Applications for the 2025-2026 school year are now open. Applications will close on December 1, 2024. For detailed application instructions, please click on the name on the division to which you wish you apply below.  

Please contact the JK-8 Admissions Office at jk8admissions@gcschool.org or the High School Admissions Office at gwarnerhaakmat@gcschool.org with any questions. We look forward to welcoming you to Grace and getting to know your family through the admissions process.

List of 4 frequently asked questions.

  • JK, K & 1st Grade

    1. Apply

    You may submit an application via Finalsite. From there, you will be able to access all appointment options and supplementary forms required to complete the application.  

    When possible, we recommend that you schedule your Grace appointments in this order: 

    • school tour
    • parent/guardian interview
    • child interview

    2. Interviews + Tours

    Once you submit your application, you may then schedule your parent/guardian tour through Finalsite.

    Interviews are scheduled as follows. 

    Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten Applicants:

    Parent/guardian interviews are scheduled through Finalsite. These meetings take place via Zoom.

    Child interviews are also scheduled through Finalsite. These visits are conducted in small groups and run by our dedicated early childhood faculty in our bright and welcoming classrooms. Interview times are available most Mondays through Thursdays, 10:40-11:30 am. Parents are not required to attend these
    interviews.

    First Grade Applicants:

    Once you submit your online application, you may then schedule your parent/guardian tour through Finalsite.
     
    Interviews are scheduled as follows. 

    Parent/guardian interviews are scheduled through Finalsite. These meetings take place via Zoom.

    Child interviews are also scheduled through Finalsite. They are conducted in person with other applicants one afternoon in the fall. The interview time will be the clear option in your parent portal. Parents are not required to attend these interviews.

    3. Recommendations

    Through Finalsite, you will submit a request to your child’s teacher to complete an ISAAGNY recommendation form. Schools will send recommendations later in the fall to give them time to get to know your child. 

    4. Transcripts

    For first grade applicants only, you will submit a transcript request to the applicant's current school. Forms are available on Finalsite.

    5. Standardized Testing

    Grace does not require standardized testing for early childhood applicants.

    We are always available to help you with the application process. Please contact Kate Patton, kpatton@gcschool.org, with any questions. Our team looks forward to welcoming you to Grace!

  • 2nd-4th Grade

    1. Apply

    You may submit an application via Finalsite. From there, you will be able to access all appointment options and supplementary forms required to complete the application.  

    When possible, we recommend that you schedule your Grace appointments in this order: 

    • school tour
    • parent/guardian interview
    • child interview

    2. Interviews + Tours

    Once you submit your application, you may then schedule your parent/guardian tour through Finalsite.

    Interviews are scheduled as follows. 
     
    Parent/guardian interviews are scheduled through Finalsite. These meetings take place via Zoom.

    Child interviews are also scheduled through Finalsite. They are conducted in person with other applicants one afternoon in the fall. The interview time will be the clear option in your Finalsite portal. Parents are not required to attend these interviews.

    3. Recommendations

    Through Finalsite, you will submit a request to your child’s teacher to complete an ISAAGNY recommendation form. Schools will send recommendations later in the fall to give them time to get to know your child. 

    4. Transcripts

    You will submit a transcript request to the applicant's current school. Forms are available on Finalsite.
     
    5. Standardized Testing
     
    Grace does not require standardized testing for lower school applicants.
     
    We are always available to help you with the application process.  Please contact Kate Patton, kpatton@gcschool.org, with any questions. Our team looks forward to welcoming you to Grace!

  • 5th-8th Grade

    1. Apply

    You may submit an application via Finalsite. From there, you will be able to access all appointment options and supplementary forms required to complete the application.  
     
    When possible, we recommend that you try to schedule your Grace appointments in this order: 
     
    • school tour for parents/guardians and students
    • parent/guardian interview
    • student interview
     
    2. Interviews + Tours

    Once you submit your application, you may then schedule your family's tour through Finalsite.
     
    We encourage middle school applicants to attend the tour, and our dedicated student ambassadors will offer a peer’s perspective to your child.  
     
    Please self-schedule both your parent/guardian interview and your student’s interview through Finalsite.  Both of these meetings take place via Zoom.
     
    3. Recommendations

    Submit two ISAAGNY teacher recommendations from the applicant's current math and English teachers through Finalsite. Schools should not send recommendations until November, at the earliest, to give faculty time to know your child.
     
    4. Transcripts

    You will submit a transcript request to the applicant's current school. Forms are available on Finalsite.
     
    5. Standardized Testing
     
    Grace requires standardized testing for the 2025-2026 admissions cycle. We will accept ISEE and/or SSAT score reports sent to us directly from either ISEE’s website or SSAT’s website. To do so, please list Grace as a “sending school.”

     
    6. Submit Middle School ISAAGNY Common Essay

    All applicants must complete each of the three essay prompts available on Finalsite.

    7. Submit a Graded Writing Sample
     
    Applicants must either upload this sample via Finalsite or send a copy of a graded essay with the teacher's comments visible. The essay should be research/analysis oriented, if possible, and may be selected by the student from their current English or history classwork. It should be something that your child feels proud to share! Please be sure to include the original prompt, question, or passage referenced for the assignment.
     
    We are always available to help you with the application process.  Please contact Simon Thomas-Train, sthomastrain@gcschool.org with any questions. Our team looks forward to welcoming you to Grace!

  • 9th-12th Grade

    1. Apply

    You may submit an application via Finalsite. After 48 hours your application will be processed, and you will be able to access all supplementary forms required to complete the application.

    2. Interviews + Tours

    After you submit your online application, you may then schedule your family's interview and tour. Families have the option of getting to know Grace in-person or virtually. If you are interviewing in-person, a student-led tour of the high school campus will follow on that same day. If you are interviewing via Zoom, there will be opportunities later on in the admissions cycle to sign up for a tour. Please note that in-person interview spots are limited and will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Whether a family decides to interview in person or via Zoom will have zero impact on the applicant's ultimate admission decision.

    Additionally, we offer a series of in-person Open Houses where families will have the opportunity to meet administrators, faculty, and students to learn about the program. Please RSVP here.

    3. Transcripts

    Submit a transcript request to the applicant's current school. Forms are available on Finalsite.

    4. Recommendations

    Submit two ISAAGNY teacher recommendations from the applicant's current math and English teachers through Finalsite. Schools should not send recommendations until November, at the earliest, to give faculty time to know your child.

    5. Standardized Testing

    Grace requires standardized testing. We will accept ISEE and/or SSAT score reports sent to us directly from either ISEE’s website or SSAT’s website. To do so, please list Grace as a “sending school.”

    Please click here to register for the ISEE and here to register for the SSAT.

    6. Submit ISAAGNY Common Essay

    Applicants must submit a 500-750 word essay from a choice of prompts available on Finalsite. In an effort to streamline the high school application process for student applicants, Grace participates in the ISAAGNY common essay.
 

ISAAGNY Notification & Reply Dates

Admissions Policies

The deadline to submit an application is December 1st 2024, and all materials for applications in progress are due by January 9th, 2025.

Children of current families, alumni, and/or faculty/staff, and Grace Church parishioners of at least 3 years standing receive preference at the Junior Kindergarten entry level only.

Parents will be notified of admissions decisions for the next academic year from February to early March according to the dates specified by the Independent School Admissions Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY). 

The $100 application fee is waived for prospective students applying for financial aid.

Grace Church School does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, color, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation in its admissions policies or educational programs.


© 2022 Grace Church School
Grace Church School is a co-educational independent school in downtown Manhattan, New York City providing instruction for nearly 800 students in Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12.