Admission


As you get to know Collegiate School, you will need only moments to realize the passion and sense of connectedness shared by our students, faculty, parents and alumni. Collegiate is a place rooted in 100-year-old traditions while continuously exploring new ideas. We invite you to campus to experience Collegiate firsthand.

Admission Process

List of 3 items.

  • Lower School (JK-4)

    The admission process begins with an online application and a $50 application fee. A candidate’s completed application folder includes the following items for each grade level.
    LaNessa West, Director of Lower School Admission, 804.741.9712


    Junior Kindergarten or Kindergarten
    *Due to the current volume of Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten applications, we are unable to accept any further applications for those grades for the 2023-24 school year after January 15.

    Minimum age requirements:
    Junior Kindergarten - The child must be 4 years old by the first day of classes.
    Kindergarten - The child must be 5 years old by September 30 of the Kindergarten year.
    1. WPPSI-IV (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence) administered by a qualified psychologist. WPPSI-IV testing may be scheduled at Collegiate for a fee of $150 or scheduled in the community independently. *
    2. Readiness Testing: An opportunity to engage with Collegiate Lower School teachers in a classroom setting. 
    3. Preschool or school report, if applicable.
    4. Parent or Guardian Survey
    *If the testing fee would be prohibitive to completing the application process, please call the Admission Office.

    Grades 1-4
    1. WPPSI-IV (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence) or WISC-V (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) administered by a qualified psychologist. WPPSI-IV and WISC testing may be scheduled at Collegiate for a fee of $150 or scheduled in the community independently. *
    2. Grade-level readiness testing
    3. Transcript and teacher evaluation from current school.
    4. Parent or Guardian Survey
    *If the testing fee would be prohibitive to completing the application process, please call the Admission Office.
  • Middle School (5-8)

    The admission process begins with an online application and a $50 application fee. A candidate’s completed application folder includes the following items for each grade level.
    Anne Bruce Ahearn, Director of Middle and Upper School Admission, 804.741.5470

    We recommend that all admission requirements be completed by Feb. 1 in order to be considered in our first round of admission decisions.
    1. Student Personal Profile (questionnaire/essay)
    2. Parent/Guardian Survey
    3. Student interview (7th-8th)
    4. Official transcript or report card
    5. Teacher evaluations from the current school and year
    6.  Testing
      • 5th-6th Grade Applicants:
        • WISC-V (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children). This individual test will be administered by a qualified psychologist. Testing may be scheduled at Collegiate for a fee of $150 or scheduled in the community independently. If the testing fee would be prohibitive to completing the application process, please call the Admission Office.
        • Grade-level readiness testing
      • 7th-8th Grade Applicants:
        • SSAT (Middle Level Secondary School Admission Test). Visit www.ssat.org for information, practice and registration. If the testing fee would be prohibitive to completing the application process, please call the Admission Office.
    7. Student Visit Day with a student host (optional but encouraged)
  • Upper School (9-12)

    The admission process begins with an online application and a $50 application fee. A candidate’s completed application folder includes the following items for each grade level.
    Anne Bruce Ahearn, Director of Middle and Upper School Admission, 804.741.5470

    We recommend that all admission requirements be completed by Feb. 1 in order to be considered in our first round of admission decisions.
    1. Student Personal Profile (questionnaire/essay)
    2. Parent/Guardian Survey
    3. Student interview
    4. Official transcript or report card
    5. Teacher evaluations from the current school and year (Math and English)
    6. Testing
      • 9th-10th Grade Applicants: SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test); If taken, a PSAT is acceptable. If the testing fee would be prohibitive to completing the application process, please call the Admission Office.
      • 11th-12th Grade Applicants: PSAT or SAT
      • Visit www.ssat.org for information, practice and registration. For additional information about the PSAT or SAT, check with your school's guidance office.
    7. Student Visit Day with a student host (optional but encouraged)

NOTE TO INTERNATIONAL INQUIRIES: Collegiate School does not issue Form I-20 documents to students and, therefore, cannot accept students who are seeking multi-year enrollment and/or a high school diploma from Collegiate School, under F-1 student visa status. However, international families who relocate to Richmond are welcome to apply if the student will be living permanently with his or her parent or guardian in the Richmond area as a dependent on the parent's visa or if the child is otherwise eligible to study in the U.S.

Need After-School Care?

Collegiate offers after-school care for children JK-8th Grade. For more information about Kinder Quest (JK-K), Cougar Quest (1-4) and Middle School Quest (5-8), click here or contact Neil Etheridge at 804.665.1722.
Scott Smith
Director of Admission and Enrollment Management
804.726.3273
scott_smith@collegiate-va.org

Merit Assistance for New 9th Graders

Thanks to an endowment from Melissa and Mark Christian '77, rising Upper Schoolers who are new to Collegiate in 9th Grade and have demonstrated academic excellence, intellectual curiosity and strong leadership are eliglble to receive merit-based awards from the Christian Family Scholars Program.

The School admits qualified students and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its admissions, scholarships, and loans, and its educational, athletic, and other programs.