Admissions FAQs

A: Our Bothell Campus hosts our Toddler (18-36 months), Early Childhood (3-6 years; Preschool & Kindergarten), Elementary (grades 1-6), Middle (grades 7-8) and High School (grades 9-12) programs. Please note: Our Toddler program is only available at our Bothell Campus. 

Our Woodinville Campus hosts four additional Early Childhood (3-6 years; Preschool & Kindergarten) classrooms.  

A: Touring is the best way to learn more about our Montessori programs and is a required step of the application process. Families may also choose to attend an Open House to fulfill this requirement. Applications will not be considered until you have completed this step. 

We encourage prospective families to register for a tour or Open House prior to submitting an application. Campus tours run weekly from October through January each year. An Open House event is held in November each year. Registration information can be found on the Tour WMS page.

A: Applications for the 2024-2025 school year open October 16, 2023, with a priority deadline of January 15, 2024. We encourage families to apply early in the admissions season in order to submit the application plus any needed supplemental documents, such as teacher evaluations, progress reports and test scores, by the January 15, 2024 priority deadline. Student visits, if applicable, are typically scheduled in the months of November through February, and families are notified when it is time to schedule their visit. Applications received after January 15, 2024, may be eligible for the wait pool and subsequent rounds of admissions decisions depending on the remaining spaces. 

All applications received by the priority deadline of January 15, 2024, will receive an admissions decision on February 28, 2024.

A: No, due to multiple classroom balancing factors, we are not able to notify families of an admissions decision until the posted date of February 28, 2024. 

A: Applications with the following statuses are given priority admissions consideration. Consideration does not mean a guarantee of admission. The same standards and criteria apply to all applicants, regardless of their admissions category, but applicants in any of the categories below will be considered for available spaces prior to other applicants.

• Applicants of current employees: employees are welcome to apply for admission for their child. WMS does not offer a tuition discount for employees.
• Sibling(s) of currently enrolled student(s): if the family withdraws their current student(s), sibling preference may be rescinded.  
• Montessori experience: applicants who have current or previous Montessori experience which follows closely to the AMS philosophy.
• Rollover applicants: families who applied within the previous school year and were placed in our wait pool are welcome to re-apply for the upcoming school year. A new application, application fee, submission of any applicable supplemental documents, and student visits requested by the admissions office must be completed. The Admissions Committee will have access to the previously submitted application as well.
• Sibling applicants: WMS makes an effort to enroll sibling applicants when possible. 

A: Admissions decisions are made during a review process by Admissions Committees comprised of our Head of School, Program Directors, faculty and our Admissions Director. WMS strives to maintain a balanced enrollment in our classrooms based on age/grade level, diversity and the following applicable considerations:

• Prior Montessori experience or knowledge/appreciation of Montessori philosophy
• Developmental readiness
• Social/emotional skills
• Academics and test scores
• Level of age-appropriate independence

Due to limited space, we are not able to offer admission to every applicant. See What is the admissions wait pool and how are applicants added? for more information. 

A: Tuition varies by program level. See our Tuition, Fees & Assistance page for 2023-2024 school year information. The WMS Board of Trustees announces the annual tuition each January.

Tuition Assistance (TA) is available each year. No funds remain for the 2023-2024 school year. Prospective families must submit an admissions application and a tuition assistance application at the same time in order to be considered for tuition assistance. See our Tuition, Fees & Assistance page for more information. 

A: WMS has a wait pool for applicants who are deemed to be a good fit for our school but do not receive an admissions offer due to limited spaces. When a space becomes available in a classroom, we choose a candidate from our wait pool who best matches the criteria of the opening such as age and other balancing factors for the classroom. The family will be notified by phone and email if their student is selected. Families that remain in the wait pool without receiving an admissions offer are welcome to submit a new application for the following school year and will be evaluated in the same manner as a first-time applicant with the same requirements to complete all steps of the application process. The Admissions Committee will have access to the previously submitted application as well.

A: Wait pools may become full and applications may close based on the number of applicants waiting for a specific program level. If this happens, we recommend applying the following October when applications open for the next admissions season.

A: Families are expected and encouraged to get to know their student's teachers and support any classroom activities as requested. In addition, families play a vital role in the success of the WMS community. The Family Alliance (FA) supports the school and its programs by sponsoring social events, cultural celebrations, teacher and staff appreciation, an annual auction and gala, and more.

A: Similar to most independent schools, WMS does not receive any public funding. Therefore, we are dependent upon tuition, contributions and investment income to fund our annual operating budget. To learn more about how contributed income supports the school, please read our annual report. Each year during the Annual Giving Campaign, we ask every family to consider a gift at a level that is meaningful for them. In addition, the annual auction and gala each spring helps raise funds for specific needs as well as allow families to support classrooms and the school campus directly. The average yearly contribution is $800 per student. Each and every donation is appreciated and makes a visible and immediate difference. We are grateful to all our donors for their wonderful and thoughtful support!

A: 

• The Toddler, Early Childhood and Elementary school day is from 8:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. 
  • The half-day Early Childhood school day is from 8:45 - 11:45 a.m. (students depart prior to lunch).
• Our Middle & High School day is from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

A: Yes, before and after-school care (known as Club House at WMS) is available on regular school days (beginning at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 5:30 p.m.) at each campus for enrolled WMS students at an extra charge. Families can choose to enroll their student(s) in this optional care. View our Before & After-School Care page to see timings and fees for the 2023-2024 school year. Fees for the 2024-2025 school year will be announced next June.

On No School days (Faculty In-Service) or school breaks (Winter Break, Mid-Winter Break, Spring Break) throughout the school year, day camps are available by reservation for enrolled Toddler, Early Childhood and Elementary students - exceptions may apply and will be communicated to our families. WMS does not operate camps on holidays (days marked as School Closed on our calendar).

A: Students bring their own lunch from home each day. 

Our Middle School student business class sells pizza on Fridays throughout the school year for 1st-12th grade students.

Morning and afternoon snacks are provided for Toddler and Early Childhood, and a morning snack is provided for Lower Elementary.

A: Summer camp is offered for Toddler, Early Childhood and Elementary students. Toddler and Early Childhood summer camp is only open to enrolled WMS students from the current school year.

Registration will open in February 2023. See our Camps page for more information.

A: Email admissions@woodinvillemontessori.org with any further questions.