Application Process

List of 6 items.

• Step 1: Connect with the Admissions Office & Schedule a Visit

  Register for an Admissions Event HERE or submit an Inquiry Form to receive admissions information and be added to our database for future mailings. If you have questions, please contact Diane Russell, Director of Enrollment Management, 410-838-4848 or via email drussell@harfordday.org.

• Step 2: Complete & Submit Application

  Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year will begin being accepted November 1, 2024. The deadline to complete the admissions process is February 3, 2025. Applications continue being accepted after the deadline on a rolling, space-available basis.
  
  

  If you have already submitted an online inquiry, you have an account in the admissions Portal. Please login using the email address supplied with your original inquiry, complete the application, and submit it with the $55.00 application fee. After your application is submitted, you will receive access to an admissions checklist with the next steps in the process.
  
  Please note: For all applicants currently enrolled in school or a program outside of the home (day care/preschool) the application checklist includes a Transcript and Records Release request for your child's current school office, and a Common Recommendation Form to be completed by a current teacher. You will request this information through the application portal. You may preview the forms below:

  • PK-Grade 1 Common Recommendation Form
  • Grades 2-12 Common Recommendation Form
  • Transcript & Records Release Form

  Please Note:
  Little Dragons (ages 3-4) applicants must be age 3, K-Prep applicants must be age 4, and Kindergarten applicants must be age 5 by September 1st of the year of entry. If you have questions regarding this policy, please contact the admissions office directly. Harford Day School does not maintain a waiting a list from year-to-year. The admissions process begins anew each fall.   

• Step 3: Student Visit Day (Shadow Day)

  Classroom Visits
  (Little Dragons, K-Prep, Kindergarten & Grade 1 Applicants)
  As a part of the admissions process, our youngest applicants participate in a 1 hour classroom visit typically on a Saturday morning in January or early February. Scheduling and details are shared after the application is submitted.
  
  Visit Days (Shadow Days)
  (Grades 2 to Grade 8)
  All applicants to Grade 2 through Grade 8 are required to complete a student visit day (Shadow Day). Shadow Days are an official part of the admissions process and are scheduled after a completed application has been submitted. Lower School students typically visit in the grade they are enrolled in for the current school year while Middle School applicants visit the grade to which they are applying.
  
  Please note: prospective middle school students have the opportunity to join us for our Middle School Visit Day prior to submission of an application. More information is available HERE.

• Step 4: Student Assessments

  Upon receipt of the completed Admissions Application, the admissions office will work with you to schedule a mutually convenient time for your child’s admissions assessment. Assessments may occur throughout the academic year but are most common November-February.

  • Little Dragons-Grade 1 applicants complete an admissions assessment typically occurring in January-February. Dates and details are supplied after an application is submitted.
  • Students applying to Grades 2-8 complete a standardized online admissions assessment.

• Step 5: Admissions Review

  The admissions committee, comprised of the Head of School, Director of Enrollment Management, and the respective Division Head, carefully assesses each applicant’s readiness for academic, social, and personal success at Harford Day School. All admissions are made at the discretion of the Head of School. Admissions decisions for applications completed by the deadline (2/3/25) will be sent February 14, 2025. Incomplete applications, and applications received after the deadline, will be reviewed on a rolling (space-available) basis.

• Step 6: Indexed Tuition Application Process

  Admissions decisions are independent of the indexed tuition process and require a separate Indexed Tuition application. If you think your family may qualify for Indexed Tuition, you are advised to begin the process at the same time as the admissions application. See Affording HDS for more information on the process. The Indexed Tuition application deadline is February 3, 2025 for families new to Harford Day School. After the deadline, applications are reviewed on a rolling basis as funds allow.