Three doors, three strategies
Kindergarten, Grade 6, and Grade 9 deserve equal research.
This guide shortens Holy Innocents' Episcopal School to HIES and Atlanta International School to AIS. JATP means Joint Admissions Testing Program; SSAT is the standardized admissions test used by many schools for older applicants.
This page covers who can apply where, testing, files, interviews, and decisions. For month-by-month dates, each school's deadlines, and how private and public calendars line up, use the Atlanta admissions timeline.
| Entry | Verified structure | The child's work | The parent's work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | Pace names Pre-First, not K, as its lower-school expansion point. Westminster also begins with Pre-First. | An age-appropriate observation, group visit, or JATP where required. The goal is ordinary readiness and participation, not a rehearsed performance. | Verify age cutoff, day length, assessment, separation, aftercare, and aid. Paideia's full-day K follows the regular April calendar; half-day K has a different early process. |
| Grade 6 | Pace explicitly identifies Grade 6 as an expansion grade. Marist does not serve Grade 6; it begins at Grade 7. | Expect a student interview or on-campus evaluation plus SSAT, records, and teacher recommendations. Pace requires SSAT, an interview, records, and English, math, and principal/counselor evaluations. | Ask whether Grade 6 is true expansion, normal division entry, or attrition. Ask how new students integrate. At a terminal-grade school, ask about secondary placement before enrolling. |
| Grade 9 | Pace calls Grade 9 an expansion grade. Marist publishes Grade 9 as one of its two main entries. | Own the interview and written work, understand the program, and explain interests without pretending to be a finished adult. SSAT is not universal; AIS calls standardized testing optional on a mixed-cycle page. | Ask about transfer credit, language and math placement, athletic or arts time, graduation requirements, counseling, and whether transportation supports a full Upper School day. |
Published K paths include Lovett, Woodward, Paideia full-day K, Galloway, HIES, Trinity, Wesleyan, AIS, The Children's School, and Friends. Ask whether a K seat exists rather than relabeling Pre-First.
Age rules differ: Paideia uses an August 31 cutoff, while Pace and several others use September 1. Pace may also issue a readiness-based Wait-A-Year decision. Settle eligibility and the school's actual entry grade before paying for testing.
At Grade 6, Trinity serves through the grade, Paideia treats it as elementary, and Friends continues through Grade 8. Additional verified options are Woodward, Galloway, HIES, Lovett, Westminster, Wesleyan, AIS, Walker, and Mount Vernon.
Woodward describes every ninth grader as new to Upper School as a division, but not every student is new to Woodward.Other verified Grade 9 options are Lovett, Westminster, Galloway, HIES, Wesleyan, AIS, Walker, Paideia, and Mount Vernon. Trinity, Friends, and The Children's School do not serve Grade 9.
Equal coverage does not mean identical lists. A family applying at all three ages should create three separate school grids. The K grid centers on developmental fit and family logistics; Grade 6 adds the transition into subject-based academics and adolescent support; Grade 9 must include the student's own academic, social, and extracurricular judgment.
Dates and deadlines
The Fall 2027 calendar has its own page.
Application, testing, aid, and reply dates for each school are in the Atlanta admissions timeline, with public and charter dates beside them. AAAIS member schools share April decision and reply dates; almost everything before April differs by school.
Representative schools, not rankings
Use the matrix to find questions—not a winner.
This is a deliberately varied reporting set: traditional and progressive; single-sex and coed; faith-centered and secular; intown, northside, south metro, northeast metro, and Cobb; broad-range and specialized. Inclusion is not an endorsement, and omission is not a judgment.
| School / geography | K | Grade 6 | Grade 9 | Evidence-backed planning note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pace · Buckhead | Pre-First is the named expansion; verify K availability. | Expansion grade | Expansion grade | Ravenna; JATP for lower grades, SSAT and interview for 6/9. No routine home-to-school transportation. |
| Westminster · Buckhead | School begins Pre-First; K opening unknown publicly. | Served; verify opening count | Served; verify opening count | Incomplete-by-deadline applications are reviewed only after April and can receive no better than waitlist in the initial round. |
| Lovett · northwest / Vinings edge | Natural expansion; seat count unpublished | Natural expansion; seat count unpublished | Natural expansion; seat count unpublished | K–12 coed school using Ravenna and the AAAIS April dates; Grade 2 is closed for Fall 2027, and application checklists differ by division. |
| Woodward · College Park / Johns Creek PK–6 | Yes | Yes; campus matters | Main campus | The strongest published transportation infrastructure in this set: regional buses, a late bus, and a College Park MARTA shuttle. Verify route and seat annually. |
| Paideia · Druid Hills / eastside | Full-day and separate half-day pathways | Elementary program | High school | Grade 6 requires student and parent interviews plus English, math, and school evaluations. Aid is limited, especially in younger grades. |
| Galloway · Chastain Park | Yes; age 5 by Sept. 1 | Middle Learning | Upper Learning | Current deadlines coexist with old observation/test dates on the FAQ. Use Ravenna for the actual 2027 appointment. |
| HIES · Sandy Springs | JATP / school evaluation | SSAT / on-campus evaluation | SSAT / on-campus evaluation | HIES says a psychological evaluation may substitute for JATP in some circumstances; ask before scheduling. |
| Trinity · northwest Atlanta | Yes | Yes, terminal grade | Not served | A Grade 6 family should investigate secondary-school placement support and the social meaning of entering for one year. |
| Wesleyan · Peachtree Corners | Yes; age 5 by Sept. 1 | Yes; aid starts at Grade 6 | Yes | Explicit Christian mission. K–5 use JATP and school evaluation; Grades 6–12 use SSAT, interview, and an extracurricular evaluator. |
| AIS · Buckhead / Sandy Springs | Yes | Yes; verify campus/program | Yes | IB and language-immersion context; year-round applications are considered where space is available. Public application dates are stale, so use myAIS for Fall 2027. |
| Marist · Brookhaven | Not served | Not served; starts Grade 7 | Primary entry | Catholic mission; Grade 9 shadow events and SSAT. The school publishes a Dunwoody MARTA shuttle and carpool support. |
| Walker · Marietta | Yes | Yes | Yes | PK3–12 with a separate Primary campus; annual bus routes are first-come. Confirm the exact campus and stop. |
| Mount Vernon · Sandy Springs | Lower campus | Upper campus begins Grade 6 | Upper campus | Public admissions and aid deadlines remain prior-cycle as of review. Do not copy them into a 2027 calendar. |
| The Children's School · Midtown | Yes | Not served | Not served | Current Fall 2027 process says the school does not require JATP or additional standardized testing beyond current-school records. |
| Friends School · Decatur / eastside | Yes | Yes | Not served | K–8 Quaker school. Current checklist asks families to disclose applicable IEP, 504, and psychoeducational information so the school can evaluate fit. |
| Schenck · specialized | Verify current grade and opening directly. | A dyslexia-specialized option should be evaluated through its instructional purpose, not compared as a conventional general-purpose school. | ||
Testing without folklore
JATP and SSAT are common tools—not universal entrance exams.
| Assessment | Where it appears | What the evidence says | Parent move |
|---|---|---|---|
| JATP | K–5 at participating Atlanta-area schools | HIES and Pace explicitly say there is no advantage to waiting so a child is older. Westminster's prior-cycle family guide describes it as developmental and only one part of review. | Book a workable date, keep the tone low-pressure, and send the result only where required. Confirm each school's deadline. |
| SSAT | Common for Grades 6–12, school-specific | Pace and HIES publish January 30, 2027 as their final standard test date. HIES says it accepts multiple scores. Wesleyan's Fall 2027 deadline is February 6. | Register early enough to preserve a retest option, but do not assume every school requires it or superscores it. Verify score delivery in both the testing and school portals. |
| School evaluation | All three entry points, format varies | HIES publishes on-campus evaluations; Pace uses observation for younger applicants and interviews for Grades 6 and 9; Wesleyan adds school evaluation for K–5 and interview for Grades 6–12. | Ask who participates, duration, whether it is individual or group, and what accommodations are available. |
| No added standardized test | Some schools / grades | The Children's School says it does not require JATP or an additional standardized test. AIS describes secondary standardized testing as optional on a mixed-cycle page. | Never send an optional score automatically. Ask whether it would add information that the file otherwise lacks. |
| Existing evaluation | Accommodation or fit review | HIES says a psychological evaluation may substitute for JATP in some circumstances. Friends requests applicable IEP, 504, and psychoeducational documentation. | Ask admissions before testing; disclose candidly and discuss what support the school can actually deliver. |
Westminster, Pace, HIES, Wesleyan, Whitefield, GAC, Heritage, Marist, and St. Pius use SSAT in at least one target grade. Galloway accepts SSAT or ISEE. Walker may use ordinary school testing; Paideia and The Children's School do not require an entrance exam. One SSAT score therefore does not complete every Atlanta file.
Familiarity with format can reduce anxiety. Turning the assessment into a months-long identity project can hide the information a family and school need about fit. A score is one data point; it is not a verdict on a five-, eleven-, or fourteen-year-old.
The file is a system
One Ravenna login does not mean one Atlanta application.
Pace, Lovett, Galloway, HIES, Trinity, Wesleyan, Paideia, and Mount Vernon direct families to Ravenna for at least part of the process. That can reuse basic information, but each school still controls its own questions, recommendations, records, visits, and deadlines.
Woodward publishes its own admissions portal. AIS uses myAIS powered by Veracross.
Aid systems differ again. Many schools use Clarity. Wesleyan uses School and Student Services (SSS); Walker publishes Blackbaud Financial Aid.
| Component | What can go wrong | Better practice |
|---|---|---|
| Family statement | Writing a brochure back to the school. | Describe the child with specific, current examples: how they enter a group, persist, recover, ask for help, and contribute. |
| Student writing | An adult erases the Grade 6 or Grade 9 voice. | Let the student own the substance and wording. Adults can ask whether it is clear and complete, not manufacture polish. |
| Recommendations | Requesting too early, from the wrong teacher, or informally. | Follow each portal's instructions and timing. Give educators notice without scripting what they should say. |
| Records | Assuming a school office upload has cleared every checklist. | Check receipt school by school. Preserve report cards, testing, attendance, and requested disciplinary or support records. |
| Learning documentation | Hiding information until after enrollment. | Share current relevant documents and ask what services, staffing, frequency, and course access would apply to this child. |
| Aid | Treating admission and aid as one deadline. | Make a separate checklist for Clarity, SSS, or Blackbaud, including tax documents and school-specific supplements. |
Paideia illustrates why a row-by-row checklist matters. Its current Grade 6 file asks for roughly two and a half years of transcripts, English and math evaluations, a principal/counselor form, and student and parent interviews. Its high-school pathway adds a student application and graded assignment. Similar school names do not imply similar files.
Visits and interviews
The best preparation is attention, not choreography.
| Entry | Likely format | What the school may need to learn | How to prepare honestly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | Observation, play, group activity, or school evaluation | Separation, engagement, language, regulation, motor behavior, and how the child relates to adults and peers. | Explain where the parent will be, arrive rested, and avoid promising an outcome. Do not drill clever answers. |
| Grade 6 | Student interview, group evaluation, shadow, or visit | Whether the child can reflect, participate, handle transition, and use the school's actual program. | Review the school day, choose two genuine questions, and practice telling one concrete story about learning and one about community. |
| Grade 9 | Student interview, shadow, essay, and/or on-campus evaluation | Academic readiness, self-knowledge, interests, independence, and reasons for changing schools. | Let the teenager name the fit and the concern. Parents should not answer a student-directed question unless invited. |
| Parent conversation | Interview, questionnaire, information session | Whether the family understands the school and can communicate candidly about the child and partnership. | Bring one strength, one live edge, and a specific support or logistics question. Avoid status language and competitor gossip. |
Formats are grade-specific. Westminster interviews applicants in Grades 6–12 and adds a group activity in Grades 6–8. Pace interviews Middle and Upper School applicants. Lovett uses an interactive experience for Grades 6–8 and an interview or assessment for Grades 9–12. HIES schedules on-campus evaluations by grade.
For a learning difference, family transition, disciplinary history, or uneven record, explain the facts plainly and show what has changed. Relocating families should ask in writing which steps can be remote and whether aid remains available.
Use visit access strategically. Pace publishes shadow visits for Grade 6 and Grade 9. Marist publishes a Grade 9 shadow program. HIES and Wesleyan publish event menus for their own process. An open house is useful for broad orientation; a shadow can reveal the transitions, noise, pacing, and peer behavior a brochure cannot.
Decisions and waitlists
Use the April reply window to verify the details that matter.
AAAIS's common calendar reduces pressure by placing general-purpose member schools on the same decision and reply dates. Its quiet-period guidance says schools should not initiate contact after notification, while families may contact schools. Read silence accordingly: it is not evidence that a school has lost interest.
| Result | What to do | What not to assume |
|---|---|---|
| Admit | Read contract and aid together. Resolve tuition, deposit, support, transport, calendar, and sibling logistics before reply. | That prestige compensates for a daily-life mismatch. |
| Waitlist / wait pool | Follow the school's instructions, state continued interest only if genuine, and enroll elsewhere by that school's deadline. | That position is ranked, movement is predictable, or an extra letter changes structural capacity. |
| Deny | Protect the child's privacy and dignity; close the loop briefly, then move attention to viable options. | That a complex enrollment decision defines the child. |
| Late application | Ask whether the file can be completed and when it will be read. Specialized learning-needs schools may follow different, including rolling, timetables under AAAIS guidance. | That one common April date means one common late policy. |
Westminster is unusually explicit about completion: an application incomplete by its deadline is considered only after April and can receive no better than waitlist in the initial notification. That is a reminder to audit the portal, not merely press “submit.”
Our candid read
What Atlanta's published process reveals.
The market is less standardized than it looks. JATP is common for younger children, SSAT is common for older children, and Ravenna is widespread.
Yet The Children's School does not require JATP. AIS calls secondary testing optional on its public process page. Aid systems split among Clarity, SSS, and Blackbaud. “Atlanta process” is useful shorthand only at the highest level.
Entry-grade honesty improves a list. Pace publicly names its expansion grades. Marist publicly identifies Grade 7 and Grade 9 as the main doors. Trinity ends at Grade 6. Paideia keeps Grade 6 inside elementary. These structural facts are more useful than internet theories about who has a connection.
Transportation can reverse the apparent geography.Woodward's College Park campus may become more accessible through a bus or MARTA shuttle than a closer school with no home-to-school transportation. Pace's explicit lack of routine transportation may make an otherwise short distance parent-intensive. Test systems, not mileage.
Financial-aid candor varies—and candor is useful.Paideia says its aid is limited and weighted to older grades. Woodward says aid begins at Grade 4 and most grants are under half tuition. AIS says an award may not meet full demonstrated need.
Those statements are not reasons to avoid applying. They are reasons to build a list with more than one financially viable outcome.
Sources and further research
Where to verify and keep reading
We favor direct links to the exact page or document a family may need next. Access dates matter because admissions, tuition, leadership, and programs change.
- Admissions Information
Atlanta Area Association of Independent Schools · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 common notification calendar and general process guidance
- About AAAIS
Atlanta Area Association of Independent Schools · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Association scope and purpose
- How to Choose Among Private Schools in Atlanta
Atlanta Area Association of Independent Schools · Accessed August 31, 2026 · July 2026 parent guidance and need-based-aid context
- Best Practice Guidelines
Atlanta Area Association of Independent Schools · Accessed August 31, 2026 · 2023 association guidance; policy context, not a Fall 2027 calendar
- Joint Admissions Testing Program
JATP · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Official Atlanta-area K–5 assessment program
- SSAT
Enrollment Management Association · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Official registration and family information
- What Level of the SSAT Will My Student Need to Take?
Admission.org / EMA · Accessed August 31, 2026
- Ravenna application hub
Ravenna · Accessed August 31, 2026
- Applying to Pace
Pace Academy · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 expansion grades, requirements, and deadlines
- Admissions FAQs
Pace Academy · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Testing, school day, and transportation
- Tours and Events
Pace Academy · Accessed August 31, 2026
- Tuition and Financial Aid
Pace Academy · Accessed August 31, 2026 · 2026–27 cost baseline and Fall 2027 aid process
- Welcome to Westminster Admissions
The Westminster Schools · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 dates and grade range
- Application Process
The Westminster Schools · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 completion and evaluation policy
- Tuition and Financial Assistance
The Westminster Schools · Accessed August 31, 2026 · 2026–27 tuition and included-cost detail
- Financial Assistance
The Westminster Schools · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 Clarity dates and sample-net-tuition caveat
- Admissions JATP and SSAT Guide for Parents
The Westminster Schools · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Prior-cycle 2026–27 guide; used only for assessment philosophy
- Admission
The Lovett School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 common-calendar dates and school scope
- Application Process
The Lovett School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Division-specific application requirements
- Tuition and Financial Aid
The Lovett School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 Clarity deadline and decision date
- New-Family Summer Checklist
The Lovett School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · 2026–27 operational context; not a Fall 2027 transport promise
- Admissions
Woodward Academy · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 deadlines and portal
- Tuition and Financial Aid
Woodward Academy · Accessed August 31, 2026 · 2026–27 tuition, fees, learning support, and aid eligibility
- Student Transportation
Woodward Academy · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Bus, late bus, MARTA shuttle, and route-planning tools
- Upper School: Grades 9–12
Woodward Academy · Accessed August 31, 2026
- Primary School: Pre-K–Grade 3
Woodward Academy · Accessed August 31, 2026
- Apply Now
The Paideia School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 requirements and deadlines by level
- Tuition and Financial Aid
The Paideia School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · 2026–27 costs and candid Fall 2027 aid limits
- Admissions FAQ
The Paideia School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Age rules and process; page includes mixed-cycle material
- Application Process
The Galloway School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 Ravenna opening
- Admissions FAQ
The Galloway School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 deadlines alongside stale 2026 visit/test dates
- Affordability
The Galloway School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · 2026–27 tuition baseline
- Financial Assistance
The Galloway School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 aid timeline and need-based policy
- Financial Assistance FAQ
The Galloway School · Accessed August 31, 2026
- Apply to HIES
Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 testing, evaluation, and deadlines
- Admissions FAQ
Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · JATP, SSAT, and alternate-evaluation policy
- Tuition and Financial Assistance
Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School · Accessed August 31, 2026
- Get to Know HIES
Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School · Accessed August 31, 2026
- Start Your Journey
Trinity School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 K–Grade 6 admissions calendar
- Affording a Trinity Education
Trinity School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · 2026–27 tuition and Fall 2027 aid dates
- Application Process
Wesleyan School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 requirements and deadlines
- Tuition and Financial Aid
Wesleyan School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · 2026–27 tuition and Fall 2027 SSS aid process
- Admissions FAQs
Wesleyan School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Age, mission, and transportation guidance
- Visit Wesleyan
Wesleyan School · Accessed August 31, 2026
- Admissions
Atlanta International School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Year-round availability, school model, and campuses
- Application Process
Atlanta International School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · myAIS process; public page is mixed-cycle and not a Fall 2027 calendar
- Financial Aid
Atlanta International School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 Clarity process; page contains a stray prior-year reference
- Tuition and Financial Aid
Atlanta International School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · 2026–27 tuition and additional fees
- Transportation
Atlanta International School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Current route and fee baseline; confirm Fall 2027
- Student Support Services
Atlanta International School · Accessed August 31, 2026
- Important Dates and School Hours
Atlanta International School · Accessed August 31, 2026
- Application Process
Marist School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 Grade 7 and Grade 9 entry, requirements, and dates
- Admissions
Marist School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Program, aid, support, and transit context
- Admissions Events
Marist School · Accessed August 31, 2026
- Admission
The Walker School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · School range and campus context
- Frequently Asked Questions
The Walker School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 deadlines and transportation summary
- Tuition and Financial Aid
The Walker School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 Blackbaud aid process
- Transportation
The Walker School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · 2026–27 routes and fee baseline; confirm Fall 2027
- Map and Directions
The Walker School · Accessed August 31, 2026
- Admissions
The Mount Vernon School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · School process and 2026 events; deadline text remains prior-cycle
- Tuition
The Mount Vernon School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · 2026–27 tuition; some optional-fee text is older
- Financial Assistance
The Mount Vernon School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Prior-cycle public dates; policy context only
- Admission
The Schenck School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Specialized dyslexia-school admissions context
- Tuition and Financial Aid
The Schenck School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · 2026–27 cost baseline
- Admissions
The Children’s School · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 K–Grade 5 process without JATP
- Apply
The Friends School of Atlanta · Accessed August 31, 2026 · Fall 2027 K–Grade 8 process and disclosure requirements