Admissions Application Requirements

List of 8 frequently asked questions.

• Step 1 - Set up your Admissions Portal

  • Your Admissions Portal is your online, password-protected Hackley admissions account. You will use this to begin your application, schedule interview appointments, RSVP for events, request recommendations, and more. Most importantly, you will be able to monitor your application through the portal.
  • To begin, click here to complete our inquiry form. Once done, you will receive a confirmation email with login information to access your admissions application. If you have already completed an inquiry form, you can log in to your portal here.

• Step 2 - Sign up for a Hackley Admissions event!

  • We encourage you to join us for a Lower, Middle, or Upper School Open House, a campus tour, or any of our virtual Thursdays on the Hilltop! You can find more information on all of our virtual and in-person events here.

• Step 3 - Submit the online application by Monday, December 2, 2024.

  • The family portion of your application includes the family and student information forms, parent/guardian and student questionnaires, the interests and accomplishments form, and the application fee. The family portion must be completed and submitted no later than Monday, December 2, 2024.
  • All supporting documents (transcripts, recommendations, test scores, etc.) are due by Thursday, January 9, 2025.
  • Once you have submitted an application, you can sign up for a campus tour.

• Step 4 - Schedule your student and parent/guardian interviews and visits by Friday, December 6, 2024.

  Once you've submitted your family and student information forms and the application fee, please schedule your interviews and required visits in your Admissions Portal. Contact the admissions office at 914-366-2642 to schedule your appointments if you are applying for multiple children.

  
  Kindergarten-Grade 2: Applicants join us on campus for a “Mini K,” “Mini 1,” or “Mini 2” visit, a required group evaluation session conducted in our Lower School by Hackley teachers. Applicants to Kindergarten and Grade 1 will also have a required one-on-one assessment with our educational psychologist, which we generally schedule for the same time as the parent/guardian interview. If your child is currently in Kindergarten, and you are considering whether a second Kindergarten year at Hackley or continuing to Grade 1 would be the best fit for your child, please schedule a phone call with us. Until we have a better understanding of space in Grade 1, we will not be arranging Grade 1 interviews or the Mini 1. Should we find that we will have availability in the grade, we will contact you to arrange a visit by Thursday, January 31, 2025.

  
  Grade 3: Applicants join us for a class visit with their peers in Grade 2. 
  
  Grade 4-Grade 5: Applicants to Grades 4-5 will be invited to a classroom visit with their current grade, space permitting. Until we have a better understanding of space in Grades 4-5, we will not be arranging class visits or parent interviews. Should we find that we will have availability in the grade, we will contact you to arrange a visit and interview by Thursday, January 31, 2025.
  
  Grade 6: Applicants to Grades 6 will be welcomed on campus with other Grade 6 applicants for a group activity. 
  
  Grade 7-Grade 11:  Applicants to Grades 7-11 and their parents/guardians will join us on campus for interviews. Until we have a better understanding of space in Grades 7-8, we will not be arranging interviews. Should we find that we will have availability in the grade, we will contact you to arrange your Parent/Guardian and Student interviews by Thursday, January 31, 2024.
  
  We would love to have you join us on campus, but we can accommodate families who need a virtual interview.  Please contact the admissions office at admissions@hackleyschool.org or 914-366-2642 to schedule a virtual option.
  
  Interviews and visits must be scheduled by Friday, December 6, 2024.

• Step 5 - Request official transcripts from your current school.

  • We require reports from the current school year and the two previous years. Please note that if the student has been enrolled in more than one school in the past three years, you may need to submit our downloadable Release of Information Form separately to each of your child’s previous school(s).
  • Note that if you submit the transcript request form early in the school year, your school may not include reports from the current year. We suggest that you wait to submit the Release of Information form until after the first marking period of the year.
  • Transcripts are due by Thursday, January 9, 2025.

• Step 6 - Request recommendations in November.

  • We require the student's current teacher(s) and current principal/counselor to complete our online recommendation forms, which you can access from the Admissions Portal. We require one teacher recommendation for applicants to Grades K-5. We require two recommendations, one from the current English teacher and one from the current math teacher, for applicants to Grades 6-11. We also require a principal/counselor recommendation for applicants to Grades 1-11, it is optional for those applying to Kindergarten.
  • If your child has the same teacher for both English and math, the teacher must complete both recommendations as the questions on the form are subject-specific.
  • You will be able to email a link to each recommender, which they will use to submit their confidential recommendation electronically, from your Admissions Portal starting in November. An email will be sent to you letting you know when the recommendations are available.
  • All recommendations must be completed and submitted electronically by Thursday, January 9, 2025.

• Step 7 - Sign up to take the ISEE or the SSAT before Thursday, January 9, 2025.

  • The ISEE and SSAT are standardized tests that we require applicants to Grades 5-11 only to take.  Please schedule your child to take either test no later than Thursday, January 9, 2025. The ideal months for the exam are November and December.
  • To send us ISEE scores, enter Hackley’s school code (335540) when registering for the ISEE. 
  • To send us SSAT scores, enter Hackley’s school code (3640) when registering for the SSAT.

• Step 8 - Await the results of the decision and reply dates in February and March.

  Hackley follows the ISAAGNY Notification and Reply Date Calendar.

  • Decisions for families with children applying to Kindergarten will be available in the Admissions Portal no earlier than 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 6, 2025. Families accepted to Kindergarten must notify the Admissions Office regarding their decision to enroll no later than 12 noon on Thursday, February 13, 2025.
  • Decisions for families with children applying to Grades 1-8 will be available in the Admissions Portal no earlier than 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 13, 2025. Families accepted to Grades 1-8 must notify the Admissions Office of their decision to enroll no later than 12:00 pm on Monday, March 3, 2025.
  • Decisions for families with children applying to Grades 9-11 will be available in the Admissions Portal no earlier than 4 p.m. on Friday, February 21, 2025. Families accepted to Grades 9-11 must notify the Admissions Office of their decision to enroll no later than 12 noon on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.