-campus appointments* for the WPPSI evaluation are offered from September through November 2023 and are available to current community members (i.e., faculty/staff and siblings), families applying for financial assistance, and/or families applying from our partner community-based organizations (e.g., A Better Chance, Peninsula Bridge, SMART). If your family meets this criteria and you choose to request an on-campus appointment, submit Part I of the application then email results@nuevaschool.org. Please note that slots are limited and fill up rather quickly. 

*Nueva's on-campus assessment administration does not provide a narrative report. 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 assessment off-campus.

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 assessment.

We offer a limited number of on-campus appointments available to current community members (i.e., faculty/staff and siblings), families applying for financial assistance, and/or families applying from our partner community-based organizations (e.g., A Better Chance, Peninsula Bridge, SMART). 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*.

Families who meet the criteria are encouraged to email us at results@nuevaschool.org to schedule an on-campus assessment. 

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 assessment off-campus. If you have consulted a psychologist privately, you will need to ask them when you can expect the results and what will be included in the report.

For off-campus assessments, you can have your child take the Wechsler evaluation before you apply. Please have the psychologist submit the results and narrative report to the Admissions Office via email (results@nuevaschool.org) promptly following the evaluation.

Off-campus IQ assessment results for grades preK through 8 are due by 5 p.m. on January 9, 2024. Please read the Guidelines for Submission document and print, sign, and submit it to the administering psychologist.

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

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 assessment serves as an initial screening step in the application process to determine if Nueva is a potential match for your child. It 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.

Our experience has shown that students with a Full Scale Wechsler IQ Score around 130 (98th percentile) and above are more likely to be successful in Nueva’s program. We encourage you to submit your child's results, regardless of the score, as this will allow us to offer guidance on the next steps.

We want to assure you that if your child's results fall outside our target range, it will not negatively affect their application if you decide to have them apply in subsequent years.  

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.

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 your child's results fall outside our target range for the current admissions year, please know that you are welcome to schedule them 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 is even slightly sick, we encourage you 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 they may be contagious and put others' health at risk.

For on-campus assessment appointments, please call us at 650-350-4528 and email results@nuevaschool.org to reschedule your child's appointment if they feel ill. 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, they will not be able to sit for the evaluation.

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

WPPSI-IV and WISC-V assessment results for grades K–8 must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. on January 9, 2024. 

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.

Families who submit Parts I & II and IQ assessment results by November 13 are guaranteed an in-person My Nueva Day visit for their child. 

*Results for Late-birthday PreK applicants (children turning four years old between January 10 and May 28) must be received by March 28, 2024.

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

The financial assistance application process, although separate and distinct, runs on a similar timeline to the admission application process. Nueva uses Clarity to help determine a family's demonstrated-need. Details about the financial assistance application process are found on the Affording a Nueva Education page.

Be sure to note that the application deadline for financial assistance is February 2, 2024. 

Financial assistance is based solely on a family’s demonstrated financial need and varies widely by situation and typically ranges from 10 to 99 percent of tuition.

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

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

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.

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

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 financial assistance application 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 Clarity and submit the application and supporting documentation. Please contact us in cases where a parent is completely uninvolved in the student’s life and providing no financial support.

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.

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.