When is your Admission Open House?
Thursday, January 12th at 9:00 a.m. parents and students are welcome to tour the campus, talk with faculty, meet current parents, students, faculty and administrators. Highly recommended for parents of all applicants. Please RSVP at admission@gordonschool.org
How old does my child have to be to apply to Gordon?
Students need to be three, four and five years old by September 1st in order to apply to Nursery, Preschool, or Kindergarten.
Can I schedule a tour at anytime?
Yes, by contacting the admission office by email or phone at admission@gordonschool.org or 401-434-3833.
Will my child be evaluated when they come for their visit?
Yes, depending on the age of your child they will be given a developmentally appropriate assessment to test for early literacy skills (reading and writing) and mathematical skills.
How does Gordon School make admission decisions? Admission decisions are made by two admission committees made up of faculty members and the Admission Director. One committee is comprised of faculty from Early Childhood and first to third grade, and the second committee is comprised of faculty from fourth to seventh grade.
What are the possible decisions?
An applicant will receive a letter of acceptance, be placed in a wait pool, or be denied admission. If an applicant is accepted, an enrollment contract and deposit should be sent within three weeks. If an applicant receives a wait pool letter, then the applicant met all the admission requirements but there are no available openings in that particular grade. If an applicant receives a deny letter, then it was decided that Gordon was not a good match for this applicant.
Do students often move from the wait pool to accept?
Yes, although it is not always easy to know when this might happen. The admission office stays in close contact with applicants placed in the wait pool because often students are moved from the wait pool to accept.
Will a request for financial aid influence the admission decision?
No, a child will be admitted based on their readiness skills, not based on whether a family can pay. However, Gordon may not be able to meet the financial needs of all admitted students, thus some students may be accepted and receive full, partial, or no aid. If Gordon is unable to meet the need of a family, then a family will be placed in the financial aid wait pool. At times funds do become available and we can offer a family aid, removing them from the wait pool.
What is the enrollment?
404 total enrollment
84 Early Childhood
157 Lower School
163 Middle School
What is the average class size?
12-15 students with one teacher
Is the student body racially diverse?
There are 109 students of color at Gordon (27% of the student body)
Are there equal number of boys and girls?
We strive to have an equally balanced enrollment in each classroom. Overall enrollment includes 194 boys and 210 girls.
How many applications do you get in a given year?
Over the past five years the average number of applications we receive is 233.
What is the ratio for applications to enrollment?
3:1
How much financial aid is allocated?
For 2009-2010 Gordon School allocated over $1 million in need based financial aid. 21% of the student body (86 students) receives some form of aid.
What is the average financial aid award?
The average award is $12,444. Gordon School gives partial and full need awards. The awards range from $1,500 to $24,200.
Do you have to apply for aid every year?
Yes, however, as long as the family demonstrates need, the aid will continue each year to be granted until the student graduates.