ADMISSION FAQ

Due to the high interest in our program, tours are held by appointment. It’s best for us to answer general questions by email. The first step in the application process is a virtual information session to learn more about the school. Once we have received your application, we will invite you to a Family/Child event or a classroom tour and observation.

We do not keep a waiting list from year-to-year. Families who apply and are not offered a space in a program are added to a wait pool for that application year should a space become available. We try to balance our classes by age, gender, and classroom needs within the immersion language.

Applications are available in October and should be submitted by the first round consideration deadline for the best chance at securing a space.

There are a lot of points to consider! First, we try to balance our classes by age, gender, and classroom needs. All of this is considered for each immersion language class and based on your first and second choice language options. We prioritize families of current staff members, siblings of re-enrolling students, families with a heritage connection to the language of the classroom, and families coming from a Montessori school or with a connection to Montessori education.

For the Toddler program, children need to be 18 months old as of August 31. Children generally transition out of the Toddler program after they turn three and have spent at least a year in the Toddler program. Children transition to Early Childhood programs in January and at the beginning of the school year. We cannot accept children into the Toddler program who will turn three in their first semester at IMS; those children should apply for an Early Childhood January start date.

For Early Childhood classrooms, children must be 3 years old as of August 31 and independent in their toileting. Children generally spend three years in the Early Childhood classroom, but some might spend 4 years depending on their birthdate. Children must be 5 as of August 31 to be considered a kindergartener.

For the Elementary programs, we use August 31 as a the cut-off date for grade level bands:

• 1st grade - 6 as of August 31
• 2nd grade - 7 as of August 31
• 3rd grade - 8 as of August 31
• 4th grade - 9 as of August 31
• 5th grade - 10 as of August 31
• 6th grade - 11 as of August 31 

For Toddler and Early Childhood programs children do not need previous experience in the lanuage of the classroom.

At the Elementary level, students can be considered for admission into first grade with no prior experience in the immersion language. Children new to language immersion spend their first year learning to understand and process a new language. Because the lower elementary curriculum uses so many manipulatives to teach concepts, young students continue their learning in all academic areas but at a somewhat slower pace. Students with extensive experience in the immersion language of the classroom can be considered for admission for second through sixth grades.