Frequently Asked Questions

We will offer a variety of experiences, both in-person and virtual, to provide information about Paideia’s academic programs and extracurricular opportunities. Please create a Ravenna hub account so you may be apprised of new programming and have access to event registration.

Parent involvement is really important to us. The school is here because parents built it. We've made up in energy and commitment at any given time what we have lacked in resources. We have built a much stronger school than we had the resources for, one that is much more connected to its community of families. Paideia is a better school because of parent involvement. Parent involvement attracts people; parents want the opportunity to be involved, and the school needs that involvement.

Apart from assessing the individual children who are applying, there are a number of other factors that we have to take into consideration. In no particular order, they are gender and age balance, parent involvement, diversity, and maintaining a variety of student talents and learning styles. We also have to consider siblings of students already here, as well as children of faculty and alumni. Of course, it's important to us to accept children who will use this school unusually well and strengthen the entire Paideia community, but we think most people who apply would get a good deal out of the school, probably in some ways we have no way of predicting, and also add to the community.

When a school is very popular, it would be easy to fall into the trap of looking only for "superstars", or creating the sense that the school is only for the best and the brightest. We could fill the school with any one of several categories of students – those who are strong in math and science, those who are skilled in languages or the arts, those who are gifted athletically. We believe it creates a healthier school if admissions decisions reflect the variety of backgrounds and interests and talents that we want represented in the community. We don't just look for children who have already demonstrated unusual talents; some kids' traits are not particularly unusual, but they bring to the school and bring to life strong character and great promise. There are many ways people can make a difference: sometimes by their achievements and sometimes by their presence.

Respect for diversity is a core tenant of Paideia’s Framework of Values. Every aspect of our admission effort includes attention and sustained work to build a school community that is as diverse as the area we serve.

The information we gather in consideration of a student is in the context of admissions decisions for the school, not a comprehensive evaluation of a child – his or her past, present, or future work. When we don't make an offer of admission, it's more than likely because of space limitations, not because we have found the applicant wanting or because we feel the child would not do well here. It’s human nature to read more into an admissions decision than exists. Space is the single greatest determinant. Most students who apply are eminently admissible and are no different from students already here. We simply don't have space to admit every student who applies.

This is not an easy issue. Some preference is given to siblings, but we are not able – and never have been able – to take all the siblings who apply. If we took every sibling in a particular age group there would be no room for new families. Bringing in new families makes for a healthier institution. Still, it is true that siblings are accepted at a higher percentage than any other category of student.

We love children and want them to not just handle school, but to thrive here at Paideia. To this end, our teachers have found that students thrive when they remain with their age mates. Some schools advance children when they need a more rigorous academic program. At Paideia School we’re able to meet the academic needs of almost any student by differentiating their work from their classmates' while still allowing them to develop socially and emotionally with their peers. Just because a 3rd grader might be two years ahead in math, for example, doesn’t mean that they play and think like someone 2 years older. Paideia has managed to have the best of both worlds.  

In our elementary program (grades K - 6), we make no exceptions to our age cut-off of August 31. Furthermore, we strongly encourage families who are exploring our junior high and high school programs to consider re-setting their child's grade to align them with their chronological peers. Many parents and children who have followed this advice over the years have reported being very happy that they did.
 

The half-day application deadline is Friday, January 3, 2025, whether you choose to receive an early decision or a regular decision. The application requires to you select between “early” or “regular” decision notification options. If you elect “early,” you will be notified of our decision on February 1, 2025. If admitted, you will then have until February 10, 2025 to submit your enrollment contract and first tuition installment to secure your child's place at Paideia School. If you elect “regular,” you will be notified of our decision on April 5, 2025. If admitted, you will then have until April 17, 2025 to submit your enrollment contract and first tuition installment, which will align you with all older applicants to the school.
 
There is no benefit to choosing one decision option over the other -- we won’t “fill-up” with children who choose to be notified early. The regular decision option is designed to enable families who are applying to the half day program as well as another level of the school to receive our admission decisions for their multiple children at the same time.

If your child turns 5 years old after March 31, 2025, please apply to our Half Day kindergarten program. You may hear us refer to rising kindergarten children born after March 31, 2025 as “younger 5-year-olds.” Paideia’s Half Day kindergarten is designed for these children. They will complete their kindergarten year in a mixed-age class with children ages 3 - 5. Even though the day is shorter, Half Day kindergarteners receive the social-emotional and academic learning needed to progress to first grade the following year. Children in our Half Day kindergarten do not need to apply to the elementary school to advance to first grade.

If your child turns 5 years old before April 1, 2025, you should most likely apply to our Full Day kindergarten program in the elementary school. You may hear us refer to rising kindergarten children born before April 1, 2025 as “older 5-year-olds.” Older 5-year-olds complete their kindergarten year in the elementary school in a mixed-age class with children ages 5 - 6. Children in the Full Day kindergarten program progress to first grade the following school year.

Admission decisions for those who submit applications to our Half Day program (deadline: Friday, Jan. 3, 2025) have two options:

• Half Day applicants can choose EARLY notification, where an admissions decision will be posted online to their Ravenna account on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025 after 8:00 a.m. and the enrollment contract and first tuition installment are due on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025.
• Alternatively, Half Day applicants may choose REGULAR notification, where an admissions decision will be posted online to their Ravenna account on Saturday, April 5, 2025 after 8:00 a.m. This option aligns them with the notification date for all older applicants, should they have siblings who are also applying to Paideia. The enrollment contract and first tuition installment for this option are due on Thursday, April 17, 2025.

Admission decisions for all Full Day Kindergarten through High School applicants (deadline: Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025) will be posted online to Ravenna accounts on Saturday, April 5, 2025 after 8:00 a.m. The enrollment contract and first tuition installment are due on Thursday, April 17, 2025.

All financial aid is need-based. Although families apply for financial aid at the same time they apply for admission, those are separate decisions made by separate groups. We do not make financial awards based on particular talents or skills – athletic, artistic, or academic (see Financial Aid FAQ).