How to Apply
Request an Application
To request application materials and a brochure, please contact
Tom Burns, Director of Admission at tburns@melrose.edu
Completing the Application Process
The following steps must be completed by the dates requested to be considered for admission:
Application:
A file is started and the admission process begins when the Application for Admission and the application fee are returned to the Admission Office. Applications for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first through eighth are to be completed and returned by February 1st. A non-refundable check for $50 (pre-kindergarten applications) and $150 (kindergarten through eighth grade applications) made payable to The Melrose School should be enclosed with the application.
Applications completed after February 1st will be reviewed on a “rolling admissions” basis. As spaces become available, the Admissions Committee will review all new applications as well as applications of students who have been placed on a waiting list. Applicants on the waiting list are students who have completed the admissions process and whom the committee would like to have invited to attend Melrose, but were not able to do so due to class size restrictions.
Parent Appointment:
Please contact the Admission Office at (845) 279-2406, ext.1 to schedule an appointment to visit The Melrose School. The meeting allows you to discuss your child and to learn more about the school. We encourage parents to visit the school in early fall. Tours of the campus accompany each visit.
Student Visits, scheduled AFTER admissions application is received:
Student Visit for Pre-Kindergarten 4’s Program:
The student participates in a group of 10-12 future pre-kindergarteners for an hour in early winter from 9:00-10:00 a.m. This visit with the Pre-Kindergarten teacher and the Director of Admission enables us to assess how your child will prosper in the school’s program and succeed academically. It also allows your child to become familiar with Melrose. Call the Admission Office to reserve your child’s spot.
Student Visit for Pre-Kindergarten 3’s Program:
The student participates in a group of 10-12 future pre-kindergarteners for an hour in early winter from 9:00 – 10:00 am. This visit with the Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten teachers and the Director of Admissions enables us to assess how your child will prosper in the school’s program and succeed academically. It also allows your child to become familiar with Melrose. Call the admissions office to reserve your child’s spot.
Student Visit for Kindergarten:
The student participates in a group of 10-12 future kindergarteners for an hour in early winter from 11:00-12:30 p.m. This visit with the Kindergarten teacher and the Director of Admission enables us to assess how your child will prosper in the school’s program and succeed academically. It also allows your child to become familiar with Melrose. Call the Admission Office to reserve your child’s spot.
First Grade:
Applicants for grade one visit with the kindergarten class for the day. Your child will have the opportunity to sense the spirit of The Melrose School and experience what it is like to go to school here. Visits are from 8:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please call the Admission Office to schedule your child’s visit. (See **paragraph below)
Second through Eighth Grade: Please call the Admission Office to schedule a classroom visit with the child’s prospective class. Your child will have the opportunity to sense the spirit of The Melrose School and experience what it is like to go to school here. Visits are from 8:20 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Over the course of the visit, students will be given a scholastic reading inventory, a math assessment, and asked to give a writing sample.
**Students should bring a snack and lunch is provided. We ask that students arrive prepared for their visit with paper and a pencil. If your child’s visit falls on a day we have physical education, please bring a set of sports clothes. Visiting students may want to wear attire similar to our dress code, but it isn’t necessary. Boys and Girls in the grades 1-8 wear solid colored collared shirts, and gray, navy blue, khaki, or corduroy pants. Shorts are also acceptable. Sneakers or other comfortable shoes are welcome on the visiting day. Girls are welcome to wear a skirt or a dress of their own choosing.
Admission Assessments and Testing:
Applicants for Kindergarten through Eighth Grade are required to schedule testing with our Learning Specialist. The evaluation is done at The Melrose School and can be scheduled prior to your child’s visit or following the visit. The school psychologist administers all testing that is done in one 30-minute session. Kindergarten applicants are given a Kindergarten Readiness Assessment, which will identify your child’s learning strengths and weaknesses. An informal assessment of basic reading skills will also be performed. Children ages 4-6 will be given “The Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude Primary”. This is designed to measure general intellectual abilities and fine motor development. Children who are 6 years or older are given parts of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-IV) and the reading portion of the Wide Range Achievement Test. This assessment looks at general intelligence, verbal ability and reading skills.
Call the Admissions Office to schedule your child’s appointment for an individual evaluation. Appointments with the Learning Specialist are held 2-3 times per month and typically begin in December or January continuing throughout the year.
Transcript Release Form:
For students applying to second through eighth grade, please sign and take the TRF to your child’s school after November 1st. This authorizes the school to send The Melrose School official copies of current grades of current grades, comments, and any standardized test scores by February 1st.
Teacher Recommendation Form(s):
Distribute after November 1st. It is important that the Teacher Recommendation Form NOT be distributed until November, as teachers need time to work with your child in the new year. After November 1st, please take the Recommendation Form to your child’s current teacher for them to complete and return to us as early in the admissions process as possible. Sixth through eighth grade applicants will submit two recommendation forms, English and Math to be completed and returned to us by February 1st.
Financial Aid:
All of our financial aid is based on a family’s financial need. Financial aid applications (Parent’s Financial Statement) are available after September. To receive a financial aid application, indicate on the application for admission that your child is a candidate for financial aid, or contact the Admission Office and we will mail you the form. Financial aid is not awarded to Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students. Financial Aid applications should be returned to Princeton, NJ by March. A photocopy of both parents’ IRS forms, including 1040’s, W-2’s, and all schedules should be returned to The Melrose School by March. Financial Aid decision letters are mailed home in April assuming all documentations has been received by The Melrose School.
Notification of Decisions:
Admission decisions will be mailed home to parents in early March and financial aid (where applicable) decisions will be mailed to parents in April assuming all documentation has been received by our office.
