Questions?
Please call the Admission Office at 203-439-7250 or send us an EMAIL.
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY
Cheshire Academy admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national, and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship, and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
We are thrilled that you are applying to Cheshire Academy!
Below you will find a helpful outline of the steps necessary to complete your application for the 2023-2024 academic year, in grades 9-12 and postgraduate, and for reclassifying/repeating a year. Please note that after Feb. 1, 2023, we will accept applications on a rolling admission schedule, as space permits, to accommodate those students and families who need more time. Rest assured, there’s plenty of time for students who have started or completed their application to interview before the March 10 decision date.
Please contact the Admission Office via email or by calling 203-439-7250, for additional information.
Application Steps
1. Inquire
We’d love to hear from you. Submit an inquiry form so that we can get a dialogue started and introduce you to what Cheshire Academy has to offer.
2. Apply
To apply to Cheshire Academy, please complete and submit SSAT’s Standard Application Online (SAO). Within the SAO portal, all applicants are required to submit a student profile, transcripts, three recommendations, a parent statement, and a few short essays. A graded writing sample is optional but encouraged. If you are applying for grade 9 or 10, please provide transcripts for the current and previous school years. If you are applying for grade 11, 12, or PG, transcripts for all years completed at the high school level will be needed.
3. Testing (optional)
Submitting standardized testing is optional at Cheshire Academy. Applications with or without standardized test scores will be evaluated equally. However, for students whose first language is not English, a test of English language proficiency will be required. For more information on testing, please see guidance below:
Students in the U.S
For 9th grade and 10th grade applicants, you may register to take the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) through the SSAT website or by phone (609-683-4440). Be sure to list Cheshire Academy as the school to which you are applying. We will also accept the ISEE for 9th grade and 10th-grade applicants in lieu of the SSAT. If you choose not to take the SSAT or ISEE, you may also submit results from State or County mandated testing from the past two years.
For 11th grade, 12th grade and PG applicants, you may submit results from the PSAT, SAT, ACT or State or County mandated testing from the past two years.
International Students
For applicants whose first language is not English, we require a recent test of English aptitude. The most common test our applicants take is the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) which can be done at a testing center or, temporarily for those in countries with public health concerns, via TOEFL’s Special Home Edition test. Visit the ETS website or call 609-771-7100 for more information. Cheshire Academy’s TOEFL code is 8672. Alternatively, we also accept the IELTS and Cambridge English Exam. If there are special circumstances which make these three options impossible, please reach out to us for approval to submit an online English test like Duolingo.
4. Interview and campus tour
For the 2023-2024 school year, we welcome you to schedule either an on-campus tour and interview OR a Zoom interview. On campus tours are typically offered Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET and require an appointment. Zoom interviews are offered 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET Monday-Friday.
After the Feb. 1 deadline: Due to increased interest in CA and the high volume of applications and interview requests, online and in-person interviews will be held throughout the month of February. There is still time for students who start their application now to interview before the March 10 decision date.
Please contact the Admission Office at admission@cheshireacademy.org or 203.439.7250, to schedule your visit and/or your Zoom interview. We look forward to meeting you!
Prospective families start their visit in the Admission Office. Visitor parking spaces are located in the parking lot to the right of the building. You can download a campus map here. We look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful campus!
How to Prepare for Your Interview
While we call it an “interview,” we think of it as more of a casual conversation. We use this time to get to know each student as an individual. We generally ask questions about the student’s interests, goals, and experiences. Following a conversation with a prospective student, each parent will also have time for questions with an Admission Officer.
Although there are no standard questions, if you would like to prepare for the interview, we encourage you to think deeply about the following topics:
Do you have a subject, hobby, or interest? If so, why do you enjoy that activity?
Is there a skill or subject area that you want to get better at?
Try to think about specific things you’re excited to learn. For example, instead of just getting better at history, perhaps you want to learn more about the airplanes used in World War I because you are also interested in engineering.
Key Dates
Deadline for Admission Application and Financial Aid Application. (Contact the Admission Office if you need additional time. We will be flexible and supportive in any way we can throughout the process, as we don’t want any student to miss the opportunity to attend CA in the fall due to application issues.)
Oct. 1: Application and financial aid application become available.
Feb. 1: Deadline for Admission Application and Financial Aid Application. (After Feb. 1, we will accept applications on a “rolling admission” schedule to accommodate those students and families who need more time.)
March 10: Applicants notified of CA admission and financial aid decisions.
April 10: Enrollment decision deadline for accepted students.
April 11: Rolling admission continues as long as space remains available.