Admissions FAQs

List of 11 frequently asked questions.

• What are Bush’s main entry points? How many openings does Bush have each year?

  Kindergarten, Sixth Grade, and Ninth Grade are the main entry points at The Bush School. Each application cycle, Bush typically welcomes 36 new Kindergarteners, 25-30 new Sixth Grade students, and 25–30 new Ninth Grade students.

  
  

  New this year, Fifth Grade is a small entry point at The Bush School. We have 2-4 spaces at our Fifth Grade entry point.
  
  Openings Available for New Students:
  
  

  Lower School

  Kindergarten: 36 students

  First: 0-2 students*

  Second: 0-2 students*

  Third: 0-2 students*

  Fourth: 0-2 students*

  Fifth: 2-4 students

  Middle School

  Sixth: 25-30 students

  Seventh: 0-2 students*

  Eighth: 0-2 students*

  Upper School

  Ninth: 25-30 students

  Tenth: 2-4 students*

  Eleventh: 2-4 students*

  Twelfth: 0 students*

• Is there an age requirement for Kindergarten applicants?

  The Bush School requires that all Kindergarten students be five years of age on or before September 1 of their enrollment year.

• What kinds of learning support services are available to students?

  The Bush School K-12 Support Services team provides support to individual students, small groups, classes, and families, focusing on student wellbeing, social-emotional learning, and academic needs. Learning specialists and counselors in each division work together to meet students’ goals and needs and, when appropriate, connect families with outside resources for additional learning or therapeutic support.

  
  

  Learning support at Bush is an accommodations-based program supporting students with disabilities who qualify under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Accommodations at Bush provide access to our academic program but do not alter or modify curriculum nor do they change what a student is expected to master in the class content.

  
  

  Student academic and social-emotional support at Bush is holistic, developmentally appropriate, and interdisciplinary, connecting learning specialists, counselors, the School Wellness Coordinator, teachers, administrators, and families in a network of support to keep students safe, provide opportunities for growth, and meet students’ academic goals from Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade.

  
  Learn more on the Support Services page.

• Where do Bush students live and is there a bus to school?

  Bush students live across the greater Seattle area. While most students live in the Seattle city limits, Mercer Island, or the inner Eastside, students travel to Bush from nearly sixty different zip codes each year.

  
  

  The Bush School launched a school-sponsored bus service at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year. The school partners with Zum Transportation Services to provide bus transportation for K-12 students to and from campus. 

  
  

  Bush currently offers four bus routes: one on the Eastside that starts in Redmond and travels across the I-90 bridge, and one from South Seattle that begins near Renton and travels north. New for the 2024-2025 academic year, Bush is pleased to offer a North Seattle Route that directly services the Greenwood, Wedgwood, Ravenna, and University District neighborhoods and be a good option for families in the Ballard, Phinney Ridge, Wallingford, Green Lake, and Laurelhurst communities. Bush's fourth route services Magnolia/Queen Anne, as a good option for Magnolia, Interbay, and North and South Queen Anne.

  
  To learn more about the Bush transportation program, click here.

• Does Bush accept international applicants?

  The Bush School has a robust community of scholars hailing from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, including a very small number of international students (defined as those who do not hold U.S. citizenship or permanent residency status). Please note, The Bush School does not currently support the I-20 student visa for international students and does not offer boarding or English Language Learning services. For these reasons, international applicants must live with a family member while enrolled at The Bush School. English proficiency is also a requirement of our academic program.

• Is Standardized Testing Required?

  For the 2024-2025 admissions season, standardized testing will be a required step of The Bush School application process for Fifth through Twelfth Grade applicants. No standardized testing is required for Kindergarten through Fourth Grade applicants.

  
  

  Our test flexible policy allows applicants to submit any standardized test taken in the past two academic years (2024-2025 or 2023-2024). This includes state testing such as Smarter Balanced (SBA), MAP or CTP (ERB), STAR Assessments, Iowa Assessments, WIAT-IV, ISEE, or SSAT. There is no preference given to any particular test.

  
  

  For families applying to Bush, test fee waivers are available for the ISEE and SSAT. Families will be asked to submit financial information to the Office of Financial Aid to determine eligibility for receiving a waiver. Please contact Director of Enrollment Management Adam Choice at adam.choice@bush.edu to learn more.

• Is there an application fee waiver?

  If you are applying for financial aid as part of your application, the application fee waiver code is PSIS2025.

• How can I schedule a tour or visit campus?

  We offer tours of campus during our Parent and Guardian Preview events. Available times, dates, and additional information is available on our events page and Ravenna. Registration for these events is required on Ravenna. Please note: these tours are intended for families applying to the upcoming 2025-2026 year; the minimum application status of “started” is required to register.

• Do you interview parents and guardians as part of the application process?

  A parent and guardian interview is not part of the application process at The Bush School. We hope you can join us at events to learn more about the school and we look forward to reading the Parent/Guardian Statement in the application to learn more about your family.

• Are any parts of the application weighted more than others?

  No, we view the application holistically to get to know the student as a learner and community member and look at all pieces of the application in order to gain a complete picture of the applicant.

• What are the key dates I need to know in the 2024-2025 school year admissions process?

  Key 2024-2025 Admissions Dates:

  
  

  Applications open in Ravenna	September 1, 2024
  Application Deadline	January 16, 2025
  Financial Aid Application Deadline	February 6, 2025
  Upper School Admissions Decision Notification Date	February 21, 2025
  Upper School Reply Deadline	February 21, 2025
  Upper School Reply Deadline	February 28, 2025
  Lower and Middle School Admissions Decision Notification Date	March 21, 2025
  Lower and Middle School Reply Deadline	March 28, 2025