Applying to Grades 6-11
The application for the 2025-2026 school year is available via Ravenna Hub. The family portion of the application is due on November 15th, 2024.
In order to guarantee an interview (or parent interview and child playgroup, for our applicants to Threes, Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten), applications must be submitted and applicants must be scheduled for the interview or parent interview and playgroup by October 15th. Applicants who submit and/or schedule after that date will be unable to schedule online; we will contact them directly if we are able to offer them an interview later in the season, depending upon availability.
Families who are interested in applying to Horace Mann School should begin the process one year prior to their desired entry date.
This year, our entry points are Grades 6, 7, 8 and 9.
At all other grade levels, the number of openings varies from year to year based on attrition and we accept applications on a Wait Pool basis only. Families interested in Grades 10 and 11 should submit the application and pay the $10 Wait Pool application fee. Only completed wait list applications will be reviewed, so applicants should ensure that all required materials be submitted by the deadlines.
For information about Horace Mann School, please go to our Visit Us page.
This year, the middle and upper divisions admissions process for entry for the 2025-2026 school year at HM will be conducted in-person.
If you live abroad or outside of the Tri-state area, you may request a Zoom interview. If you need to request a remote interview, please contact us at 718-432-4100 or at admissions@horacemann.org.
Application Process:
1. Submit and pay for the application
Deadline: November 15th
- After submitting the online application you will be taken to a payment page. The non-refundable application fee is $60. This fee is reduced to $25 for families that will be applying for Financial Aid; enter partial waiver code HMFinAid2024 when prompted in the Ravenna system. Applications to Grades 10 and 11 are accepted on a Wait Pool basis only and require a non-refundable $10 application fee; if we are able to activate the application, the family would then pay the remaining $50 of the application fee.
2. Optional: Upload photograph to the application
Deadline: January 15th
3. Schedule the interview with a member of the admissions team and tour with our ambassadors
Deadline to schedule the interview: October 15th
- Families schedule their interview appointments online via Ravenna Hub.
- Remember, in order to guarantee an interview (or parent interview and child playgroup, for our applicants to Threes, Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten), applications must be submitted and applicants must be scheduled for the interview or parent interview and playgroup by October 15th. Applicants who submit and/or schedule after that date will be unable to schedule online; we will contact them directly if we are able to offer them an interview later in the season, depending upon availability.
- Applicants to Grades 10 and 11 should call to check the availability of an interview. If we have the possibility of spaces available in those entry points due to attrition, we will schedule an interview. This year, we hope to schedule interviews for the 10th and 11th grade in December.
- While families who attend one of our in-person open houses will receive a group tour, applicants will have a chance to tour the school while school is in session, the day of their interview. We require the applicant and at least one parent/guardian to attend the interview. Families should allow an hour and a half for the interview and tour. Interviewers are assigned based upon availability, and the specific person you meet with has no bearing on admissions outcomes.
4. Submit the required student essays and a list or summary of interests and activities
Deadline: Must be received by Jan 15th
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Required Essay Answers – Students 6-12 - Please Answer Both
Horace Mann School prepares a diverse community of students to lead great and giving lives. Tell us a little about how your life experiences to date – home, family, school, and/or beyond – have shaped who you are today, and who you hope to become.
At HM, we recognize and celebrate individual achievement and contributions to the common good. How do you think your experiences, or the things you are excited to learn more about or become involved in, might enable you to contribute to the HM community? - The essays should be submitted via the Ravenna Hub platform.
- The Ravenna Hub Essay Form provides space to include up to five of the student's activities/interests. Please list them there.
5. Schedule the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE)
Deadline: Test results must be received by Jan 15th
- Go to iseetest.org to schedule the exam.
- Students who are considering boarding schools may submit the SSAT exam instead.
6. Request teacher recommendations from two (2) current or recent teachers
Deadline: Must be received by Jan 15th
- Using the Ravenna Hub platform, families will request teacher recommendations directly from their child's teachers. We need at least one of the two teacher recommendations to come from a teacher providing instruction to the child for the current academic year.
7. Please upload copies of your child's final report cards from two years ago and last year via Ravenna
Deadline: Must be received by Oct 15th
- Applicants applying to grades 6-11 should upload a copy of your child's report card from two years ago and a copy of last year's report card by October 15th. You should also request official copies from your child's school(s). When the report card for the current/first marking period of the 2024-2025 is available, please have your school send to us immediately. If your school has a Ravenna account, they may upload it directly. If not, they may email it to admissions@horacemann.org. If you find that your school is delayed, you may also send a copy of the first marking period to admissions@horacemann.org.
8. Request that official grades/report cards be sent from the applicant's current school
Deadline: Must be received by Jan 15th
- The Transcript Request Form can be found on the Ravenna Hub platform and should be submitted to the applicant’s current school.
- We require grades/report cards from the prior two years and mid-year (or first quarter or trimester) reports from the current school year.
9. Required: Submit a parent statement introducing your child and family to us
Deadline: Must be received by January 15th
- We want to get to know you, your family and your child better during the admissions process. We encourage you to introduce your child to us. In particular, we encourage you to consider how your family’s and your child’s life experiences to date have shaped who your child is, who you hope or imagine they will become, and what role or roles you hope their school will play. Submit the parent statement via the Ravenna Hub platform.
10. Submit Optional Student Graded Essay (For Applicants applying to grades 8-11)
Deadline: Must be received by January 15th
- If you would like to share another sample of your writing (this is not required), we ask that you submit a graded copy of a school essay from this year or last year on any topic that is meaningful to you. You can upload that document (PDF) via Ravenna. If your file is larger than 50MB, you may send it via email to essay@horacemann.org and include your name in the subject line with the grade level to which you are applying.
If you are applying for financial aid, you must submit the required materials by November 15th.
- Go to our Financial Aid page for more information.
Please check on your application status in early January to confirm that the application is complete.
The file must be complete by January 15th for the applicant to be considered for admission.
We notify families of the admission decision in the first two weeks of February.