Advice from a Director of Admission
In early spring we begin to receive calls from families that have determined that their current school situation is not working for their child and/or their family due to a wide variety of factors that include a desire for improved classroom instruction or management, an interest in smaller class sizes and more individualized attention to the whole child, or with a need to relocate to the DC area for professional opportunities.
At first, it can appear to be a challenging situation when families realize that most independent schools have formally closed the admission process for the upcoming school year. The good news is that many independent schools in the DC area have select openings in one or more grades after the formal admission season has concluded. Just in the DC metro area alone, there are over 75 independent schools that have over 33,000 openings each year from early childhood through high school. That is a lot of seats to fill!
Additionally, the DC area offers a rich mix of educational options and with a little online research, some calling around, and a bit of persistence most families will have several great options to select from in no time.
I recommend starting the search process with a visit to Independent Education’s website https://www.independenteducation.org/. Independent Education was founded in 1951 as the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington, an organization supporting independent private schools in Washington, D.C., and its environs. The website has a ton of resources, and the IE team can provide a great list of schools with openings for nearly all possible inquiries.
Don’t fret, take a breath, and get started. I am sure that within a month you will have a contract in hand to a great school.