Consideration Factors

Applications

Applications open each fall for the next school year with the priority application window running from October through January. Time of application is not a determining factor in the admissions decision process if the application and required supporting documents (teacher evaluations/progress reports) are received by the priority deadline of January 31 each year. Applications received after January 31 may be eligible for the wait pool and subsequent rounds of admissions decisions depending on the remaining spaces.

WMS highly recommends families dedicate time to completing the parent and/or student questionnaires during the application process. 

See Apply Now for specific details on the application process according to your program level of interest.

Campus Tour or Open House Attendance

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 (our Open House for the 2023-2024 school year was held Nov. 5, 2022). 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.

Tour registration is now open online for Kindergarten (Woodinville Campus only), Elementary, Middle & High School programs for the 2023-2024 school year! Register and learn more on our Visit WMS page. 

Toddler & Early Childhood (Preschool) campus tours are closed and will resume in fall 2023 for the 2024-2025 school year.

Enrollment Conditions

Age requirements: Two grade levels are restricted for admissions according to the student's age as follows:

• Kindergarten applicants must be 5 years of age by September 1.
• Grade 1 applicants must be 6 years of age by September 1.

Toilet readiness: Students entering our Early Childhood program (ages 2.5-6 years) must be fully toilet trained. No diapers or pull-ups are allowed in the classrooms.

Priority Admission Categories

Applications with the following statuses are given priority admission consideration. Consideration does not mean a guarantee of admission. The same standards and criteria apply to all applicants, regardless of their admission 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.
• Sibling applicants: WMS makes an effort to enroll sibling applicants when possible.

Admission Decisions

Admission decisions are made during a review process 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 considerations:

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

Due to limited space, we are not able to offer admission to everyone who applies. See How do I add my student to the wait pool, and when will I receive an admissions offer? for more information.

Wait Pool

In order for a prospective student to be added to our wait pool, WMS must receive an admissions application. See Apply Now for information on the application process.

Applicants who are deemed to be a good fit for our program, but for whom we do not have available space, are placed in our wait pool. When a space becomes available in a program level, we choose a candidate from our wait pool who best matches the criteria of the opening, such as age and classroom balancing factors.

The wait pool can see movement any time during the school year and a family will be contacted if an opening becomes available for their student. Applicants who remain in the wait pool can choose to roll over their application for the next school year. See What are priority admission categories? for more information.

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 next October when applications open for the next admissions season.

Questions?

Please visit our FAQ page to view commonly asked questions regarding our admissions process. You may also complete an inquiry form, or you may email the Admissions department at admissions@woodinvillemontessori.org.