What kind of school is The Community School?
The Community School is an independent day school serving approximately 300 boys and girls in preschool through Grade Twelve. We offer an exceptional academic curriculum coupled with an integrated program that includes Outdoor Education, Community Service, Fine and Performing Arts, and Athletics. We are characterized by a school culture where it is safe to take intellectual risks and which encourages independent thinking, creativity, ethical decision-making and respect for others. Being a close-knit and relatively small community, we know our students and families well and we strive to meet individual needs.
What does being an independent school mean?
Independent Schools are private, pre-collegiate learning institutions. They are nonprofit institutions governed by an independent Board of Directors. Independent schools are supported through tuition, annual gifts, charitable contributions and endowment income.
Is The Community School accredited?
The Community School is an accredited member of the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS). Accreditation is maintained through an ongoing eight-year cycle of self-study, peer review by an accreditation visiting team, follow-up reports and the yearly submission of the PNAIS Annual Report.
More information about PNAIS and the accreditation process can be found at: http://www.pnais.org/page.cfm?p=24
How are the academic programs at The Community School organized?
The Community School is made up of three divisions: Elementary School preschool through grade Five; Middle School is grades Six through Eight; and Upper School is grades Nine through Twelve. In the Elementary School there is one class each in grades K-5 with approximately 15-18 students. Each grade has a homeroom teacher and all students attend specialist classes including art, music, dance, science, Spanish, physical education, drama, and human development. The Middle School program is both team teaching and theme teaching based. Each grade level consists of two-to-three teachers who work with approximately 26-30 students. Our Upper School has 30 students in each grade (Nine through Twelve) and offers a challenging college-preparatory curriculum.
How many openings are there in every grade?
Our primary entry points are Kindergarten and Sixth grade. In Kindergarten we admit between 15 and 17 students. In Sixth grade, we add 12-16 students depending on the current Fifth grade class size. There may be additional openings due to attrition in the other grades. While we don’t increase the class size in the Upper School, we commonly find that we have about three to six openings in the Ninth grade and we will sometimes have openings in the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth grades. We encourage families to go through the application process even if their children are not applying for “entry point” grades.
From what areas do your applicants come?
Because Sun Valley is a destination resort, our applicants come from many different regions across the United States. While the majority of our applicants currently live in the Wood River Valley (which consists of Ketchum, Hailey and Bellevue), every year we have families who apply from California, Washington and the east coast.
What happens after we submit the application and how can we be certain that the school has everything they need?
You may call the Admission Office at any time to find out how your child’s application is progressing. When we receive the first portion of the application, you will be sent a checklist postcard acknowledging the opening of the application process and letting you know which portions of your child’s application are missing. As we near the application deadline, the Admission Office will call you if there are still missing elements. It is imperative that you get all pieces in by the application deadline. If your child is applying for grades Six through Twelve, he or she must take either the November, December, January or February SSAT. This is an independent school standardized test. Your child’s file will not be reviewed until it is complete.
When do we find out if our child is admitted?
Admission decisions are sent out before our Spring Break in the second or third week of March, depending on when spring break falls. If after the admission process there are still spaces available in particular grades, we will continue the rolling admission process throughout the spring and summer and admission decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.
What does it mean if my child is waitpooled or denied admission?
Decisions to admit, waitpool or deny applicants are heavily dependent on the pool of students applying. Our primary goal is to admit students we feel will be successful at our school. In making these decisions we consider a variety of factors such as academic ability, attitude, character, talents, interests in both academic and non-academic areas, and most importantly, the desire of the student and family to be at our school and to support our mission. We also take into consideration the personality and academic makeup of the current class and gender balance.
We maintain a waitpool instead of a waitlist. If an opening occurs, we will carefully look at the current class makeup and determine what student from the waitpool will bring the best balance to that given class. Because openings can occur suddenly, acceptances can be made up until the first day of school in late August.
Can my child reapply the following year if they are not admitted?
Yes. Applicants who are waitpooled or denied admission may reapply in following years. You should call the admission office to see what forms will need to be resubmitted. It can vary by grade but in general, you will always need to update the teacher recommendation forms and submit your child’s most recent grades. You only have to pay the application fee once.
Can you accommodate students with special learning needs?
Yes, if we feel that the student can manage our program with the accommodations that we offer. All applicants, regardless of special learning needs, will be considered in the review process. We have learning specialists in all three divisions of our school and there is a separate learning specialist fee if you child is admitted into this program.
Are any applicants given special consideration?
All factors being equal, the Admission Committee gives special consideration to applicants who have an affiliation with the school (e.g., applicants who are siblings of current or prior students, who have previously attended the school, or who are children or step-children of graduates or faculty of the school.)