Apply to SAAS

 All applications are submitted through Ravenna. If you’re applying in the Standard Round, be sure all materials are submitted by January 15, 2026 for timely review.

We use School and Student Services (SSS) for our need-based financial aid application. SAAS is proud to support nearly 23% of families with assistance that can cover tuition and other school-related costs. Learn more on our Financial Aid page.

Yes! If you’re applying for financial aid—or if the application fee is a barrier—use the code SAAS2026 to waive the fee.

For families applying on the standard timeline (the majority of applicants):

• Upper School applicants will receive their admission decisions on February 6, 2026.
• Middle School applicants will receive their admission decisions on March 6, 2026.
   

At SAAS, we’re committed to shortening the duration between applying to SAAS and receiving a decision from SAAS. We believe a protracted process is unnecessary and unproductive.

Many schools in the area already release decisions weeks ahead of the timeline that Puget Sound Independent Schools (PSIS) requires member schools to adhere to. By joining those schools in notifying families of decisions sooner, SAAS shortens the process and the accompanying stress on applicant families, reduces uncertainty, and provides families with a longer period of time to consider their options before responding to SAAS, as well as to consider SAAS in relation to schools with both earlier and later decision dates.

Getting to know kids and families remains at the heart of our approach to admissions at SAAS. We’ve kept what matters most in our process by continuing to offer meaningful opportunities to get to know each applicant, including:

• Visit Day: All applicants spend a half day on campus, engaging in classes, small groups, and larger settings. This gives us a well-rounded sense of each student’s strengths and personality, while also letting applicants experience life at SAAS.
• Parent/Guardian Interview: Families meet one-on-one with an Admissions representative for a 30-minute conversation to share their student’s story from their perspective.

Application Materials: We carefully review teacher evaluations, standardized test results, progress reports, and transcripts, in alignment with other schools’ application requirements.
 

The recommendations and transcripts provided by the applicant’s current school provide ample context. Additionally, applicants complete a writing activity during their required Visit Day, making another written essay redundant. Student work during the Visit Day allows us to see a student’s unique communication and writing skills in a classroom setting rather than through an essay prepared at home.

Test results are one part of our holistic review and help us better understand each student’s academic profile. They are a single data point among many and don’t play a prominent role in our admissions decisions. We accept any test results students have already taken at their current schools, as well as those required by other schools to which they are applying.

No. SAAS, like many schools, suspended testing requirements during the pandemic. In recent years, we’ve noted that students are invariably taking standardized tests in some form, so it’s not a burden to ask for results that already exist. There aren’t specific tests that we require, or even prefer. Families may choose which test to provide. We also encourage families to let us know if they’d like us to consider other tests to meet this requirement.

Examples of accepted tests include:

• Smarter Balanced (SBA)
• MAP
• CTP (ERB)
• STAR Assessments
• Iowa Assessments
• WIAT-IV
• ISEE
• SSAT

Families can choose to submit ISEE or SSAT scores instead of standardized testing results.

• SAAS codes: 481154 (ISEE) and 7240 (SSAT).

*Families can request alternate forms of testing in lieu of those listed above. Please contact our Admissions Office at admissions@seattleacademy.org for more information.

Yes! New this year, families with children applying to both our Middle School and Upper School will receive a full family decision on February 6, the Upper School release date. This approach reflects our commitment to keeping families together when possible and allows them to make a fully informed choice. Families who receive both Middle School and Upper School decisions on February 6 will follow the Upper School response deadline of February 25.

Families may choose to wait for the Middle School decision release on March 6 instead. To request this, please email admissions@seattleacademy.org to let our team know you would like to opt out of the early decision option for your Middle School applicant.

 Yes—we welcome Second Round applications after the January 15 deadline. These applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and accepted students will be placed in our wait pool as space allows.
Note: Financial aid is typically not available for Second Round applicants, as awards are distributed during the Standard Round.

Yes—but please note that we do not offer boarding, homestay, or visa sponsorship (I-20). If English is not your student’s first language and they’ve been enrolled in a non-English school for the past three years, we require an English proficiency score. We also offer virtual interviews for families applying from abroad—just reach out to our team after submitting your application.