Admissions
Please see our Programs page to find detailed descriptions of all the programs currently available.
Equity and Inclusivity
It is important to the Red Oak community that our school feel like a welcoming space for all students and families who wish to enroll in our programs. We want students to feel comfortable and supported in who they are, and to feel like they belong here. We acknowledge that when students don't see many community members at our school who look, act or sound like them or their family, they may not feel like this is a school for them. In an effort to balance out these inequities, the following priorities for admissions will be applied:
#1 priority- currently enrolled students
#2 priority- siblings of Red Oak students
#3 priority- formerly enrolled students
#4 priority- students of color, gender-expansive/non-binary/trans students and students with accessibility needs
#5 priority- all other applicants
Students are selected for admission to ROCS on the basis of developmental maturity and readiness for the school’s program. In all cases, ROCS retains the right to determine, in its sole discretion, whether or not to select a student for admission or to re-enroll a student. The admissions committee has ultimate authority and sole discretion in the decisions whether or not to admit or re-enroll a student. Typically those decisions are based upon multiple criteria: academic readiness; maturity; affiliation with the school; diversity and gender balance; appropriateness of the match between the family and ROCS. Red Oak Community School welcomes students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity/expression to all its rights, privileges, programs and activities. All persons are encouraged to apply.
Admissions Process for New Families
The result of each of these steps will help us determine whether to continue to the next step in our admissions process.
Step One: Visit
We schedule tours at 9:30a on select mornings, as availability allows. You’ll have a chance to view our space, experience outside time and observe the transition to academic time. Prospective students are always encouraged to attend! Fill out the form below to schedule your tour!
If Red Oak seems like a good fit for your family, you’ll move on to ‘Step Two’-
Step Two: Apply
Applications are accepted year-round. Apply here!
Our initial admissions period is early January through mid-March. We collect the bulk of our applications during this time and consider all initial applicants for any open spots at the end of the initial admissions period. Typically we fill all our open spots at that point and place the remaining applicants onto class waitlists.
After mid-March, we will accept new applications on a rolling basis. We officially close enrollment to new students at the beginning of our spring break every year.
Once your student’s application has been received and the $60 application fee has been paid, you will move to ‘Step Three’-
Step Three: Documentation
The below documents (if applicable) will be required once your application has been processed:
Prior school records (not required for kindergarten applicants)
Medical evaluations/assessments regarding any suspected or formal diagnoses
Existing 504, ETR or IEP Forms
Applications will NOT be processed until we have received all applicable forms. Failure to provide these documents may affect your student’s enrollment.
The Admissions Committee will review all documents and ensure we have a full understanding of the student’s needs. Once this process is complete, you will move to ‘Step Four’-
If your student does not have any of the above paperwork, you will skip this step and move to ‘Step Four’-
Step Four: Attend Try Day (1st grade+ only)
All applicants 1st grade and above will be required to attend a Try Day. Students will get a taste of what a day at Red Oak is like from 9:30-11:00am on Try Days while parents/caregivers will have the opportunity to observe. Try Days are typically available in February, March and August. You will be able to sign up for the date that works best for you during the previous step in the admissions process.
Once your student has attended their Try Day, you’ll move to ‘Step Five’-
Kindergarten applicants will skip this step and move to ‘Step Five’-
Step Five: Waitlist/Enrollment Offer
When you reach this step your student will be placed into our waitlist(s). Anytime we have enrollment spots to offer, our Admissions Committee meets to consider all applicants. If we have a spot to offer your student(s), you will receive notice and have the opportunity to accept or decline the offer.
If you accept an enrollment offer, you will move to ‘Step Six’-
Step Six: Exploratory Month
Your student’s enrollment begins with a four week Exploratory Month. This will give us a chance to get to know your student and for your student to get to know us before committing to full enrollment. An Exploratory Month fee of $750 for 5-day students, $500 for 3-day students or $375 for 2-day students will be due before the student begins attending school. (This fee goes towards your full tuition balance.)
The Exploratory Month ends after the first four weeks of attendance, when each family will meet with Red Oak staff to discuss how the student is adjusting to school at Red Oak. If at that point the staff and family is in agreement that it is appropriate, full and continuous enrollment is offered and you move to the final ‘Step Seven’-
Step Seven: Full Enrollment
This is the final step of our admissions process. Your student will be fully enrolled and will have a spot guaranteed in their current program in future years. If you did not get your first choice of program, or decide you’d like to switch, you can join the waitlist for another program anytime. Current students get first priority when new spots open up.
Regular tuition payments will begin only after full enrollment has begun. This is typically spread over six monthly payments due October-March. Tuition will be pro-rated for students enrolling after the beginning of the school year.
After your first year is complete, tuition payments in future years can be spread over ten months.
Behavioral Considerations
Many students struggle behaviorally in traditional school environments. We hear from these families all the time. Are the student’s struggles the result of the environment, or does the student need more appropriate support/accommodations? At Red Oak, some aspects of our program are considered low level interventions: two hours of unstructured outside time every day, allowing whole body movement while learning (so long as it’s not distracting other students), choices during academic time, a high level of experiential/hands-on learning, visual learning aids, chunking assignments, extra time, frequent check-ins, etc.
However, we are a very small school and lack the resources to properly support students who might need more interventions than our program already provides. We have a looser structure and than most traditional school environments, which means our students need to have solid independent skills in the classroom and out. Our normal routine changes unexpectedly at times- which can either create opportunities for learning flexible-thinking skills or for some students, it can make their school experience very challenging. We ask that you keep in mind our program’s limitations in this regard when considering whether or not to apply.
Waitlists at Red Oak
We often operate at full capacity with waitlists. A few notes regarding our waitlists to help you decide if you’d like to apply:
Our waitlists are NOT ranked. When a spot becomes available, ALL students on the waitlist for that class are considered for the spot.
Our 2-day program often has the most space. Many families will enroll in this program and remain on the waitlist for their first choice program. Current students have priority when spots open up, so we are usually able to get everyone into their first choice over time.
Our kindergarten and 1st grade waitlists are usually the longest.
We take new students as spots open up, all the way up until spring break of each school year.
Our waitlists are not exorbitantly long. Typically we’ll begin with an average of ~5-10 students on each class waitlist after our initial priority admissions deadline, but often by spring break, that will dwindle down to 2-3.
We do not roll over our waitlists automatically to the next school year. You DO NOT need to get on the waitlist when your child is preschool age.
If we are not able to offer you a spot and you would like to re-apply for the next school year, we will waive the application fee.
