Off Canvas Desktop

Off Canvas Mobile

Applying to Grades 6-11

The application for the 2024-2025 school year is available via Ravenna Hub. The family portion of the application is due on November 17th, 2023. 

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 admissions process for entry for the 2024-2025 school year at HM will be conducted in-person. As a result of COVID-19, Horace Mann School encourages visitors and applicants coming to the campus for interviews and open houses be vaccinated or be in the process of becoming vaccinated. The vaccination is not mandatory for applicants. 

Please take a moment to read HM's Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy for enrolled students. 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 17th 

  • 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 HMFinAid2023 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: November 17th

  • Families schedule their interview appointments online via Ravenna Hub.
  • Our interview appointments will fill up, so please schedule as soon as possible after submitting the application.
  • 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, usually in late winter.
  • 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 student essay and a list or summary of interests and activities
Deadline: Must be received by Jan 15th

  • Below is a list of essay prompts designed to help the Admissions Committee learn about the student beyond what we will see from transcripts or test results. The essay should include 500 words or less. Please choose one of the following essays and attach your activity/interest list to the essay. If you prefer, you may submit one of the Independent School Admissions Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY) common essays instead of one of our essays below. If you do so, be sure to include the essay question with your response.
    While we would prefer to receive the essay before the interview, the deadline for the essay is January 15th. 
    • Topic 1: Tell us about a fictional character in literature, comic books, film or television that you admire. What are the traits that this individual exhibits that make them worthy of your admiration?
    • Topic 2: You're writing the story of your life so far. What's the title? Why?
    • Topic 3: If your family had its own flag, what would be on it? If you had your own personal flag, would it be different from your family's flag? In what way?
    • Topic 4: Tell us about your best experience in school and your best experience out of school. What made each of them the best?
    • Topic 5: Describe something you're hoping for, and discuss the obstacles or difficulties that must be overcome if this goal is to be achieved, either by you or by others.
    • Topic 6: Tell us about a scientific or mathematical discovery that you feel has had a significant impact on the world and why you believe its impact is significant.
  • The essay should be submitted via the Ravenna Hub platform.

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. Request that 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.

8. Optional: Submit a parent statement introducing your child to us
Deadline: Must be received by Jan 15th

  • The parent statement should be submitted via the Ravenna Hub platform.

If you are applying for financial aid, you must submit the required materials by November 18th.

 

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.

For more information about admission to Horace Mann School, and to learn more about our school, please visit our General Information page.