Admissions

Welcome to Germantown Academy

Germantown Academy’s private school admissions process is family centered and ensures that prospective families and students are provided with the thoughtful information they need to best understand our program, mission, and community values, while parent input, school information, and admissions assessments help us get to know each applicant.

Our goal is to ensure that our students are in the best position possible to be both happy and successful at GA by learning as much as we can about them, and by offering them the opportunity to learn about our school community.

Learn About Lower School

Learn About Middle School

Learn About Upper School

admissions process

how to apply to ga

Lower School (PreK-1st Grade)

Inquiry Form

NEW FAMILIES:

To begin the admissions process at Germantown Academy, please submit the online INQUIRY form. You will be asked to create a password-protected account to join our Admissions Portal. The Germantown Academy Admissions portal will allow you to monitor all steps of the admissions process. Should you forget your Germantown Academy Admissions Portal username or password, please go to the: Admissions Portal Reset Login Page

CURRENT GA FAMILIES:

Please enter the Germantown Academy Admissions Portal through your existing family account where you will be prompted to ADD NEW APPLICANT. The Germantown Academy Admissions Portal will allow you to monitor all steps of the admissions process.

Submit Application

Complete Additional Steps

Please complete the following steps as you are able.

Admissions Appointments

These required and important steps help families learn about GA and allow them to add their voices to the admissions file.

Student Visit Day: Saturday Visit Day in December
Parent/Guardian Information Meeting: Virtual meeting conducted via Zoom

School Information

Forms for these items are available through the Veracross portal and must be submitted by parents/guardians.

Teacher Recommendation from current teacher (available after October 15 in the Admissions portal).
Transcripts/School Records if available.

Testing

Germantown Academy Admissions Assessment is required and will take place on campus.

Decisions

Resource Media

Lower School (2nd-5th Grade)

Inquiry Form

NEW FAMILIES:

CURRENT GA FAMILIES:

Submit Application

Complete Additional Steps

Please complete the following steps as you are able.

Admissions Appointments

These required and important steps help families learn about GA and allow them to add their voices to the admission file.

Student Visit Days: 2-day visit to GA in their current grade
Parent/Guardian Information Meeting: Virtual meeting conducted via Zoom

School Information

Forms for these items are available through the Veracross portal and must be submitted by parents/guardians.

Teacher Recommendation from current teacher (available after October 15 in the Admissions portal).
- Optional Teacher Recommendation from second teacher of choice.
Transcripts/School Records

Testing

WISC-V testing is required for all 2nd-5th Grade applicants. This outside admissions testing must be scheduled by parents/guardians. For any questions related to this step, please contact the Office of Admissions, Enrollment, and Financial Aid.

Decisions

Resource Media

5th Grade students leading the red and blue teams for Field Day

Middle School (6th grade - 8th grade)

Inquiry Form

NEW FAMILIES:

CURRENT GA FAMILIES:

Submit Application

Complete Additional Steps

Please complete the following steps as you are able.

Admissions Appointments

These required and important steps help families learn about GA and allow them to add their voices to the admissions file.

Student Visit Day:
- 6th Grade: 1 day at GA in the grade to which they are applying so they can experience that division. Includes Student Interview and in-house assessment.
- 7th and 8th Grades: 1 day in their current grade. Includes Student Interview and in-house assessment.
Parent/Guardian Information Meeting: Virtual meeting conducted via Zoom.

School Information

Forms for these items are available through the Veracross portal and must be submitted by parents/guardians.

Transcripts/School Records
Teacher Recommendations (available after October 15 in the Admissions portal):
- Teacher Recommendation from current English Teacher
- Teacher Recommendation from current Math Teacher
- Optional Teacher Recommendation from another teacher of choice

Testing

Applicants for 6th-8th Grades are required to take the ISEE or SSAT independent school admissions test. GA accepts either test. For any questions related to this step, please contact the Office of Admissions, Enrollment, and Financial Aid.

Decisions

Resource Media

3 Middle School students on the bridge over the Wissahickon Creek

upper school (9th - 11th grade)

Inquiry Form

NEW FAMILIES:

CURRENT GA FAMILIES:

Submit Application

Complete Additional Steps

Please complete the following steps as you are able.

Admissions Appointments

These required and important steps help families learn about GA and allow them to add their voices to the admissions file.

Student Visit Day:
- 9th Grade:1 day at GA in the grade to which they are applying so they can experience that division. Includes Student Interview and in-house assessment.
- 10th and 11th Grades: 1 day in their current grade. Includes Student Interview and in-house assessment.
Parent/Guardian Information Meeting: Virtual meeting conducted via Zoom.

School Information

Forms for these items are available through the Veracross portal and must be submitted by parents/guardians.

Transcripts/School Records
Teacher Recommendations (available after October 15 in the Admissions portal):
- Teacher Recommendation from current English Teacher
- Teacher Recommendation from current Math Teacher
- Optional Teacher Recommendation from another teacher of choice

Testing

Applicants for 9th-11th Grades are required to take the ISEE or SSAT independent school admissions test. GA accepts either test. For any questions related to this step, please contact the Office of Admissions, Enrollment, and Financial Aid.

Decisions

Resource Media

Upper School students working together on a biology lab

Inquire Now

View Admissions Events

Admissions Timeline

Germantown Academy accepts applications for PreK-11th Grade throughout the year. Please note, GA does not accept applications for 12th Grade. We fill available spaces beginning with our First Round decisions in January and then through our Rolling Admissions process from February until all spaces are filled.

Traditional Entry Grades: PreK, Kindergarten, 5^th Grade, 6^th Grade, 7^th Grade, and 9^th Grade.

Non-Traditional Entry Grades have limited space availability, which is typically based on attrition.

Age Cutoff: Germantown Academy follows a September 1 age cutoff. PreK students are 4 years old by September 1 of the year they enter GA and must be fully potty trained to enter PreK. Kindergarten students are 5 years old by September 1 of the year they enter GA, etc.

First Round Admissions

If you would like to be considered in the First Round of admissions decisions for January notification, your admissions file must be complete by December 11. We recommend that you submit your online application by October 15 in order to meet this deadline.

Recommended Timeline

September

Submit Application – While we do not have an application deadline, we recommend submitting an application as soon as possible or by October 15 so that we may ensure scheduling all of your GA appointments by December 11.

School Records – Please have your child’s school forward an Official School Report starting October 15 (We ask you to forward fall grades as soon as they are available).

October

December

Application (First Round) - File must be complete by December 11.

Rolling Admissions - All applicants whose admissions files are complete after December 11 will be considered in our Rolling Admissions process and notification will begin on February 16. Please note, we typically fill many of our 9th Grade spaces in our First Round Admissions, so we encourage you to follow the suggested timeline.

January

February

Enrollment Contracts (First Round) - Due February 16. Any family in need of an extension to this date is welcome to contact the Admissions, Enrollment, and Financial Aid Office.

February-August

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Admissions FAQ

What is the admissions process at Germantown Academy?

Complete the inquiry form
To submit the full application, complete the following forms in our admission portal: Family Information, Parent Questionnaire, Student Questionnaire as applicable, and Application Fee
Sign up for your Parent/Guardian Information Meeting
Schedule a Campus Tour or attend an am@GA admission event
Student Visit Day
- PreK/Kindergarten/1st Grade: Saturday Visit in December
- 2nd-5th Grades: 2-day visit in current grade
- 6th Grade: 1-day visit in 6th Grade, optional social visit in 5th Grade
- 7th and 8th Grades: 1-day visit in their current grade
- 9th Grade: 1-day visit in 9th Grade, optional social visit in 8th Grade
- 10th and 11th Grades: 1-day visit in their current grade
Student Assessment/Admission Testing
- PreK/Kindergarten/1st Grade: Early Childhood Assessment
- 2nd-5th Grades: WISC-V assessment
- Middle and Upper School: ISEE or SSAT
Submit required teacher recommendations
- Lower School: Recommendation from current teacher
- Middle and Upper School: One from current math teacher and one from current English/Language Arts teacher
Submit transcript (waived for PreK and Kindergarten applicants)

When should I start the application process at Germantown Academy?

How do I begin the admissions process at Germantown Academy?

What is the age cut off for GA students?

Which grades have the most openings at Germantown Academy?

Our traditional entry grades are PreK, K, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th.

We typically have the following spaces available:

PreK: 24
Kindergarten: 16
5th: 10
6th: 10
7th: 8
9th: 40

All other grades typically have between 5-10 openings, although these numbers can fluctuate from year to year. We encourage applications to all grades; however, we currently do not accept applications for 12th Grade.

Does Germantown Academy require Admissions testing?

GA Admissions testing varies with the developmental stages of each child.

Applicants to our PreK, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade must complete an on-campus 1:1 assessment and parents will be provided a link for an online sign up. Applicants to 2nd through 5th Grades must submit a WISC-V evaluation and parents are responsible for scheduling this evaluation. Applicants for 6th through 11th Grades must take either the SSAT or the ISEE, also to be scheduled by parents.

What documents are required to apply?

Teacher Recommendation(s)

Teacher Recommendation forms are available through the Veracross Admission Portal. Families must send the link to the teacher via the portal. All teacher recommendations are confidential and must be sent directly from the teacher to our Office of Admissions, Enrollment, and Financial Aid after October 15. Recommendations received before October 15, or those not completed by the current academic teacher, will not be accepted for the applicant’s file.

Official Transcript

For students applying for 1st Grade through 11th Grade, please submit the school records release form to your child’s current school. Schools should forward to our Office of Admissions, Enrollment, and Financial Aid official transcripts including current grades, past school reports, and all testing scores. Fall semester grades must be included. Use this email - gaprocess@germantownacademy.org - to forward the information to GA.

Is there an application fee?

Does Germantown Academy Offer Financial Aid?

How do I learn more about the curriculum at Germantown Academy?

What are the class sizes at Germantown Academy?

What transportation options are available?

While some students arrive to school by car or take SEPTA, there are many students who ride their school district bus to GA each day. The only school districts that transport students to and from GA are within 10 miles of Fort Washington.

The following districts currently serve the transportation needs of GA students: Abington, Centennial, Central Bucks, Cheltenham, Colonial, Hatboro-Horsham, Lower Merion, Lower Moreland, Methacton, Norristown, North Penn, Perkiomen Valley, Philadelphia (for grades 1-8; a student fare card can be provided for students in Grades 8 through 12), Springfield, Upper Dublin, Upper Merion, Upper Moreland, and Wissahickon.

What are the entry grades at Germantown Academy?

Are there additional fees beyond tuition at GA?

How does Honors placement work in the Upper School?

Germantown Academy believes students benefit most from rigorous coursework that prioritizes deep learning, intellectual curiosity, and meaningful engagement with subject matter. While we offer Advanced Placement courses in disciplines where they align with our educational goals, many of our advanced classes are designed as Honors courses. This approach allows faculty to go beyond a standardized AP curriculum, explore topics in greater depth, incorporate original research and discussion-based learning, and tailor instruction to student interests. Colleges recognize the rigor of these courses, and students continue to be exceptionally well-prepared for success in college and beyond.

Placement in Honors classes may be based on teacher or department chair recommendation, performance on placement tests, grades, and more.

What is the Math course placement policy in Upper School?

Students New to Germantown Academy Upper School

The scope and sequence of mathematics courses differ from school to school. To help with placement, most students new to GA take a placement exam in April prior to their first year at GA.
- Students that have not yet studied Algebra 1 will be placed in GA’s Algebra B course and will not need to take a placement exam.
- Students who are taking Algebra 1 or Geometry at their current school will be given an initial placement recommendation for a GA math course based on the student’s admissions file. A placement exam and/or a conversation with the Upper School Math Department Chair may be needed, depending upon a student’s previous coursework.
- Students studying courses at their current school beyond Algebra 1 and Geometry will have a conversation with the Upper School Math Department Chair to determine what placement makes sense for them. A placement exam may be required to help determine placement in a GA math course

Students enrolled in Honors math are expected to finish the year with a grade of B- or better on the final exam or have a B or better in the course after the final exam.

Inquire Now

View Admissions Events

Please contact the Office of Admissions, Enrollment, and Financial Aid if you have any questions at admissions@germantownacademy.org or 267-405-7070. We are always happy to help.

Germantown Academy Non-Discrimination Policy

Germantown Academy is committed to a policy of non-discrimination in all aspects of our community’s actions and relationships on any basis including but not limited to race, religion, ancestry, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, familial status, disability, veteran status, or national origin. As required by Title IX, GA does not discriminate in the consideration of applications for admission on the basis of sex.

Germantown Academy welcomes students of all backgrounds. If you would like either translation or interpretation services during the admissions process, please CLICK HERE to send an email request to the Office of Admissions, Enrollment, and Financial Aid. Thank you!

Philadelphia Region Independent School Enrollment Consortium (PRISEC)

Germantown Academy is a member of the Philadelphia Region Independent School Enrollment Consortium (PRISEC).

As part of our shared commitment to a fair and transparent admissions process for families exploring independent schools across the Greater Philadelphia region, PRISEC member schools have agreed upon the following common admissions process dates:

Earliest Application Deadline: December 1
Earliest Notification Date: January 10
Earliest Commitment Deadline: February 15

If you’ve been asked to reply to an offer of enrollment or scholarship that does not align with these “no earlier than” process dates, or a personal family circumstance requires an exception to the above, here are the next steps:

1) Call the school that is asking you to reply earlier than the agreed-upon dates listed above and ask for an extension on your reply to their offer.

2) If no extension is granted, call the other school(s) to which you have applied and ask for an exception and expedited review and/or decision.