Admission FAQ

List of 11 frequently asked questions.

• Does Norwood have age requirement for grades?

  For pre-K and Kindergarten, Norwood adheres to the following birthday cut-off dates: pre-K students must turn 4 prior to September 1 and Kindergarten students must turn 5 by September 1. Additionally, no pre-K student should turn 5 earlier than June 1 nor any Kindergarten student turn 6 prior to June 1. This policy creates the maximum of a 15 month age range per grade which the School feels is best for social and emotional development.  In subsequent grades, the School attempts to adhere to the same policy but will consider requests for exceptions on a case by case basis. 
  
  All pre-K students are expected and required to enter the School in September fully potty-trained.

• Are there any feeder schools to Norwood?

  No and we celebrate this fact. We receive applications from children who attend over 100 schools in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

• Typically how many students are new to each grade each year?

  Pre-K: 18
  Kindergarten: 20

  Grade1: 8-10

  Grade 2: 4-6

  Grade 3: 6-8

  Grade 4: 6-8

  Grade 5: 4-6

  Grade 6: 4-6
  Grade 7: 2-4

  Grade 8: 0

• How does Norwood make admission decisions?

  All aspects of a student's file (school transcript, teacher recommendation(s), parent conversation, performance on required testing, Norwood visit) are reviewed carefully by the appropriate Admission Committee. Admission Committees include admission officers, teachers, learning specialists, and principals. Admission decisions balance the Admission Committee's assessment of a child's preparation for the grade to which she/he is applying and its effort to enroll a well-balanced class.

• How will I know that my application is complete?

  You may follow the status of your child's application online in your Ravenna account. As items are completed or documents are received, their status is updated. Reminders will be sent periodically to notify you any missing documents as deadlines approach. If you believe that an item was submitted yet Ravenna does not reflect this, please feel free to contact the admisison office at 301-841-2130. Please allow 48 hours for documents to be processed.

• What are the possible admission decisions?

  Qualified applicants receive either a letter of acceptance or one offering a place in the wait-pool. Those who are accepted receive an enrollment contract which must be completed and returned to the School with a deposit by March 15. A wait-pool letter signifies that the applicant met all admission requirements but has applied to a grade where not enough spaces are available to accommodate the number of qualified applicants. If the Admission Committee finds that Norwood is not a good match for an applicant at the time of application, the applicant receives a letter of denial.

• What is Norwood's sibling policy?

  Norwood School embraces a strong sibling policy. Norwood approaches each sibling application with a desire to offer admission. Ensuring a healthy educational match is important, however, so siblings follow a similar application process as non-siblings albeit with an earlier application timeline. Norwood does not offer any sibling tuition discount.  

• Does applying for financial aid influence the admission decision?

  No. Norwood School accepts students based on academic merit, test scores, references, and personal qualities. Financial aid files are reviewed and awards made only after a student is admitted. However, financial aid requests must be made by the February 1 deadline in order for an award to be considered.
  
  Financial Aid

• How can parents get involved at Norwood?

  Norwood School greatly values its strong partnership with parents and there are many ways for parents to get involved in the daily life of the school -- from Parents Association-sponsored events to grade-specific celebrations. The School and Parents Association work hard to create opportunities that work for all families. Norwood would not be the wonderful and welcoming school it is without our parent volunteers!
  
  Norwood Parents Association

• What opportunities are there for families of students of color?

  The Parents of Students of Color Committee (PSCC) was established to further build a community at Norwood that understands and acts on issues of special concern to families of color and institutes plans and programs to help students achieve the highest level of personal and academic success. The group also works with the School to celebrate the unique perspectives that children from a variety of backgrounds bring to our classrooms and lives. For information about additional diversity initiatives at Norwood, visit the Diversity at Norwood page.

• Where do Norwood graduates go to high school?

  Norwood graduates do not “feed” into a small group of high schools. In fact, the Class of 2020 attends 33 different high schools. That’s one of the distinguishing aspects of Norwood: graduates attend “best-fit” high schools where their unique talents, strengths, and gifts can continue to shine. 
  
  Students from the Class of 2020 were accepted at the following high schools and will attend those schools in bold:
  
  Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
  Bullis School
  Cate School
  Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School
  Choate Rosemary Hall
  Connelly School of the Holy Child
  Deerfield Academy
  Edmund Burke School
  The Field School
  Georgetown Day School
  Georgetown Preparatory School
  Gonzaga College High School
  Holton-Arms School
  Knoxville Catholic High School (TN)
  Landon School
  Langley High School
  The Madeira School
  Maret School
  McCallie School (TN)
  Montgomery Blair High School Magnet Program
  National Cathedral School
  Northfield Mount Hermon School
  Our Lady of Good Counsel High School
  Paint Branch High School
  Phillips Academy Andover
  Phillips Exeter Academy (NH)
  Poolesville High School Magnet Program
  The Potomac School
  Richard Montgomery High School IB Program
  Sandy Spring Friends School
  School Without Walls
  Sidwell Friends School
  St. Albans School
  St. Andrew's Episcopal School
  St. John's College High School
  Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart
  Vail Mountain School (CO)
  Washington International School
  Walt Whitman High School
  Whittle School & Studios
  Winston Churchill High School
  Thomas Wootton High School 
       Humanities & Arts Signature Program
  Woodberry Forest School (VA)
  
  
  High School Placement