Applying to Grades 5-8

We are so pleased that you are considering The Agnes Irwin School for your daughter! Below, you'll find the process for applying to Grades 5-8. 

Online Application

Applying online is easy! Click here to begin an online application. The process includes completing the new student application (which includes a parent/guardian portion and a student portion) and submitting the corresponding $50 application fee. The online application is required prior to your daughter being on campus for her student interview and visit day. 

Please note that applicants seeking tuition assistance must indicate their intention to apply for tuition assistance on the admission application and with their Admission Director. 

Parent Interview & Optional Tour

As part of the application, parents of applicants in Grades 5-8 are required to complete a parent interview at any time throughout the process. This conversation will give you an opportunity to learn more about our curriculum, ask questions and tell us more about your daughter. Additionally, we encourage you to arrange a private tour with one of our student tour guides or join us for any one of our admission events. To schedule your tour and interview, please contact admission@agnesirwin.org.

Student Interview & Visit Day

As part of the application process, students applying for admission to Grades 5 -8 are required to complete a student interview and visit day when school is in session. Typically the student interview occurs during the applicant's visit day. This conversation with an Admission Director will give your daughter the opportunity to ask questions as well as allow us to get to know her as a student, daughter, and person. The visit day will allow your daughter to experience a "day in the life" of an Agnes Irwin student, meeting other students in her grade. Students will also complete a short writing sample during their visit day.

We have specific days of the year that we offer visit days so please arrange your parent and student interview, as well as your daughter's visit day by calling the Admission Office at 610-801-1202 or emailing admission@agnesirwin.org.

Testing

Testing is required for all applicants. Please visit the websites linked below for more information and to determine which option is best for your daughter.

• Applicants to Grade 5 are asked to provide the results of either the Wechsler Intelligence Test (WISC-IV), an aptitude test for children six years of age and older that is performed by an educational psychologist of the parents’ choice, or the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE).
• Grade 6-8 applicants are required to submit the results of either the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) or the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT). 

The family is responsible for scheduling and associated costs of the test. Testing results must be submitted directly from the testing organization to Agnes Irwin. The ISEE code for Agnes Irwin is 195400 and the SSAT code for Agnes Irwin is 1138. 

School Records & Teacher Recommendations

Recommendations and records from your daughter’s current school are an important part of the application process.

The Release of Records Form (available on the Forms & Downloads page) authorizes your daughter’s school to release her records to Agnes Irwin. Please complete and sign this form and give it to your daughter’s current school. Her records will be sent directly to Agnes Irwin and are kept confidential. Alternatively, parents of applicants can make an electronic request for records to be sent to Agnes Irwin via our portal where you submitted your application previously. 

Applicants should submit the Teacher Recommendation Form (available on the Forms & Downloads page) to your daughter’s current school. The recommendations will be sent directly to Agnes Irwin, and their contents will be kept confidential. By signing the form, you accept the confidentiality agreement. Alternatively, parents of applicants can make an electronic request for teacher recommendations to their daughter's current teacher(s) via our portal where you submitted your application previously. The recommendation will be sent directly to Agnes Irwin, and its contents will be kept confidential. By signing the form, you accept the confidentiality agreement. 

• Applicants to Grades 5 need to submit one teacher recommendation from their current homeroom teacher after November 1st. 
• Applicants to Grades 6-8 need to submit teacher recommendation(s) from current English and math teachers after November 1st.

Decisions and Notification

All applications that are complete by the first admission deadline, December 6, 2024, will receive notification on their admission decision prior to Agnes Irwin's Winter Break (which begins on December 20, 2024). Starting in January 2025 the Admission Committee will consider applications as they become complete and decisions will be shared within two weeks of receipt of a completed application file. All accepted families will then have until February 15, 2025 to inform us of their decision regarding enrollment by submitting an enrollment deposit and agreeing to the Perpetual Contract. For those who are accepted after February 15, 2025, their enrollment decisions must be made within two weeks of receiving an acceptance.