Frequently Asked Questions

Ravenna is a web-based application system used by many Seattle area independent schools to manage the application process. New users must create an account while returning users can use their existing email and password. Through this website, you can manage your applications to different schools. Once you select Seattle Academy, you will see all of the SAAS application steps outlined. Ravenna is also where you will see steps marked completed as we receive materials and where we will post admission decisions at the end of the process.

Although it varies from year to year, currently SAAS supports nearly a quarter of our families with financial assistance for tuition, transportation, lunch, trips and additional school-related costs. We offer need-based aid only; we do not offer merit-based grants. The financial aid application is separate from the admission application and we use a third-party assessment tool, School and Student Services (SSS), to help inform awards. Please visit our Financial Aid webpage for more information.

Yes, application fee waivers are available through SAAS directly. Fee waivers for the financial aid application will automatically apply through the SSS system for families who meet their income guidelines. Families who do not automatically qualify for a waiver and would like assistance to cover the fee may request a waiver from SAAS. To request a need-based waiver for any required component of our application process, please email admissions@seattleacademy.org.

SAAS offers an early decision application process to current SAAS families with a sibling applying to 6th or 9th grade who intend to enroll if offered a seat. That application is due in November and decisions will be communicated before the December break.

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 this group or decline the wait pool invitation. The wait pool is not a numerical list; applicants are considered in relation to the balance of existing characteristics in the enrolled class. If a space becomes available, the Admissions Office will contact a family to determine their interest in attending Seattle Academy. Every year is different so we cannot predict the number or the timing of wait pool calls. Families who remain in the wait pool through summer do not automatically carry over to the wait pool for the following year. Your student must complete a new application, as it is important to see a student’s progress over the year.

We do have international students who apply. However, we do not have a boarding, homestay or host family program and we are not authorized to issue the I-20 Certificate of Eligibility for students. If an international applicant is not a native English speaker and has not been enrolled in an English-speaking school for at least three years, we require an English proficiency score report to be submitted as part of the application process. Students applying from outside the country who cannot visit Seattle Academy in person can complete virtual student and parent/guardian interviews. International families should contact our admissions team to coordinate these virtual meetings after submitting their application.

SAAS is committed to differentiation within the classroom in all classes as needed. Typically, faculty will have options for students built into their practice including varying levels of challenge within the curriculum. We welcome conversations with students seeking extended learning opportunities. Specific accelerated math course options begin in Middle School. In Upper School, SAAS offers Honors courses for all core academic courses in 11th and 12th grade, with an accelerated and more challenging workload. Students may see additional assignments, more research-oriented projects, and more opportunities for independent work with Honors courses. Additionally, Upper School students have academic elective and independent study options to take on top of their yearlong core classes in subjects of interest. For course specifics, please explore our Curriculum Guides.

To maintain a more significant  degree of teaching freedom when it comes to curriculum, SAAS does not offer AP or IB courses. Some students take AP exams individually, and our teachers can help them understand what additional work may be necessary.

We are committed to supporting all students in their learning and we understand that brains are built differently, each with their own strengths and challenges. Our faculty are committed to helping students grow in their self-awareness and self-advocacy to build the skills that allow them to navigate school effectively. Some students achieve this through goal-setting and meeting with their advisor or individual subject teachers. For others, this is a formalized learning plan with classroom accommodations or enrollment in our Study Skills program. For detailed information about these options, please visit the Learning Support Program page.

In addition to our Learning Support program, we have grade-level deans and coordinators that support families in navigating our school academically and socially. We also have six full-time counselors on staff. We believe in early and regular communication to create a successful partnership between home and school.

All incoming students will take a math placement test before they start at SAAS, typically in May. We have multiple math classes at each grade level, and there are a variety of pathways with differing levels of rigor as a student progresses through the curriculum. Throughout the school year, faculty observe, assess and analyze math performance and make placement recommendations for the following year each spring. Accelerated course options begin in Middle School and continue through Upper School, where students can take Calculus 1 and 2, followed by Advanced Topics in Math or independent study work if needed. Upper School students also have the option to enroll in extra math courses, such as Statistics. For students who need a more individualized math learning approach at any point, we also offer a Math Lab course in both divisions. Check out our Curriculum Guides for more specifics on math courses.

Our world language study begins in 6th grade with a Foundations of World Language course that includes components of Latin and English grammar as well as an introduction to modern languages. Starting in the 7th grade, students will choose to study Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, or French. Incoming students who have previously studied a language are evaluated during the course registration process to determine the best level for the coming year. More information can be found on our World Language page.

The degree to which a student uses a computer in class varies widely by subject and activity. Middle School students have classroom sets of laptops, which is an intentional choice to focus on taking out technology only when the work requires it. Students typically start owning and taking laptops back and forth to school every day in 9th grade. Assignments in all classes are organized and communicated online through Schoology so that work will be tracked and submitted online regularly. We have a free loaner laptop program for students who need assistance accessing a home computer.

During the last five weeks of the school year, all SAAS seniors will engage in an internship experience or a self-designed Senior Project. The main requirement for Senior Projects is that students work 25-30 hours per week in place of attending classes. Students have interned for start-up businesses, elementary schools, with local musicians, in the food industry, at architectural firms, for local theaters like the 5th Ave, with the Seattle Storm, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), food banks, software development or in government and law. Our intention for Senior Projects is to support our students in career exploration and to help them build skills and confidence in independently navigating a professional endeavor.

College counseling at SAAS is comprehensive and individualized. You are assigned an advisor in your junior year who will help students identify the kinds of schools they are looking for and will help demystify the college application process. Students have access to over 150 college representatives annually who give info sessions for our students. All our college counselors started their careers in college admissions offices and offer a wealth of knowledge and information as families navigate school research, test and interview prep, application strategy and the writing process. While the list of schools our students attend includes the nation’s most selective, we are most proud that the list reflects the incredible diversity of our students’ talents and interests. Feel free to explore our College Advising webpages for a complete picture of the counseling approach and for more specific college data.

Managing individual classroom size is essential for our faculty to deliver on our Guiding Principle of Know the Kid. Our typical class size is 17 to 21 students. One of the unique characteristics of SAAS is that students learn in those smaller classes while also seeing the benefits of a larger student body. Our larger community, faculty and facility brings depth and breadth to programs, activities and social groups, in a way that simply can’t exist in a smaller environment. We have approximately 380 students in the Middle School and 765 students in the Upper School.

The SAAS student body comes from 59 unique zip codes, drawing from all over the Seattle area. Approximately 40 percent of our students live in the Seattle neighborhoods surrounding campus. The remaining 60 percent comes from the larger Seattle and Eastside area, from Shoreline to Burien and West Seattle to Issaquah.

We offer bus service with stops along 520, I-90, Ballard, Ravenna, Queen Anne/Magnolia, West Seattle and Rainier Beach. Our routes run in the morning, right after school and a second run at 6:00 PM after most sports practices and clubs have finished. Families can also drop off and pick up their students themselves or have their students utilize public transportation via bus or rail. Parking permits are available for a limited number of Upper School students. For additional details, please review our Transportation page.

Seattle Academy runs on a trimester calendar. The school day runs from 8:15 AM to 3:00 PM and uses a block schedule, where four classes meet a day for 75 minutes each, alternating between even and odd days. Students take eight classes each trimester, so they have half of their classes on Even Days and half of their classes on Odd Days. The day also includes “Community Time,” which is a daily block used for a variety of activities, including advisory, class meetings, assemblies and individual teacher and advisor meeting time or work time. You can find the current daily schedule outlined on our website.

• Athletics: We offer 10 sports at SAAS. Soccer, Volleyball, Ultimate, Basketball, Wrestling, Cross Country, Track and Field, Golf, Tennis and Lacrosse. For details, please visit our Athletics page.
• Clubs: We typically have over 50 clubs running at any given point, both faculty-sponsored and student-run. Most clubs take place once a week during lunch periods. However, some occur after school when they require more meeting time (such as Art Club, Rock Climbing, Robotics, etc.). For current details, check out our Clubs page.
• Affinity Groups: We currently offer over 10 different affinity groups for students. Middle and Upper School students have their own spaces and we host family affinity groups in the evening throughout the year.  For information about our inclusion efforts, take a look at our Inclusive Community page.
• Academic Teams: Currently, Middle School students have Combat Robotics and Underwater Robotics as team options. That expands in Upper School to include team options for Speech & Debate, Mock Trial, Youth Legislature, Ethics Bowl, Robotics, and Underwater Robotics. For more information, check out our Academic Teams page.
• Arts: Except for Art Club and Dance Project, most Middle School performance endeavors, such as the 7th and 8th Musical or Band, are intentionally designed to be class experiences during the day. This allows Middle Schoolers to maximize their ability to try many things after school. In Upper School, students have opportunities to audition for a major theater performance each trimester, which has time commitment after school, similar to athletics. Additionally, Upper School students can pursue one of our audition-based arts tracks that are offered in each of the arts disciplines. These require specific coursework, and at the most advanced levels, often include some time commitment after school. For more information, you can check out our Arts page.

Middle School students not in a sport or club can be on campus in a supervised Study Hall from 3:30 to 6:00 PM, free of charge. Upper School students not in a club or sport are allowed in Upper School buildings until 4:00 PM, and in the Middle School Commons until 6:00 PM.

Yes, SAAS students will engage in community service work in a variety of ways. We aim to contextualize service for our students at the middle school level through grade-level service activities. In Upper School, students will engage in service through clubs, small groups or individually. Students are required to complete at least 160 service hours as part of their Upper School graduation requirements. For additional details about how our students engage with their community, check out our Service Learning page.

We love to take students off campus! At a minimum, all grades will have a multi-day overnight retreat every year. Additional opt-in trips are offered during spring and summer breaks, ranging from local to international experiences. On a more local level, Middle School students have the option of Adventure Club, a program teaching outdoor skills three days a week after school. The SAAS Ski Bus also runs students up to Stevens Pass for six Saturdays in the winter. For more details about trips offered, please visit our Outdoor & Travel page.