Carolina Friends School Admissions Policy

Since its beginning, Carolina Friends School (CFS) has sought to build and maintain a student body fully representative of the surrounding community. We actively seek young people diverse in race, nationality, creed, family structure, physical ability, and socio-economic background. In doing so, we continue to seek students from families whose values are in harmony with Quaker philosophy and with the educational goals of the School, and we consider the student’s potential to benefit from and contribute to the School. Admissions decisions are made by the Admissions Committee, which includes the unit Head Teacher and the Admissions Coordinator. The Principal may review decisions to ensure that they comport with School policy, which is developed by the CFS Board of Trustees.

PRACTICES REGARDING ADMISSIONS

Families who hope to enroll their children in Carolina Friends School should apply through the Admissions Office on main campus. For first consideration, applications for fall should be submitted between September 1 and January 15 of the preceding academic year (before January 4 for any of our three Early Schools and the first year of Lower School) – the earlier the better. To be admitted in the first round of admissions, applicants’ files should be complete within two weeks of notification dates listed below. We also welcome applications after January 15 and will consider all applications as spaces arise.

To learn about the materials required for admission, please refer to each unit’s Admissions Policy. All applications include a parent tour of main campus, written application and nonrefundable $50 application fee, and parent interview. Teacher recommendations and student visits are required for all applicants except those applying to the Early Schools.

In coordination with other schools in the Triangle Consortium of Independent Schools, we will notify families applying to the Early Schools or to the equivalent of first grade on February 20, families applying to grades 2 - 8 on March 6, and families applying to grades 9 - 12 on March 20. This means that timely completion of the admissions process – including written application, campus tour, parent interview, and student visit – is very important. In order to be considered in the first round of admissions, an applicant’s file should be complete at least two weeks before the notification date for that unit. (See timetables indicated on the Admissions Policy page for each unit of the School.)

Students are accepted, placed in the waiting pool, or denied admission to the School. Signed contracts for newly accepted students are due within ten days. We welcome applications at all times, and when spaces open up, the Admissions Committee looks to the current waiting pool, which includes the original wait list as well as applications received after the first round of admissions. CFS reserves the right to accept a late applicant who fulfills admissions criteria, in accordance with the goals of the School.

Decisions regarding admissions are made independently of consideration regarding families’ abilities to pay the full cost of enrollment at the School, and many families are eligible to receive limited need-based tuition assistance from Carolina Friends School. If a family believes they would require assistance, they should apply for tuition aid at the same time they apply for admission to CFS. Tuition aid applications are processed by Tuition Aid / Data Services (TADS). When possible, families should complete their tuition applications online by going to the TADS website (www.tuitionaid.com). Otherwise, they may call CFS to request paper applications. Limited funds for tuition aid make it impossible to accommodate every family’s unique financial circumstances. If we have the analysis provided by TADS, we make every effort to notify a family about tuition aid at the time of offering admission or as soon thereafter as possible. A family wondering whether they might qualify for tuition aid is welcome to talk with the Admissions Coordinator before deciding to apply.

In the fall, applicants who remain on the waiting list are contacted about whether they wish their applications to be reactivated and considered for the subsequent year (without charge).  If an applicant were to be offered a space in the spring and refuse it, the family would need to re-apply (and pay another application fee) if they wished the student to be considered for the next year.

The Principal bears the final responsibility for all admissions decisions.  Questions concerning such matters should be directed first to the Admissions Coordinator and then, if necessary, to the Principal’s office.  If you have questions about the status of your application, please feel free to call the Admissions Secretary or the Admissions Coordinator – not the Head Teacher – to request information.

We appreciate your interest in Carolina Friends School.

Revised 05-08