Our Application Process

Decided that the Mountain School is the place for you?

Review our Application and Enrollment Timeline, and then scroll down to learn more about each step in the process.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Application and Enrollment Timeline

Fall 2024: School visits and virtual info sessions take place.

September 15, 2024: Application opens for Fall ’25 and Spring ’26.

February 15, 2025: Priority application deadline (including financial aid applications) for Fall ’25 and Spring ’26.

March 7, 2025: Decisions for Fall ’25 and Spring ’26 priority candidates are released.

March 21, 2025: Enrollment decisions are due.

Spring and Summer 2025: Applications may be accepted on a rolling basis, depending on space and available financial aid.

Our admissions process has three main steps:

  • To begin the process, you’ll submit an inquiry form. After completing your inquiry, you’ll be able to set up a Meet & Greet with a member of the Admissions Team. This short chat will allow us to start getting to know you better and answer any questions you may have. 

    You’ll also have a chance to ask any questions you have about our Essential Eligibility Criteria (EEC), which you should review prior to our meeting. The EEC exists to help us ensure your safety while you are here, and you should reach out to let us know if you do not meet one. TMS’s mission is, in part, to “learn to know a place and take care of it.” We challenge students to spend time in the woods, on the farm, and in the barns and other buildings engaging in physical work, intellectual endeavors, and independent exploration. To achieve this mission, we rely on students who are self-aware, able to self-govern, capable of being trusted, responsible for managing time and space, and able to work both alone and in groups.

  • After your initial meeting with admissions staff, you’ll be able to access our online application through Blackbaud. A full application package consists of:

    • Student statements (a series of short responses and one longer essay of no more than 500 words) 

    • Two teacher recommendations, both of which must be from teachers that taught you in academic courses in high school (eg. English, history, math, science, foreign language, arts). You’ll request your recommendations through the Blackbaud portal. Occasionally students have asked to send a third recommendation from an advisor, coach, etc. Although we prefer to receive only two recommendations, if you feel very strongly that a third should be submitted, you can submit it by emailing it to us at admissions@mountainschool.org. One extra recommendation is the maximum we will accept.

    • A transcript from your current school, which should include all grades earned in high school, including the first semester/trimester of the current year (10th or 11th grade)

    • (If your family is applying for a need-based scholarship) A Parent Financial Statement with supporting documents, submitted in SSS by the application due date. More information about Tuition and Financial Aid can be found here.

    Please note that the Mountain School does not inquire about the immigration status for any applicant or family member. We also do not inquire about immigration status in our need-based scholarship decisions.

  • After decisions are released in March, you and your family will have two weeks from your notification date to decide whether to enroll at TMS, pay your deposit, and complete your contract.

    For planning purposes, our typical fall semester runs from late August through mid-December, with a break for Thanksgiving. The typical spring semester runs from the first Saturday in February through the first Saturday in June, with a 2.5-week spring break at the end of March.

Curious about our essay prompts?

Our application questions aren’t meant to be surprises or secrets!

We just want the chance to learn about you, from you, in your own voice. So here’s what we’ll ask you to share!

    1. Please list the courses you are taking this year and specify the level where appropriate.

    2. Please list your extracurricular, volunteer, and work activities in their order of importance to you (i.e. musical instrument, sport, leadership role, volunteer opportunity, etc.). We have space for 4 activities but you don't need to fill them all in - just list what is most important to you, and that you'd like us to know.

    3. How do you choose to spend your summer breaks?

    4. If you’ve had any jobs (currently or in the past), tell us about them here, including why the job/s is/were important to you and how long you worked there.

    5. Is there anything you love to do (something that is fun/exciting just for you) that isn’t on any of the lists above? Tell us about it!

    6. How did you first become interested in the Mountain School?

    7. Tell us about your family: how have they influenced who you are?

    1. Farm. Food. Forest. Future. Which aspect of the Mountain School's programming intrigues you most? What do you hope to bring to the conversation, and what do you hope to get out of it? 

    2. Tell us about a time you learned something new: what was exciting and/or challenging about it? What did you discover about yourself as a learner? 

    3. Living in community is at the core of what we do. What does community mean to you, and how have you fostered it in your world?