How to Apply

List of 4 items.

• Pre-K

  Students entering Pre-Kindergarten should be 4 years old by September 1.

  
  Fessenden’s Pre-K program recognizes each boy’s unique learning style and developmental stage. The following offerings are available. (Note that parents do not need to select an option until their child receives an offer of admission.)
  
  - Full-Day Pre-K Option
  - Blended Pre-K Option (two full days, three half days)
  - Half-Day Pre-K Option
  
  

  KEY APPLICATION STEPS & DATES 

  
  

  1. Create a Ravenna Account & Submit an Inquiry Form – Establish an account on Ravenna, our online application management system. Once your account is created, complete an inquiry form to start the application process.
  
  

  2. Parent Campus Tour & Interview

  Campus visits begin in October and are a required part of the application process. Visit Ravenna after September 15 to schedule your tour and interview.
  
  

  3. Online Application –

  The online application, Common Parent Statement, and Fessenden Parent Statement Supplement, available on Ravenna, are due by January 15. Fessenden, in partnership with other Boston-Area Lower Schools, utilizes a Common Parent Statement to create ease for families when applying to multiple schools. Rather than ask multiple, partially redundant questions, we pooled our questions, grouped them into categories, and then chose half a dozen questions which would constitute a Common Parent Statement. Additionally, there are some Fessenden specific questions for parents which are found in the Fessenden Parent Statement Supplement. 

  
  4. Candidate Assessment - Parents of Pre-K candidates will complete the Boston Area Virtual Evaluation (BAVE) as a way for us to get to know your son. This virtual approach allows parent(s)/guardian(s) to provide several video recordings of their applicant responding to different prompts/tasks. Fessenden developed the BAVE in collaboration with other Boston-Area Lower Schools, and this has been successful in simplifying the application process for our youngest applicants and their families/guardians by enabling them to provide one common, single set of short videos to all participating schools. For more details about the BAVE, log into your Ravenna account. BAVE videos are due January 15.

  
  

  5. Candidate Visit - Your son will participate in an on-campus Group Visit in December or January. The visit structure and duration varies by entry grade and is conducted by the Admissions staff and teachers. We will reach out to families directly with more specific information about these visits. All health and safety measures will be considered and communicated as needed.

   

  6. Transcripts  – The transcript record release form is available on Ravenna to download, sign, and submit to the candidate’s current school. The school must upload prior and current year transcripts to Ravenna or email them directly to the Admissions Office, at admissions@fessenden.org, by January 15.
  
  

  7. Teacher Evaluation Form – After December 1, please provide current teachers with the grade-appropriate student evaluation form available on Ravenna. Evaluations are confidential and the teacher/school must upload the forms to Ravenna or email them directly to the Admissions Office, at admissions@fessenden.org, by January 15.

  
  

  8. Financial Aid Requests – The deadline for financial aid applications is February 1. For more financial aid details, visit fessenden.org/financialaidls. 

  
  

  Once all of the above steps are taken, the candidate’s application is considered complete. The Admissions Committee will begin to review completed applications on January 15, and a decision will be posted to your Ravenna account on March 10.
  
  

  Applications completed after January 15 will be considered on a rolling basis based on availability. Please contact Admissions for more information about availability and the second round admissions process. Please note that to be fair to all candidates, applications received after the January 15 deadline will be considered only after initial decisions are made on March 10.

• Kindergarten

  KEY APPLICATION STEPS & DATES 

  
  Students entering Kindergarten should be 5 years old by September 1.
  
  

  1. Create a Ravenna Account & Submit an Inquiry Form – Establish an account on Ravenna, our online application management system. Once your account is created, complete an inquiry form to start the application process.
  
  

  2. Parent Campus Tour & Interview

  Campus visits begin in October and are a required part of the application process. Visit Ravenna after 

  September 15 to schedule your tour and interview.
  
  

  3. Online Application – The online application, Common Parent Statement, and Fessenden Parent Statement Supplement, available on Ravenna, are due by January 15. Fessenden, in partnership with other Boston-Area Lower Schools, utilizes a Common Parent Statement to create ease for families when applying to multiple schools. Rather than ask multiple, partially redundant questions, we pooled our questions, grouped them into categories, and then chose half a dozen questions which would constitute a Common Parent Statement. Additionally, there are some Fessenden specific questions for parents which are found in the Fessenden Parent Statement Supplement.
  
  

  4. Candidate Assessment - An admissions associate will conduct an on-campus, one-on-one candidate assessment. Please visit Ravenna after September 15 to schedule an assessment for your son.

  
  

  5. Candidate Visit - Your son will participate in an on-campus Group Visit in December or January. We will reach out to families directly with more specific information about these visits. All health and safety measures will be considered and communicated as needed.
  
  

  6. Transcripts  – The transcript record release form is available on Ravenna to download, sign, and submit to the candidate’s current school. The school must upload prior and current year transcripts to Ravenna or email them directly to the Admissions Office, at admissions@fessenden.org, by January 15.
  
  

  7. Teacher Evaluation Form – After December 1, please provide current teachers with the grade-appropriate student evaluation form available on Ravenna. Evaluations are confidential and the teacher/school must upload the forms to Ravenna or email them directly to the Admissions Office, at admissions@fessenden.org, by January 15.

  
  

  8. Financial Aid Requests – The deadline for financial aid applications is February 1. For more financial aid details, visit fessenden.org/financialaidls. 

  
  

  Once all of the above steps are taken, the candidate’s application is considered complete. The Admissions Committee will begin to review completed applications on January 15, and a decision will be posted to your Ravenna account on March 10.

  
  

  Applications completed after January 15 will be considered on a rolling basis based on availability. Please contact Admissions for more information about availability and the second round admissions process. Please note that to be fair to all candidates, applications received after the January 15 deadline will be considered only after initial decisions are made on March 10.

• Grades 1-3

  KEY APPLICATION STEPS & DATES 

  
  Grades 1-3 are not typical entry points for Fessenden. However, there are occasional openings so we encourage you to begin the admissions process.
  
  

  1. Create a Ravenna Account & Submit an Inquiry Form – Establish an account on Ravenna, our online application management system. Once your account is created, complete an inquiry form to start the application process.
  
  

  2. Parent Campus Tour & Interview

  Campus visits begin in October and are a required part of the application process. Visit Ravenna after September 15 to schedule your tour and interview.
  
  

  3. Online Application – The online application, Common Parent Statement, and Fessenden Parent Statement Supplement, available on Ravenna, are due by January 15.

  Fessenden, in partnership with other Boston-Area Lower Schools,  utilizes a Common Parent Statement to create ease for families when applying to multiple schools. Rather than ask multiple, partially redundant questions, we pooled our questions, grouped them into categories, and then chose half a dozen questions which would constitute a Common Parent Statement. Additionally, there are some Fessenden specific questions for parents which are found in the Fessenden Parent Statement Supplement.

  
  4. Candidate Assessment - An admissions associate will conduct an on-campus, one-on-one candidate assessment during your son’s on-campus classroom visit. We will reach out to families directly with more specific information about these visits. All health and safety measures will be considered and communicated as needed.
  
  5. Candidate Visit - Your son would participate in an on-campus Classroom Visit in December or January. We will reach out to families directly with more specific information about these visits. All health and safety measures will be considered and communicated as needed.
  
  

  6. Transcripts  – The transcript record release form is available on Ravenna to download, sign, and submit to the candidate’s current school. The school must upload prior and current year transcripts to Ravenna or email them directly to the Admissions Office, at admissions@fessenden.org, by January 15.
  
  

  7. Teacher Evaluation Form – After December 1, please provide current teachers with the grade-appropriate student evaluation form available on Ravenna. Evaluations are confidential and the teacher/school must upload the forms to Ravenna or email them directly to the Admissions Office, at admissions@fessenden.org, by January 15.

  
  

  8. Financial Aid Requests – The deadline for financial aid applications is February 1. For more financial aid details, visit fessenden.org/financialaidls. 

  
  

  Once all of the above steps are taken, the candidate’s application is considered complete. The Admissions Committee will begin to review completed applications on January 15, and a decision will be posted to your Ravenna account on March 10.

  
  

  Applications completed after January 15 will be considered on a rolling basis based on availability. Please contact Admissions for more information about availability and the second round admissions process. Please note that to be fair to all candidates, applications received after the January 15 deadline will be considered only after initial decisions are made on March 10.

• Grade 4

  KEY APPLICATION STEPS & DATES 

  
  

  1. Create a Ravenna Account & Submit an Inquiry Form – Establish an account on Ravenna, our online application management system. Once your account is created, complete an inquiry form to start the application process.
  
  

  2. Parent Campus Tour & Interview

  Campus visits begin in October and are a required part of the application process. Candidates for fourth grade should accompany their parents on the tour. Visit Ravenna after September 15 to schedule your tour and interview.
  
  

  3. Online Application – The online application, Common Parent Statement, and Fessenden Parent Statement Supplement, available on Ravenna, are due by January 15. Fessenden, in partnership with other Boston-Area Lower Schools,  utilizes a Common Parent Statement to create ease for families when applying to multiple schools. Rather than ask multiple, partially redundant questions, we pooled our questions, grouped them into categories, and then chose half a dozen questions which would constitute a Common Parent Statement. Additionally, there are some Fessenden specific questions for parents which are found in the Fessenden Parent Statement Supplement.
  
  4. Candidate Visit - Your son will participate in an on-campus Group Visit in December or January. We will reach out to families directly with more specific information about these visits. All health and safety measures will be considered and communicated as needed.
  
  5. Transcripts  – The transcript record release form is available on Ravenna to download, sign, and submit to the candidate’s current school. The school must upload prior and current year transcripts to Ravenna or email them directly to the Admissions Office at admissions@fessenden.org by January 15.
  
  

  6. Teacher Evaluation Form – After December 1, please provide current teachers with the grade-appropriate student evaluation form available on Ravenna. Evaluations are confidential and the teacher/school must upload the forms to Ravenna or email them directly to the Admissions Office, at admissions@fessenden.org, by January 15.

  
  

  7. Financial Aid Requests – The deadline for financial aid applications is February 1. For more financial aid details, visit fessenden.org/financialaidls. 

  
  

  Once all of the above steps are taken, the candidate’s application is considered complete. The Admissions Committee will begin to review completed applications on January 15, and a decision will be posted to your Ravenna account on March 10.

  
  

  Applications completed after January 15 will be considered on a rolling basis based on availability. Please contact Admissions for more information about availability and the second round admissions process. Please note that to be fair to all candidates, applications received after the January 15 deadline will be considered only after initial decisions are made on March 10.