Admissions FAQ

Saint David’s welcomes families from across all five boroughs and draws from the cultural, racial, socioeconomic, and religious diversity of the city itself. Boys grow up learning alongside classmates and teachers whose backgrounds differ from their own—an experience that fosters empathy, curiosity, and a deep respect for others.

Yes. Twelve percent of Saint David’s boys receive need-based tuition assistance. Financial aid provides partial funding for tuition as well as a proportional grant for after school programs, school trips, community events, and other school-related expenses.

In addition to bus transportation available through the Department of Education, Saint David’s offers a morning private bus option for students living downtown with stops in the Financial District and Union Square.

Saint David’s is open from 7:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with supervision and library access available before and after regular school hours (see below) starting in Kindergarten.

Early morning care begins at 7:45 a.m., beginning in Pre-Kindergarten.

Regular school hours are:

• Pre-Kindergarten: 8:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (with an optional Extended Day until 2:30 p.m.)

• Kindergarten: 8:15 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

• Grades One through Eight: 8:15 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Yes. Boys in Kindergarten through Grade Eight may arrive as early as 7:45 a.m.

Pre-Kindergarten boys may also arrive at that time, but a parent or caregiver must remain with them until classrooms open at 8:15 a.m.

Chapel is a daily ten-minute pause—ungraded, reflective, and deeply human. It’s a time when teachers, coaches, alumni, and the Headmaster share personal stories, offering boys guidance drawn from real experience. The topics are never assigned. Instead, they carefully consider the age of the boys in the room and provide a relatable experience or vignette that will help the boys navigate life with strength, courage, and integrity. The result is a daily ritual that fosters character, connection, and perspective.

In the spring of seventh grade, the boys themselves take the lectern, honoring figures—historical, familial, or personal—who’ve shaped the world for the better. In doing so, they reflect on their own values and aspirations.

Chapel opens and closes with a hymn. The Lord’s Prayer is offered, but always optional.

As a practice, we critically examine how, when, and why we use technology for academic purposes. When does using technology make learning more effective or more efficient and when is it better to collaborate without screens? At Saint David’s, all non-academic periods (homeroom, recess, commons, athletics, lunch, art, and music) are tech-free, but boys have ample exposure to technology where it is beneficial, such as learning coding and online research. To ensure the school remains a cell phone-free environment, boys store cell phones, smart watches, and earbuds in Yondr pouches during the school day.

Lower and Upper School boys have many opportunities to interact with girls through collaborations with Spence, Marymount, Nightingale, and Sacred Heart in academics, the musical and performing arts, as well as service. In addition, our eighth grade boys present their fall art history research projects to their peers from Nightingale. In turn, the boys attend the girls’ research presentations later in the year.

Every seventh grade student spends the year mentoring a second grader. In addition, all third/fourth, fifth/sixth, seventh/eighth grade students are paired together for sports, lunch, and chapel, allowing all boys the opportunity to mentor and be mentored. This pairing also ensures that all boys will know the students in the grades above and below them well by the time they graduate. 

Alpha is Saint David’s pre-primary program designed for boys who are newly five at the start of the school year. These boys meet the September 1 cutoff but benefit from a classroom that balances appropriate academic challenge with attention to the social and emotional growth of young Kindergarteners.

While most Alpha boys go on to Omega, parents may explore placement into Grade One as an option for the following year.

Omega is a pre-primary program designed specifically for boys who turn six in the late spring or summer. It offers an extra year of growth before Grade One—one that blends forward-moving academics with an ongoing focus on social and emotional development.

The confidence boys gain during Omega has a lasting impact on their Saint David’s experience. It also ensures they’re fully prepared for secondary school—making a ninth grade unnecessary.

Omega enrollment typically includes boys progressing from Saint David’s Alpha, Saint David’s Kindergartners with late spring birthdays, and boys who remained in preschool an extra year.

There is no curricular repetition for boys moving into Omega from Alpha or Kindergarten.

All students who enroll in non-entry years are assigned buddies to help them form friendships and navigate their new school. All new boys are also assigned a faculty advisor who meets regularly with the student and can continue to work with the boy in future years to ensure that he has a smooth, happy, easy transition to Saint David’s. In addition, the Committee on Community and Inclusion hosts a full calendar of casual events during the year that provide boys and their families opportunities to deepen friendships.

Yes. Our two-week summer camp options in sports, the arts, and academics is open to boys beginning in Kindergarten. New boys entering Saint David’s in the fall (who have turned five prior to the start of camp) are invited and encouraged to participate.

ERB Testing

Applicants to Grades Two through Seven must take an ERB exam and request that results be sent to Saint David’s.

Grades 2–4: ISEE Primary

Grades 5–6: ISEE Lower Level

Grade 7: ISEE Upper Level

Saint David’s does not require or accept ERB results for Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, or Grade One applicants.

Transcript Request

To complete your son’s application, an official transcript must be submitted by his current school by January 8. Please sign the Transcript Request form and forward it to your son's school. Transcripts can be directly to Ravenna or emailed to Saint David's at admissions@saintdavids.org.

Form for Applicants to 3- and 4-Year-Old Groups

Form for Applicants to Kindergarten and Grade One

Form for Applicants to Grades Two–Five

Form for Applicants to Middle School

Saint David’s is pleased to offer siblings and sons of alumni the opportunity to apply through an Early Decision process, following guidelines established by the Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY.org).

While Early Decision allows these families to receive an admissions decision approximately one month ahead of Regular Decision notifications, we strongly encourage all applicants—legacy or not—to explore a wide range of schools before making a final decision.

Possible Early Decision outcomes include:

• Acceptance

• Denial

• Deferral to the Regular Decision pool

Accepted applicants who choose to enroll must return a signed contract and deposit by the reply date specified in their decision letter. Families applying for financial aid will be notified of any grant award at the time of acceptance.

Please note that families may apply for Early Decision at more than one ISAAGNY school if eligible.