Admissions & Enrollment Process

1. Tour

The best way to get to know the “aliveness” of our school is to come for a tour.  Monthly Open Houses typically take place the second Friday of the month during the school year.  Starting at 9am with a cup of tea in the lower school library (the original school building, a classic Berkshires timber frame barn), Admissions Director Robyn Coe will lead parents through the grades, visiting classes in session, touring art studios and discussing our exciting and effective Waldorf curriculum.  Families interested in the early childhood program for children ages two years and nine months through six may also tour the Early Childhood building.
Please note: the school tour is designed for adults.  We will be moving quickly though many transitions, so we look forward to meeting your children in the next phase of the admissions process.
Summer tours are available by appointment. Please call Robyn Coe to arrange at (413)528-4015 x. 106.

To apply for Early Childhood (Nursery or Kindergarten) classes, children should be age 2.9 by September and potty-trained.  Please submit:

• Completed application
• Non-refundable application fee of $50 per student
• Teacher’s Reference for students with prior school
  experience

To apply for First Grade in the fall, children should be age 6 by June 1.  When applying to a class in the Elementary or Middle School, please submit:

• Completed application
• Non-refundable application fee of $50 per student
• Copies of student’s previous reports or grades
• Teacher’s Reference for transfer students
• Signed Transcript Release form for previous school(s)

All admissions forms are available on gbrss.org under the “Admissions” Tab, in “Download Forms.” Receipt of these materials is required for consideration of a student’s application, but do not ensure its continuation.  GBRSS accepts admissions throughout the year, provided there is room available in the class.  The school offers sliding scale tuition as well as generous scholarships on the basis of need, once a child has been accepted.

As soon as all of the above materials have been received and reviewed, for Nursery and Kindergarten programs, the class teacher may call the family to arrange an interview.  Teachers will meet with both child and parents in one of our early childhood classrooms.

For grade 1, children who are six by June 1 will be considered for First Grade the following fall. Children with summer birthdays may be considered on an individual basis. Once our admissions office receives your child’s application and teacher’s reference, the next step is to arrange your child’s “visit to the Red Queen,” a first grade-readiness interview with the class teacher and another member of the first-grade readiness faculty–which feels like fun and games to the children–followed by a separate meeting between parents and teacher.

For children entering grades 2-8 in the Lower School, once all admissions materials have been received and reviewed, the class teacher may ask to meet with the child and parent(s), along with a subject teacher.  If the class teacher would like to move forward with the application, s/he may further request that the student spend at least two consecutive days in the classroom.  At that time, another class teacher will also interview the prospective student.  Following the visit, if the class teacher would like to move forward with the application, s/he will arrange a followup interview with the parent(s).

1. Our school’s suitability for the child’s age, ability and special educational needs.
2. Whether the acceptance of the applicant is compatible with the efficient education of the children already placed in the school.
3. Whether we have the resources to meet the student’s needs.  Children who are not doing well in other schools may flourish in our school, but there are learning and disciplinary problems that are beyond our scope. We aim to maintain a healthy constellation of pupils in each class. In some cases, children may be accepted on a trial basis. Initially, a child joining a class may need extra tutoring in certain areas, such as foreign languages.
4. Although we especially welcome pupils from other Waldorf schools, the normal admissions policies still apply.

Once the interview or visit has occurred, the family will receive a letter notifying them of the status of their child’s application. If the student is accepted into the class, parents will also receive a link to complete enrollment forms via TADS online, including:

• Tuition contract
• School health form and immunization record/waiver
• Student Permission form

Parents sign the contract, select payment options and can also opt to pay the enrollment deposit online in TADS. The $500 non-refundable enrollment deposit reserves your child’s place in the class, and is applied to the cost of tuition for the year.  It is refundable for tuition assistance applicants who are unable to attend the school due to financial hardship.

Once your child is accepted, if you would like to apply for adjusted tuition based on your income, please see our tuition support page.

To register for Parent-Child classes, visit “Parent-Child Garden” under the Curriculum Tab, or http://gbrss.org/curriculum/parent-child-garden

For admissions of high school students, ages 14-18, at our affilliated Berkshire Waldorf High School (Stockbridge, MA), contact Admissions Director Samantha Stier at (413)298-3800 or admissions@berkshirewaldorf.com