FPO

Welcome to
Admissions

Welcome to The Nueva School! We are excited for you to learn more about all that Nueva has to offer.

Nueva is a dynamic community committed to educating gifted learners from pre-kindergarten through high school. Our mission is to inspire passion for lifelong learning, foster social and emotional acuity, and develop the imaginative mind. 

As a community that values curiosity, compassion, inclusion, diversity, innovation, and authentic learning experiences, Nueva students embrace intellectual, social, and academic challenges. With the support of our exceptional faculty, they also find comfort in knowing they have a safe space to ask questions, make mistakes, and enjoy the journey of learning. 

We are eager to help you understand the limitless possibilities of a Nueva education and encourage you to continue exploring our website to learn more about our community and the admissions process. Better yet, come visit us in person! Throughout the admissions season we will offer opportunities to spend time on our beautiful Hillsborough and San Mateo campuses where you will meet all parts of our community, from faculty to students to current parents to the admissions team. 

We look forward to partnering with you as you search for the right school community for your family. 

Warmly,
The Nueva Admissions Team

Important Admissions Dates

  • Lower and Middle School applicants: We highly recommend that students take an IQ assessment with a licensed psychologist as soon as they are eligible. 
     
  • Early September 2023
    Applications open through Ravenna. Check for registration deadlines for optional events
  • November 13, 2023
    Guarantee Deadline
    • For K-8 applicants
      • Submitting Parts I and II of the application and IQ assessment results by November 13 guarantees an opportunity for an in-person My Nueva Day for K-8 applicants. This guarantee deadline does not apply to PreK applicants.
    • For upper school applicants
      • Submitting Parts I and II of the application by November 13 guarantees an opportunity for an in-person My Nueva Day and an optional parent/guardian conversation.
         
  • January 9, 2024
    Deadline for Ravenna application and all required documents
     
  • February 2, 2024
    For those applying for financial assistance, deadline to submit application and all supplemental documents
     
  • March 15, 2024
    Admissions decision notification for all grades
     
  • March 19–21, 2024
    Campus visit for admitted students (parents/guardians of admitted student for lower school applicants)
  • March 22, 2024
    Deadline to submit admissions decision reply for all grades

Get in touch! 

Email:

admissions@nuevaschool.org

Phone:

Lower and Middle School: 
(650) 350-4528

Upper School:
(650) 235-7119

Si necesita ayuda en español, comuníquese con Melanie León, directora de admisiones: 
mleon@nuevaschool.org o
650-235-7111.

Student Voices

At Nueva, student voices are valued and respected. We regularly document the reflections of our students and alumni on their learning, their school projects, and their feelings about our community. Hear some first-person testimonials about Nueva’s culture and our students’ opinions and experiences.

Illustrations by Thalia R. '22

A Place of Belonging

Above all, Nueva is a sanctuary for gifted learners. Our shared curiosity and love of learning bonds our community across every grade and division.

Student-teacher Relationships

Ask any of our students what they love most about Nueva and the most common answer you’ll hear is “The teachers!” 

Learning Culture with No Ceilings

Our flexible, responsive learning culture rises to meet the interests and ambitions of our students. We’re here to help them go as far and as wide as they want to go.

Connect with Nueva Social Media!

Nueva News

Top Moments from the Upper School Grade-level Retreats
Top Moments from the Upper School Grade-level Retreats

At the start of every school year, each Upper School class takes part in an overnight camping trip. These trips allow students to bond together and kick the year off, and is a great chance to for them connect or reconnect with their grade and advisory groups. We asked students to reflect on their top moment from the retreat. 

Snapshots: Lower School
Snapshots: Lower School

The halls were abuzz on this week as Lower School students could be heard singing, playing, reading, and calculating! We invite you to learn more about a variety of class activities below.

I Still Believe in Magic
I Still Believe in Magic

At the Class of 2023 graduation, Riyana Srihari '23 shared these remarks.

"This Class of 2023 has endless faith in each other’s good intentions, and the strong sense of trust that binds our grade together is earned and reaffirmed every single day..."

The Hummingbird and the Seagull
The Hummingbird and the Seagull

At the Class of 2023 graduation, Colin Cham '23 shared these remarks. 

"Four years and 0 score ago, our 9th grade selves first arrived on the upper school campus..."

Dispatch from the Field: Highlights from Upper School and 5th Grade Trips
Dispatch from the Field: Highlights from Upper School and 5th Grade Trips

Our Upper School students, as well as our 5th graders, are traveling in places both near and far this week! From the warm waters of Bonaire to the cool shores of Monterey, the gold of Versailles to the steps of the oldest temple in Taipei, our students are truly engaging with cultures and practices very different than their own. A few students share their favorite moments from their latest adventures.

Photo Walk Series: A Day in the Lower School
Photo Walk Series: A Day in the Lower School

This Wednesday, lower school students could be seen seeking mittens in the woods, creatively imitating animals in the ballroom, measuring their teachers on the lawn, and soldering wires in the I-Lab. We invite you to learn more about a variety of lower school class activities.

Our Photo Walk Series aims to provide the community with a snapshot in time—a celebration of work being done across grade levels, content areas, and divisions.

The Nueva School is a member of the Independent Schools of the San Francisco Bay Area (ISSFBA) and Bay Area Independent High Schools (BAIHS). Please review our Principles of Good Practice here and here. 

For general information about Bay Area Independent Schools, you may also find the ISSFBA website helpful.

The Nueva School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. Nueva does not discriminate on the basis of these factors in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial assistance program, or athletic and other school-administered programs.

In accordance with the requirements set forth in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Nueva School provides this notice of nondiscrimination and states that Nueva School does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its education programs and activities. Questions concerning Title IX may be referred to the School’s Title IX Coordinator whose contact information is below or to the Office for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Education. 

Title IX Coordinator:
Scott Bowers, Director of Human Resources 
131 E. 28th Street, San Mateo, CA 94403 
(650) 235-7172, sbowers@nuevaschool.org