Become a Brightworks
Family
A Step-By-Step Guide to Rolling Admissions
Welcome!
We are excited that you are interested in applying to Brightworks. If you’re searching for a more engaging, thoughtful, experiential learning environment, you’ve found it!
Our school accepts students on a Rolling basis - meaning that we accept applications outside of the traditional application calendar until all spots are filled. Students who apply for Rolling Admissions in ages/grades that have all spots filled will be applying to join our wait pool.
Our goal is to learn about you and your learner through the application, teacher evaluations, a family conversation, a Brightworks tour and a student visit. We also love connecting prospective families with current families, so let us know if that may be of interest. Please reach out anytime with questions or to get a dialogue started!
Step 1: Get to know us
Read more about the goings-on at Brightworks by reading our blog or following us through social media! Updates are posted by staff and current parents.
From our origins to the day-to-day experience, our informational videos walk you through the basics of what Brightworks looks and feels like, narrated by members of our team. You’re invited to scan through the videos to get a sense of our curriculum and pedagogical approach.
Step 2: Fill out an Application
Ravenna Hub Application
We take your application very seriously, and consider it to be a critically important part of the process of discovering whether there is a good fit between Brightworks and your student, and Brightworks and your entire family.
Given Brightworks’ unique approach to a child’s education, it is important that both the school and family applying have ample opportunity to explore ideas, questions, thoughts, and feelings, and our application serves as a springboard for those later conversations.
We are supported by the online application system Ravenna. This is where families can sign up for an account and use the online system to track required materials and application status.
Once all applications, application fee, and supporting materials are received, we will be in touch! Every family is welcome to apply, and should contact us if the application fee presents a hardship for your family.
Step 3: Learn about Tuition Assistance
Tuition And Aid Information
Tuition for the 2024/2025 school year is $41,853. Brightworks is dedicated to providing tuition assistance where needed, and currently assists over a third of our families. Our tuition assistance is primarily reserved for families with demonstrated inability to pay for full tuition. We encourage families who are experiencing financial hardship to fill out the application on Clarity which helps us assess families’ ability to pay for tuition. Please read our Tuition & Aid page for more information about tuition assistance.
We also encourage lower-income families applying to private school for the first time to apply for tuition funding through the BASIC fund. Please visit their website for more information.
Step 4: Family Conversations
After submitting the application, we contact applicant families to arrange a conversation with our Admissions Team. These conversations happen over Zoom and will last 45 minutes. We will be in touch with scheduling information with the adults in your family and our admissions team. This conversation is aimed at deepening your understanding of our approach and clarifying our understanding of your needs and aspirations so we can figure out if Brightworks is the right fit for your family.
Step 5: Student Visits
One of our favorite parts of the admissions process is meeting prospective students during a visit to the school. We will arrange this with your family once we’ve received your application materials.
Step 6: Notification of Acceptance
Admissions decisions are made thoughtfully, based primarily on the family’s and school’s shared vision regarding educational approaches and practices. There is no preference given for the date your application is received, although we do give priority to siblings of current students.
Students to whom we are not able to offer admission will be placed in our wait pool upon request, in case there are fall, winter, or spring admissions openings.