Application Process

Applications are now being accepted for 2024-25. If you are interested in a place for 2023-24, please contact Admissions.

Dear Prospective Families,

We appreciate your interest in our program and look forward to meeting you through our admissions process. For specific information about the admissions process, please see the sections below.

To start an application, please click on the link below. You will then receive an email that will give you access to our admissions portal, where you can sign up for a parent information session or complete an application.  Please note, your user name for our portal is your email address.

Click here to apply to our Lower School
Click here to apply to our Middle School
Click here to apply to our Upper School

If you have already attended an information session (or signed up for one), you already have an account and access to our admissions portal, where you can complete the online application and upload all of the required information.

If you have any questions as you are going through the application process, please contact the Admissions Office at admissions@mmfsnyc.org. If you are experiencing technical difficulties or errors please reach out to our IT department at it+vx@mmfsnyc.org.

Admissions Procedures

Referral

Most often, children come to Mary McDowell Friends School because an educator or psychologist refers them or parents are concerned about their child’s present educational placement. Information about students who are best served by our program can be found here. Every child must have had a psycho-educational or neuropsychological evaluation done either by the Committee on Special Education (CSE) of the Department of Education or an outside provider before being considered as an applicant to the school. The evaluation must be less than two years old and within a year for K-3rd Grade applicants.

When to Start

Although we accept applications throughout the year, parents usually start the application process in the fall if they are interested in having their child admitted to Mary McDowell Friends School for the following academic year.

Parent Information Session

Group parent information sessions are being held virtually for the time being.

Application

You will find the link to the admissions portal below. You will be asked to log in to your account, complete the application, and upload the following information:

  1. Neuropsychological or psycho-educational evaluation
  2. Report cards from last school year and current school year
  3. IEP if your child has one
  4. Current Classroom Teacher Recommendation — lower school and middle school applicants
  5. Current English and Math Teachers’ Recommendations — upper school applicants
  6. Any other relevant evaluations if available (i.e., speech/language, occupational therapy). The evaluation must be less than two years old and within a year for K-3rd Grade applicants.

The application has many sections, and you do not have to finish them all at once. Each section will be saved as you complete it.

Upon receipt of the application and supporting documents, the admissions team will review the materials. If the team determines that our school could possibly meet the needs of the applicant, an appointment will be set up for a visit. Information about students who are best served by our program can be found here.

Student Admissions Visit

Upon receipt of the application and supporting documents, the admissions team will review the materials. If the team determines that our school could possibly meet the needs of the applicant, an appointment will be set up for a visit.

Notification

Parents are notified in writing as soon as a decision is made concerning the applicant’s admission to the school. Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis throughout the school year for the following academic year.