How to Apply | Sierra Canyon School

How to Apply

Admission

Thank you for your interest in Sierra Canyon. We look forward to guiding you through the admission process.

  • August 1: 2025-2026 Admission Application Available
  • October 16: Current Sibling and Faculty/Staff Admission Application Deadline*
  • December 16: Admission Application Deadline**
  • January 10: Supplemental Document Deadline + Financial Aid Application Deadline
  • January 25 and February 1: Pre-K through Grade 6 Student Assessments/Interviews
  • February 1: 6th-12th Grade ISEE or SSAT Testing Completed (optional)
  • March 14: Grades Pre-K–12 Admission Notifications Posted and Emailed at 5:00 p.m.
  • March 21: 2024-2025 Enrollment Contracts Due by 12:00 p.m.

STEP 1
SUBMIT AN ONLINE APPLICATION

We are grateful for your interest in Sierra Canyon School, but please know the application deadline for the 2024-2025 school year was December 15, 2023. Specific grades may be accepting applications for our Wait Pool. Please contact us to find out if we are accepting applications for the grade(s) in which you are interested.

Application Information for 2025-2026 School Year 

Applications for the 2025-2026 school year will be available on August 1, 2024. If you would like to receive reminders and updates for the upcoming admission season, please fill out our brief online inquiry form.

October 16: Application Deadline for siblings and faculty children
For important information regarding sibling and faculty admission protocols for Grades Pre-Kindergarten through 6, please see Admission FAQs.

December 16: Regular Application Deadline
Please note that inquiring early allows our Admission team to connect with your family sooner and provides more flexibility in selecting interview and private tour dates.

Additional Information for Pre-K and Kindergarten Applicants:

  • Applicants for Pre-Kindergarten must be 4 years old, and applicants for Kindergarten must be 5 years old by August 1 of the year they enter Sierra Canyon School.
  • We strongly recommend that Pre-K and Kindergarten applicants are currently enrolled in a preschool.

Apply Now


STEP 2
SUBMIT THE GRADE-LEVEL RECOMMENDATION FORMS

All supplemental materials (official grades and recommendations) are due no later than January 10, 2025.

We suggest requesting all required documents in early November to allow your current teachers enough time to get to know your child and still have ample time to fill out the forms before the holidays.

All documents and recommendation forms must be sent directly from the applicant's school to Sierra Canyon.

Recommendation Forms
(Required for All Grades)

Pre-K – Grade 5Grade 6
Current Administrator RecommendationCurrent Administrator Recommendation
Current Teacher RecommendationCurrent Math Teacher Recommendation
 Current English/Reading Teacher Recommendation

Transcripts / Progress Reports
(Required for Grades 1-6)

Please submit a completed Transcript/Progress Request Form to  your child's current school to enable them to release the following official documents to Sierra Canyon:

  1. Official grades/progress reports from the current school year and the previous two years. (First-grade applicants may submit documents from the current and previous school years.)
  2. All testing on file at the applicants' schools.

For your convenience, you may email these forms to your school officials directly from your online application checklist or download them below to submit. Schools should email documents to: [email protected].

Recommendation forms 
(Required for Grades 7-11)

  1. Current English Teacher
  2. Current Math Teacher
  3. Current Administrator

Transcripts / Progress Reports
(Required for Grades 7-11)

Please submit a completed Transcript/Progress Request Form to  your child's current school to enable them to release the following official documents to Sierra Canyon:

  1. Official grades/progress reports from the current school year and the previous two years. 
  2. All testing on file at the applicants' schools.

For your convenience, you may email these forms to your school officials directly from your online application checklist or download them below to submit. Schools should email documents to: [email protected].


STEP 3
ASSESSMENTS & INTERVIEWS

Parent Interview (required):
The required parent interview offers parents the opportunity to learn more about Sierra Canyon and the admission process. We combine the interview with a private tour of our beautiful Lower School Campus. The interview and tour are intended for adults only and are scheduled on Monday through Thursday mornings. We look forward to getting better acquainted and answering any questions you may have. To make an appointment, please contact Heidi Trad at [email protected] or call (818) 882-8121 x1133.

Student Assessment (required):
An assessment for developmental and academic readiness is required for applicants in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 5. After submitting your child's application, we will send you specific information about this step in the admission process. Starting in early December, applicants will receive an appointment.

Parent Interview (required):
The required parent interview offers parents the opportunity to learn more about Sierra Canyon and the admission process. We combine the interview with a private tour of our beautiful Lower School Campus. The interview and tour are intended for adults only and are scheduled Monday through Thursday mornings. We look forward to getting better acquainted and answering any questions you may have. To make an appointment, please contact Heidi Trad at [email protected] or call (818) 882-8121.

Student Interview/Campus Visit (required):
Our sixth-grade teaching team is excited to meet their prospective students! This one-hour visit will include a tour of our beautiful campus, a short writing exercise, and the required student interview. 
 

Student / Parent Interview (required):
On-campus interviews are required of all Upper Campus applicants and at least one parent or guardian needs to accompany the student. These interviews are informal and help Sierra Canyon get better acquainted with candidates, while enabling families to become more familiar with the School. Appointments are approximately 45-minutes in length and include a Q&A portion with the accompanying parent or guardian and a 15-minute writing prompt for the student.

 

The Admission Committee considers all aspects of a candidate’s admission profile. Since testing is only one of the factors that predicts a student’s academic potential, Sierra Canyon will continue a testing-optional policy for the 2025-2026 admission cycle. Students who choose not to submit scores will not have any disadvantage in our admission process.

For students who choose to submit the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) or Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) test scores, score reports must be submitted by February 1, 2025.

  • ISEE Exam Information - Sierra Canyon School's code is 054121. Applicants who choose to pursue admission testing may take the ISEE at any location, format, and date before the above deadline. Additional information about testing is available on the ISEE website: ISEEtest.org.
  • SSAT Testing - Students may take the SSAT at any location, format, and date before the above deadline. Additional information is available on the SSAT website: SSAT.org. Please indicate that the results be sent to Sierra Canyon.

* Applicants are required to submit all standardized testing that has been administered at their respective schools for the current school year and previous two years. For some applicants, this may only consist of one state test result. All testing on file at applicants' schools are required to accompany official transcripts. This includes PSAT, ACT, and SAT scores as applicable to candidates to the upper grade levels.


Questions?

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. 

(818) 882-8121 Lower Campus Upper Campus

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