Admissions FAQs

1. What is the application process at AHNS?

There are two steps in our application process and can be completed in any order:

• Visit our school house. You are welcome to join us for one of our weekly small group in-person tours for adults (click here to register for a tour).
• Submit an application for admission. You can apply before or after a tour of our school and we consider applications in the order that we receive them. Please submit your application along with a $50.00 non-refundable application fee.

The application process is considered complete when you have toured the school and we have received your completed application and application fee.

2. How do I schedule a visit to your school?

If you would like to visit AHNS, we offer small group in-person tours for prospective families (click here to register). Our tours are an opportunity to learn more about our child-centered, play based philosophy and have a guided tour through our school building and classrooms, including our indoor playground and children’s library. We hope you can join us!

3. Once I apply, when will I hear from you regarding admissions?

Our priority enrollment period, in which currently enrolled children, their siblings, and children of alumni parents receive priority in admissions decisions, is complete in the month of January. Families who apply in the fall and winter for placement the following September can expect an admissions decision in February, or earlier, whenever possible. If you are applying at other times during the year, or for immediate entrance, you will be notified as soon as possible after you have completed the application process.

4. If my child is accepted, what will I need to provide your school to hold the space?

If you are offered a space for your child and would like to accept it, we require that you submit a signed tuition agreement and a one-month tuition advance to hold the space. This advance is applied to your child’s final month at AHNS and is non-refundable, even if you choose later not to send your child to AHNS.

5. If I am placed on a wait list, what happens next?

Children who do not receive a space will be placed on our waitlist. If you are placed on the wait list, it means that enrollment is full for your child’s age group. For space to become available, a schedule change or withdrawal needs to occur. Because these enrollment changes are unpredictable, we are unable to provide you with a timeframe for admission. However, from our experience, the waitlist is active and many children do get in from the waitlist every year. We are unable to give information about where your child stands on the waitlist, as children are admitted from the waitlist with consideration of many factors. The criteria we use is the date of application, priority status, age of child, requested schedule and available spaces, and the composition of the entire class.

6. Do you already have a wait list for next school year?

In the fall, we collect applications and consider them in the order they are received. After we complete our priority enrollment period, we offer spaces to prospective families until our enrollment is full. Once AHNS is fully enrolled, we begin to place families on a wait list.

7. What are the factors that can impact admissions?

Factors that impact admissions include how many current families re-enroll, how many siblings of currently enrolled children apply for admission, and how many prospective families have applied prior to your date of application.

8. Do you have any current openings for this school year?

At this time, we are fully enrolled and have a wait list for all of our programs. Despite our current wait list, we hope you will consider AHNS for next school year.