Experience Meridian: Information Session (REQUIRED)
Weekly Information Sessions (October-January) will be hosted on Zoom and will include a general overview of our academic program, approach to learning, equity and inclusion initiatives, and community highlights. We will provide an opportunity for Q&A with school leaders and parent ambassadors. Register Today!

In-Person Campus Tour (OPTIONAL)
For applicant families who have attended an Experience Meridian: Information Session. These tours will be small groups, adults only, and on the weekend. Proof of vaccination (or negative COVID test within 24 hours of tour) required.

Parent/Guardian Conversations (REQUIRED)
We look forward to getting to know each of our applicant families.  Families schedule thirty minute conversations with the Director of Admissions once they submit an application.

Student visits will take place in February. We are hopeful to bring student applicants on campus for an in-person student visit opportunity. We will provide details and dates on Ravenna when we have finalized the plan.

We plan to offer additional opportunities for families to learn more about The Meridian School. Please continue to check Ravenna for added events.

If you are interested in connecting with a member of our parent community please email admissions@meridianschool.edu and we would be happy to put you in touch. Connecting with our parent community is a great way to learn more about The Meridian School and hear about their personal experiences.

• Do you have a kindergarten age cut-off policy?

  The majority of our kindergarten applicants turn five years old on or before September 1. However we will consider students with later birthdays. We know that kindergarten readiness is dependent on many factors, so age and birth date do not dictate our admissions process.

• Do you offer financial aid?

  Yes! At Meridian, we believe that an excellent education thrives in an increasingly diverse and inclusive school community. For this reason, we are committed to offering an accessible educational program to mission-appropriate students, regardless of a family’s ability to pay the full cost of tuition. Currently, our tuition assistance program supports 28% of our student body, and the average annual tuition for an award recipient is $15,498. For the 2021–2022 school year, awards ranged from 9%-98% of the cost of tuition. Tuition assistance applications are evaluated separately from the admissions process. To learn more about financing a Meridian education, please visit the tuition assistance page of our website.

• Do you require an educational evaluation/IQ testing for admission?

  No, we do not require testing, as we do not discriminate in our admissions process in any of a variety of areas, including student learning differences and abilities. If you would like to voluntarily provide us with supporting documentation (individual assessments, evaluations, or reports), you are able to upload files within our Parent/Guardian Statement Form.

• My child is gifted—is Meridian the right program for my child?

  At Meridian, we believe that a diverse learning environment best prepares students for success in middle school and beyond. True to our mission of “balance,” we strive to create classroom cohorts that are representative of a range of learning styles and abilities. Many children who attend Meridian have been identified as highly capable or gifted by educational psychologists. Our approach to learning allows us to tailor our learning environment, methods of instruction, and curriculum in order to support or enrich student learning.

• Our family is relocating to Seattle. Can you make adjustments to the student and parent visit requirements?

  Yes! Relocating families apply to our program every year, and we do our very best to accommodate a family’s planned Seattle visits. Assuming that school is in session when you travel to Seattle, we are able to host the required parent tour and student visit on the same day. We are flexible and willing to arrange these visits on days that are mutually convenient, as we recognize that attending a weekly tour and our predetermined student visit date is often not possible for families residing outside of Washington state or the U.S.

  That said, we require all families to complete our application process before our decision notification date of March 18, 2021 if they want to be considered for admission in our first round of enrollment. If a family has not completed the entirety of our application process before the notification date, they are eligible for late admission if spaces remain available after March 25, 2021 (new family enrollment deadline). We have a rolling admissions process after March 25, 2021, and will fill spaces throughout the spring if we have openings for fall 2021 entry.

  If you are a relocating applicant and need to arrange an alternate parent tour and student visit date, please contact our team at admissions@meridianschool.edu.

• What are our financial obligations upon enrollment?

  A nonrefundable $2,000 deposit is due upon enrollment. Families who have completed the enrollment process are liable for specific portions of the tuition balance throughout the spring, as detailed in our enrollment contract and listed below.

  Families are committed to:

  • 25% of the tuition balance after April 20.
  • 50% of the tuition balance after May 20.
  • 100% of the tuition balance after June 20.
• What does it mean to be in the wait pool?

  Each year we have more qualified applicants than we have seats available. Our wait pool consists of students who we believe would thrive at Meridian but for whom we don’t currently have space. Students in the wait pool may be offered admission as early as March or as late as September. We do not have a ranked list within our wait pool, as we take many factors into consideration when creating a diverse, balanced, grade-level cohort.