FAQs

Our Admissions Office is here to help you every step of the way. Please contact us. Below are some Frequently Asked Questions. We hope you find them helpful!

Admissions FAQs

• How do I learn more about Poly Prep?

  This admissions season, we are excited to share our school with you online and in-person. We welcome you to register for our admissions events to learn more about Poly Prep.

• Poly Prep is located on two campuses in Brooklyn. How do students get to school?

  Poly Prep partners with a private bus company to provide daily transportation for students to and from both campuses. In a typical year, over 80% of students ride the bus to school. The cost of riding the bus is included in tuition.

  Park Slope Campus

  We offer a morning and afternoon bus for the Lower School that arrives and departs before and after the day ends.

  Dyker Heights Campus

  For our Middle and Upper School students, we provide one morning bus and two buses in the afternoon: a 4:00 PM bus and a 6:00 PM bus. All regular after-school activities finish in time for students to catch the 6:00 PM bus.

  For more about bus routes, visit our Bus Routes page.

• Are applications accepted for all grades? What are the main entry grades at Poly Prep?

  We welcome applications to all grade levels. Nursery 3s, Grades 5, 6, and 9 are our main entry grades.

• Will all applicants be interviewed?

  Entry years (Nursery, Grades 5, 6, & 9): All students who submit a preliminary application by the deadline must register for an in-person interview. Interviewing is a mandatory step in the application process.

  Non-entry years (Pre-K through Grade 4, Grades 7, 8, 10, 11, 12): Interviews are by invitation. Spaces in non-entry years are based on attrition and the number of interview appointments available can vary from year to year. Due to the volume of applications, we are not able to interview all applicants to non-entry grades. If we are able to schedule an interview, we will contact you via email as soon as possible.

• Are there age cut offs for applying to Poly Prep Lower School?

  For applications to our Lower School, age cut offs apply to each grade as follows:

  Nursery: 3 years old by September 1 of the entry year

  Pre-K: 4 years old by September 1 of the entry year

  Kindergarten: 5 years old by September 1 of the entry year

  Grade 1: 6 years old by September 1 of the entry year

  Grade 2: 7 years old by September 1 of the entry year

  Grade 3: 8 years old by September 1 of the entry year

  Grade 4: 9 years old by September 1 of the entry year

• Are there age cut offs for applying to Poly Prep Middle School?

  For applications to our Middle School, the vast majority of students at Poly Prep fall within our age cut off guidelines of September 1. This means that most students entering Grade 5 will be 10 years old by September 1, most students entering Grade 6 will be 11 years old by September 1 and so on. Families are asked to select the “apply grade” that they feel is most appropriate for their child given these guidelines.

• Are fee waivers available for the Ravenna application?

  Application fee waivers are available for:

  a) families for whom the application fee presents a financial hardship;

  b) families who submitted an application last year; or

  c) families affiliated with the following programs: A Better Chance, Breakthrough NY, Oliver Scholars Program, TEAK, ACES, DeLaSalle/George Jackson Academy and Prep for Prep.

  For students applying through placement programs, please reach out to your placement program for a waiver code. For students who fall into category a) or b), please contact Ellen Kinnane, Associate Director of Enrollment Operations.

• Is financial aid available at Poly Prep? How do I apply?

  Financial aid is critical to Poly Prep’s mission, providing access to families who would not otherwise be able to afford tuition. In 2023-2024, our financial aid budget is over $12.6 million and we are committed to meeting family needs. In a typical year, we are able to offer tuition support to a percentage of families who qualify for aid, though we receive significantly more requests than we are able to fulfill. Families applying to all grades may submit a separate application for financial aid through CLARITY.  Poly Prep’s financial aid application and all supporting documents will be due on December 15. Please see our Tuition and Financial Aid page for more detailed information.

• Are merit scholarships available?

  All Financial Aid is based on need; no merit scholarships based on academic or athletic achievement are awarded.

• When should I ask my child’s teacher to complete the teacher recommendation form?

  The teacher recommendation form must be submitted by your child’s CURRENT teacher—the teacher who is teaching your child during the academic year 2024-25. We strongly recommend that you request the recommendation after October 15 to give the teacher enough time to get to know your child and complete the form before it is due on January 9, 2025.

• Can I submit additional recommendation letters?

  In addition to the required recommendations, there is a general recommendation form which an additional delegate may submit.

• Can I submit additional materials to highlight an interest or skill?

  We welcome the opportunity to get to know more about your child. Our application offers an optional step to include additional information

• Does Poly Prep have a sibling and legacy policy?

  We know that choosing a school for your child is an important decision. We are honored when current families and alumni apply for their children and many siblings and legacies enroll at Poly Prep each year. Sibling and legacy applicants are given special consideration in the admissions process, however, we evaluate all applications according to the same criteria. We make each admissions decision with the best interests of the child in mind. Admission for siblings and legacies is not guaranteed and we encourage applicant families to explore several school options for their children.

• Does Poly Prep offer early notification for admissions decisions?

  We offer an early timeline for sibling applicants to Nursery only. If you are applying a sibling to Nursery, please be in touch with Tasha Richards, Director of Admissions, Enrollment and Financial Aid.