Second Round Application Guide

The “Second Round” application type is for families applying to 6th through 12th grade after the January 16th standard deadline. We understand life doesn’t always go according to ideal timelines! Even though the Second Round Application process is past the Standard Application timeline, we look forward to meeting you and want to help you navigate this process. Decisions for these applications will be given after we have completed the decision-making process for applications submitted by the deadline. Second Round applicants will be placed in our wait pool to be considered if space becomes available.

Important Financial Aid Note: Financial aid awards are allocated alongside the Standard Application timeline. We want to be transparent with Second Round applicants that we will not likely have any aid dollars left to offer to Second Round families in the wait pool.

Second Round Important Dates

January 16, 2025	Standard Application Deadline. Applications started after this deadline will be considered in the Second Round process.
February 21, 2025	First Round Upper School Decisions Communicated
February 28, 2025	First Round Upper School Enrollment Deadline (12:00 PM) Second Round Upper School decisions are communicated if complete.
After March 1, 2025	Upper School Second Round decisions are given on a rolling basis as applications are completed.
March 21, 2025	First Round Middle School Decisions Posted on Ravenna
March 28, 2025	First Round Middle School Enrollment Deadline (12:00 PM) Second Round Middle School decisions are communicated if complete.
After March 29, 2025	Middle School Second Round decisions are given on a rolling basis as applications are completed.

What is Ravenna?

Seattle Academy and many other Seattle area independent schools use Ravenna, a web-based application system. Through Ravenna, families will create an account and a profile that will allow them to research schools, manage different applications, submit forms, and register for admissions events. Each school will outline the steps to complete your application for their school. You will send your teacher evaluation requests through Ravenna, and you may request transcripts from your current school through Ravenna as well. Most current schools will upload those files to Ravenna directly. At the end of the application process (yes, you will get there!), we will also post our decisions in Ravenna on Decision Day. There will be questions, and we can help with many of them, though there will be times when we point you in the direction of the Ravenna customer care team, which can be reached a ravenna-help@communitybrands.com.

What is required in the application?

Family Application Materials and Steps

Ravenna allows you to submit each application component separately, so there is no pressure to complete everything all at once. That said, we encourage Second Round applicants to complete the process as soon as possible so they can be placed in the wait pool for consideration. The later into the spring and summer we get, the chance of wait pool movement declines.

SAAS Preliminary Application Form
- The basic application is quick to submit, and as soon as this preliminary application is submitted, you can see Campus Visit and Parent/Guardian Interview options.
$70 non-refundable application fee
- Please email us at admissions@seattleacademy.org for an application fee waiver.
Parent/Guardian Statement
Student Essay and Short Answers
Student Interest Sheet
Request Two Teacher Evaluations
- These forms are requested and received through Ravenna directly.
- These can be from the current or prior teaching year, with at least one coming from the current year.
- For applicants to grades seven through twelve, we ask that one is completed by a Math teacher and one is completed by an English or History teacher. Please reach out if you have questions or unusual circumstances that would make this difficult.
Request Transcripts
- Academic records for the current school year and the two prior school years (2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25)
Schedule Student Visit Day
Schedule Virtual Parent Interview

*PLEASE NOTE: Due to high volume, transcripts and other materials received the week of the deadline may take up to three weeks to be processed by Ravenna. While your application will still be considered in the first round, we ask that you request these materials before that week if possible. We can see the submitted date on the application materials and will honor that submitted timestamp, not the day it is processed.

School Supplemental Materials

Campus Visit

Virtual Parent/Guardian Interview

Once a family completes and submits an application, they can register for a virtual parent/guardian interview through Ravenna.

These meetings will be virtual Zoom calls. Families will receive the Zoom meeting link after registering in Ravenna. The interview will last 30 minutes.
This is a required component of the application; our goal is to get to know applicants better and for families to gain information that helps them know Seattle Academy better.
This is intended for parents/guardians only; your child should not attend the meeting.
Interpreter services are available upon request. Please schedule your interview at least two weeks in advance to ensure ample time to schedule an interpreter.
For families with more than one student applying, please only schedule one Parent/Guardian Interview. We can address both students in the same meeting.

Do you require the SSAT or ISEE?

SAAS believes standardized test scores are only one data point in the much larger picture of a student. As such, an admission entrance exam like the ISEE or SSAT is not required. If a family would like to submit this testing data, they are free to do so; however, it is not required or expected. Each completed application will be considered fully, with or without exam scores. If you are applying to other schools that require these tests and decide to share the scores, our school codes are 481154 (ISEE) and 7240 (SSAT).

What if we live out of WA state?

Students applying from out of state or out of the country, who cannot visit Seattle Academy in person, can complete a Virtual Student Interview instead of a Visit Day if needed. All of our Parent/Guardian Interviews are virtual. Please contact the admissions team directly at admissions@seattleacademy.org to schedule your interview, as we realize that alternative time slots will likely be necessary due to time zone differences.

Do you accept International Applications?

Seattle Academy defines international students as students that:

are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States
AND are currently attending a school outside of the U.S.

For non-US citizens, please note Seattle Academy is not authorized to issue the I-20 Certificate of Eligibility for students. Boarding accommodations, host families, and homestays are not offered.

We will complete virtual student and parent/guardian interviews for international applicants as needed. Please contact the admissions team directly at admissions@seattleacademy.org to schedule your interview times, as we realize alternative options for timing may need to happen due to time differences. If interpreter services are needed for the virtual parent interview, please communicate this on the application.

If the student is not a native English speaker and has been enrolled in an English-speaking school for less than three years, we require an English proficiency score report to be submitted as part of the application process.

Tests accepted: DET (Duolingo English Test), TOEFL, IELTS, iTEP-SLATE, EIKEN, TOEFL Jr.

How do homeschool students apply?

How do you make your decisions?

We know that students are much more than a collection of grades and test scores, so we have a holistic application review. Academic history and performance is noted in combination with an applicant’s social-emotional competencies, community-building capabilities, and lived experiences. Every application is read by multiple members of the decision committee.

Each year, the number of applicants for each grade exceeds the number of spaces available. As such, many families will receive a wait pool decision. Families have the option to remain in that group or may decline the wait pool invitation. This is not a numerical list; if a space becomes available, the existing class characteristics are assessed, and wait pooled students are considered on a case-by-case basis. The Admissions Office will contact families directly to determine interest in attending Seattle Academy.

Do you have financial aid?

Yes, we do; however, it is allocated with the Standard Application timeline. This means in most years, we would need currently enrolled families receiving financial aid to leave SAAS in order to offer any financial aid to a Second Round family.

Currently, 23% of our families are receiving financial aid. All families requesting financial aid must submit documentation of financial need through the financial aid application process, separate from the admission application. Seattle Academy utilizes a third-party financial aid application and analysis tool, School and Student Services (SSS).

We offer need-based grants, and our goal is to meet 100% of the level of need shown through the need assessment process.

The financial aid application is completed online and consists of a Parent/Guardian Financial Statement (PFS), the prior year (2023) tax return, and W-2 forms for both parents/guardians.
Applications open September 1, 2024, on the SSS Website
Applications are due February 6, 2025.
Seattle Academy’s code is 7243.
Please note: SSS has established fee waiver guidelines according to family income and will not charge a fee for qualified applicants. Families outside the range of SSS by NAIS's "free filing status" who would like assistance may request a fee waiver by emailing financialaid@seattleacademy.org.

For additional details about the financial aid process, please go to our Financial Aid webpage.

Second Round Application Guide

Second Round Important Dates

SAAS In Focus, Summer 2024