FAQ

List of 42 frequently asked questions.

• Q. What age does my child need to be to enroll in Kindergarten and First Grade?

  Please click here to review our age limitations for Kindergarten and First Grade.

• Q. How will I know when the teacher recommendations have been received by St. John's?

  Once we have processed the recommendation, it will be marked completed on your online checklist. We encourage families to log in frequently in late January and early February to ensure all documents have been received. Please keep in mind that our office receives 1000s of documents in the month of January and it can take up to three weeks to process them all. We will inform you of missing items.

• Q. How can I sign up to tour the St. John's campus?  Do I need to submit an application before my family can tour St. John's?

  Please check our Open Houses & Tours page regularly for up-to-date information on our Open House events and tour registration. In the meanwhile, please enjoy a virtual tour of our campus.

• Q. When will we receive our admissions decision?

  St. John’s decisions are typically released on the Friday before spring break. This year, decisions will be released on Friday, March 8.

• Q. When will you know if you have a non-entry point spot available?

  Unfortunately, there is no way to predict when a spot might open up in a non-entry point. To be considered for a non-entry point, you must complete the application by our stated deadlines. 

• Q. How many applications do you receive?

  We receive approximately 1100 K-11 applications.

• Q. Do you accept new students in the middle of the year?

  No.

• Q. Who needs a parent meeting?

  A parent meeting is required for all applicant parents for K, 1, 6-12 who do not have a child currently enrolled in the School. A member of the Admission Office staff will contact you to schedule your parent meeting.
  

• Q. What information do you have for international families and out-of-town applicants?

  We look forward to working with families moving to Houston from other areas of the United States and other countries. We understand that the admission process may present some challenges given your circumstances. We encourage you to submit an application as soon as possible so that we may assist you with the admission process.
  
  

  Out of town families applying for Grades 2–11 can complete the process without coming to campus. All testing can be done out of state, and we can help facilitate. Additionally, interviews and parent meetings can be completed over Zoom.
  
  

  Out of town families applying for Grades K and 1 need to be on campus for their group evaluation. Those dates are listed on our website far in advance, so you are able to make travel arrangements. Since applicants are required to come to Houston for their group evaluation, we encourage families to schedule their WPPSI appointment with CATS during their visit.
  
  

  As a day school, St. John's policy requires that students reside with a parent, stepparent, or legal guardian. We do not offer a program for international students and do not issue I-20 visas.

• Q. Does my child need to retake the ISEE if we are re-applying?

  Yes, your child will need to complete the entire admission process again, including taking the ISEE.

• Q. When is the deadline to apply for the 2024-2025 school year?

  The application deadline for Kindergarten is September 1, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. The application deadline for Grades 1-4 is October 20, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. The application deadline for grades 5-11 is December 1, 2023 at 4:00 p.m.

• Q. What supporting information do I have to provide for my application?

  Please visit our Selection Process page under the Admission tab for information regarding admission requirements. You can also click on this link for our Admission checklist.

• Q. Can I send in my child's report card or do I need to have the school send a transcript?

  You must scan and upload your child’s report card. We do not need a transcript sent directly from your current school, however, certain area private schools do send over a package of transcripts for students applying to St. John’s from their school.  In this case you do not need to upload report cards.  Please check with the registrar at you school if you think you are in this category.

• Q. How do I sign up for the ISEE?

  The registration links are located in checklist after an application is submitted and processed.

• Q. Will I receive a report with my child's group testing results from St. John's?

  You will receive a report of all testing results except for group testing. Results from tests taken at CATS will be sent to you from CATS.

• Q. St. John’s is our first choice. Should we apply to other schools?

  We strongly recommend that you apply your child to other schools in your area as well as explore your public school options. With a limited number of available spots, admission is not guaranteed at St. John’s. Sadly, each year, we have to say no to many highly qualified candidates.

• Q. How diverse is St. John's?

  St. John’s prides itself on the diversity of our student body. Each year, we seek to enroll students from a variety of ethnic, socio-economic, and religious backgrounds. Currently, 48% of our families self-identify as a family of color. 

• Q. Is St. John's a Christian school?  Is it affiliated with St. John the Divine?

  St. John’s is a non-denominational school with no official ties to St. John the Divine; however, St. John the Divine graciously offers use of its sanctuary for our Chapel program. If you would like more information on our Chapel program, please visit here.

• Q. Do you have a pre-k program?

  No. Our program begins in Kindergarten. 

• Q. When will I find out if my child will receive a testing spot for Kindergarten?

  Information about our Kindergarten process can be found here. We notify families at the end of September about their status regarding Kindergarten testing.

• Q. My child is very active in multiple activities.  Can we submit more than one Extracurricular Recommendation?

  Yes, however, we suggest limiting the number to two. Please note that most applicants do not have more than one.

• Q. What are you looking for in a candidate?

  St. John’s School seeks students who possess strong ability, enthusiasm for learning, and strength of character to thrive in an academically challenging college preparatory program. It is important to note that there is no formula for gaining admission to St. John’s. The School charges the Admission Committee to select bright, motivated students who will throw themselves wholeheartedly into the life of the School in a variety of areas including the arts, athletics, leadership, and service. While the School does acknowledge demonstrated academic achievement, it is equally important to admit students who are committed to investing in the life of the School.

   

  At the heart of the admission process, above all else, is a commitment to make decisions that are sensitive to children’s best interests and ensure an appropriate match between the School and a student. To that end, the Committee carefully considers students’ readiness for our program. Various assessments, such as testing, observations, academic records, interviews, and recommendations from teachers, are used to provide information in the evaluation of admission candidates. In addition to academic readiness, social and behavioral maturity, motivation, and special talents in the arts and/or athletics are also considered. The composition of a given grade and the School as a whole influences the decisions of individual student selection throughout the entire admission process. Other criteria considered:

   

  ·   Affiliation with the School -- consideration for available space is given to qualified children of alumni, siblings of current students or graduates, and children of current faculty and staff who fit within the range of students best served by St. John’s

  ·   Gender and diversity in race, ethnicity, religion, and socio-economic background

  ·   Good character and leadership potential

  ·   Exceptional talents in the arts/and athletics

  ·   Appropriateness of match between family and the School - including a parental commitment to establish a supportive and constructive partnership with the St. John’s community

   

  In all cases, the School retains the right to determine, at its sole discretion, whether or not to select a student for admission or to re-enroll a student. Admission decisions are made under the overall supervision of the Head of School.

• Q. What are the feeder schools for St. John's?

  St. John’s seeks to enroll students from a wide variety of schools and backgrounds. During this past admission season, we offered places to students from 77 different schools.

• Q. How can I prepare my child for the K and Grade 1 group testing?

  Preparing for group testing is not necessary as what they are doing in school daily is sufficient. Dress your child in comfortable clothing, and we suggest avoiding language like testing or observing. You can tell your child that they are coming to spend time in kindergarten or first grade at St. John’s and it will resemble a day at school. We find that children are more relaxed when their parents are relaxed. Please note that specific exposure to our group testing material will disqualify your child from the process.

• Q. Where can I have my child tested?

  For our K-4 applicants, the cognitive ability testing (WPPSI or WISC) must be administered by Collaborative Academic Testing (CATS). There is additional information on the “Selection Process” pages for K-4.  Group testing will be held at St. John’s. For Grades 5-12, the ISEE will be administered at St. John's. Please visit the link under the ISEE checklist requirement for more details including registration.

• Q. What test scores does my child need to have to be accepted to St. John's?

  Test scores are only one aspect of a student’s file. A broad range of test scores exists among those students accepted by St. John’s, and we do not have a cutoff score for admission.

• Q. If my child is on the waitlist, when will we find out if they will be offered a space or not?

  We will contact families if we are able to offer a spot from the waitlist. The waitlist stays open until the first day of school, and we will go to the waitlist over the summer if needed. Families do not need to check on their waitlist status as they will receive communication from our office should a spot become available.

• Q. How many students are admitted to each grade at non-entry points?

  Our natural entry points are K, 1, 6 and 9. You can find information about the number admitted on the Selection Process page. For non-entry points, we generally admit between 0-2 and is based upon attrition in that grade. 

• Q. Do you have an after school program for Lower School students?

  St. John's offers onsite after-school programming until 6 p.m. for Lower School students through iKids.
  

• Q. How can I find out the status of my child's application?

  Once all items on your checklist have been marked complete, your child’s file will be complete.

• Q. What is the best way to send information (e.g. report cards, recommendations, or the applicant questionnaire) to St. John's?

  All recommendations (including the Administrator recommendation) must be uploaded to your child's checklist directly by the recommender. 
  
  

  Current and previous report cards, as well as, the Applicant Questionnaire must be scanned and uploaded by the applicant or applicant's parent directly to the checklist in PDF form. 

• Q. Can I submit first quarter grades for the current school year?

  No. We will only accept grades from the full semester or first trimester of the current school year. Any other grades will be deleted.

• Q. My child worked very closely with a teacher from last year.  Can that teacher submit the recommendation instead of this year's teacher?

  No. The teacher recommendation must come from your child’s current teacher.

• Q. My child is homeschooled.  Do I still have to submit teacher recommendations?

  Yes. If you are your child’s primary instructor, then you should fill out the recommendation. If your child attends a homeschool cooperative, please have an instructor from that program complete the recommendation.

• Q. When is the best time to tour the campus?

  The best time to tour our campus is in the fall preceding the year you wish to enroll. This timeframe would typically allow us to share the most current information about St. John’s prior to all application and testing deadlines. For current applicant families only, our Open House events will take place on October 2 (Middle School and Upper School) and September 25 (Kindergarten - 5th grade). Prospective families will still be able to speak with faculty and students, and hear from the Director of Admission about the application process. We hope you will join us! In the meanwhile, please enjoy a virtual tour of our campus at: https://admission.sjs.org/virtual-tour.
  

• Q. Can prospective students visit a class or spend a day at St. John's?

  We look forward to getting to know your child if they visit our campus for a tour or interview.  However, due to the large number of applicants, only students who are offered admission are given the opportunity to visit classes at St. John’s.  

• Q. If we choose to re-apply for admission, do we need to submit a new application this year?

  Yes. Students must apply each year that they wish to be considered for admission to St. John’s. Please keep in mind that our natural entry points occur in Kindergarten, First, Sixth, and Ninth grades. Openings in all other grades occur only through attrition.

• Q. How does having multiple children applying for different grades affect the admission process?

  Each candidate is considered for admission based on his or her own application and appropriateness of fit for St. John’s, regardless of siblings or relatives going through the process at the same time.

• Q. Does St. John's offer financial aid or scholarships?

  St. John’s has a generous need-based financial aid budget. Please refer to Affording St. John's in our Tuition Information section for details on our financial aid offerings.

• Q. If we live outside of Houston, how do we handle the admission process?

  Individual arrangements for interviews and testing can be made for those who live out of town.  Please contact Nikki Vlasek to coordinate the timing of your visit.

• Q. What is the best way to prepare for a testing day?

  We encourage you to consider the admission process as a way of finding the best school for your child.  As a result, we hope that your child will feel calm and relaxed throughout the process.  Keeping your family’s standard routine the night before testing will help ensure your child is well rested on testing day.

• Q. Where can I find information on the neighborhoods in which St. John's families live?

  Our students come from many different neighborhoods in and around Houston. We currently have families from over 64 different zip codes. Click here to view St. John's School families by zip code.