How to Get Into Dalton
Key Dates and Information
- Location: Manhattan, New York City
- Grades: K-12
- Application deadlines:
- Preliminary application: November 17, 2023
- Final application: January 11, 2024
- Financial aid deadline: January 12, 2023
- Admission tests:
- Grades 4-12: SSAT or ISEE required
- Date range: August 2023 – early January 2024
- Grades 4-12: SSAT or ISEE required
- Admissions decision: February 2024
Introduction
The Dalton School (Dalton) is a top day school in New York City. Dalton offers students in grades K-12 an innovative and progressive approach to education. It was in the top 20 of the most sought-after schools of 2023.
Test Innovators is here to guide you through the application process for Dalton. We’ve outlined the application components, along with important information about Dalton. We recommend using this guide in conjunction with our Admissions Assist Courses. Through our course, you will gain an understanding of what schools like Dalton look for, as well as how to showcase your strengths as an applicant.
Application
Dalton’s entry point grades are kindergarten, 6th grade, and 9th grade. There are occasional openings in non-entry point grades. Students interested in a non-entry point grade can submit the closed grade inquiry form.
Dalton accepts applications through Ravenna. The application is divided by three grade ranges, and the following steps are required:
- Submit the preliminary application
- Deadline: November 17, 2023
- Application fee: $75
- Schedule admissions assessment, parent tour, and parent interview
- The admissions office will call to schedule the in-person application components after receiving the preliminary application
- The child’s assessment is 1 hour and 15 minutes, consisting of age-appropriate group and individual activities
- The parent tour is 1 hour and 15 minutes and occurs during the child’s assessment
- The parent interview is 30 minutes
- The admissions office will call to schedule the in-person application components after receiving the preliminary application
- Request school report from current school
- The ISAAGNY Confidential School Report is requested and submitted through Ravenna
- Deadline: must be received by January 11, 2024
- Submit supplemental materials (optional)
- Parent statement and personal recommendations can be submitted through Ravenna
- Complete financial aid application (if applicable)
- Deadline: December 1, 2023
- Submit the preliminary application
- Deadline: November 17, 2023
- Application fee: $75
- Schedule a tour through Ravenna
- Dalton offers on-campus and virtual tours
- Touring is not required, but highly recommended
- Schedule a student interview and a parent meeting through Ravenna
- Students participate in a 20-to-30-minute interview with a faculty member, middle school administrator, or admissions staff
- Dalton offers in-person and virtual interview options
- Parents participate in a separate meeting with the director of middle school admissions
- Students participate in a 20-to-30-minute interview with a faculty member, middle school administrator, or admissions staff
- Take an admissions test and submit scores
- Students are required to submit either SSAT or ISEE scores
- Testing date range: August 2023 – early January 2024
- Students are required to submit either SSAT or ISEE scores
- Submit supplementary materials through Ravenna
- Deadline: January 11, 2024
- Parent statement
- Transcripts/report cards from previous and current year
- Required recommendations:
- English teacher from current or previous year
- Math teacher from current or previous year
- Guidance counselor or school administrator
- Optional recommendations:
- Additional teacher recommendations
- Personal recommendations
- Admissions test score report
- Deadline: January 11, 2024
- Complete financial aid application (if applicable)
- Deadline: December 1, 2023
- Submit the preliminary application
- Deadline: November 17, 2024
- Application fee: $75
- Schedule a tour through Ravenna
- Dalton offers on-campus and virtual tours
- Touring is not required, but highly recommended
- Schedule a student interview and a parent meeting through Ravenna
- Students participate in a 20-to-30-minute interview with a faculty member, high school administrator, or admissions staff
- Dalton offers in-person and virtual interview options
- Parents can opt to participate in a small Q&A with the director of high school admissions
- Students participate in a 20-to-30-minute interview with a faculty member, high school administrator, or admissions staff
- Take an admissions test and submit scores
- Students are required to submit either SSAT or ISEE scores
- Testing date range: August 2023 – early January 2024
- Students are required to submit either SSAT or ISEE scores
- Submit supplementary materials through Ravenna
- Deadline: January 11, 2024
- Parent statement
- Transcripts/report cards from previous and current year
- Required recommendations:
- English teacher from current or previous year
- Math teacher from current or previous year
- Guidance counselor or school administrator
- Optional recommendations:
- Additional teacher recommendations
- Personal recommendations
- Admissions test score report
- Deadline: January 11, 2024
- Complete financial aid application (if applicable)
- Deadline: December 1, 2023
Please refer to Dalton’s website for more information on the application requirements.
Admissions Interview
Families applying to Dalton’s First Program (kindergarten – 3rd grade) will be contacted to schedule the parent interview after submitting the preliminary application. The parent interview is about 30 minutes and may be conducted over Zoom or in person.
Applicants to Middle School (4th – 8th grade) and High School (9th – 12th grade) schedule an interview through Ravenna after submitting the preliminary application. The interview is 20-30 minutes and is between the student and an administrator, faculty member, or admissions staff.
The interview is an opportunity for you to express your interest in Dalton and showcase the ways in which you would be a good fit for the school. Test Innovators offers an Interview Prep Course to help you ace the interview. Our course provides videos and drills for families, preparing you for common interview questions and giving you confidence for the interview.
Along with the Admissions Assist Course, we recommend researching Dalton before your interview. Look into their mission statement and values. Check out the curriculum and class options for First Program, Middle School, and High School. Hear from Dalton alumni and faculty about their experiences at the school. Explore opportunities in arts, athletics, and technology at Dalton. Don’t hesitate to share the reasons you are excited about Dalton in your interview and personal statement!
Admissions Tests
Applicants to grades 4-12 are required to submit either SSAT or ISEE scores. Students must take an admissions test between August 2023 and early January 2024.
At Test Innovators, we have years of experience helping students like you prepare for admissions tests. We are an official practice partner of the SSAT and the only official practice partner of ISEE. With our platform, you will take full-length practice tests and receive a detailed score analysis after each test, along with a personalized Prep Plan to help identify and target areas with room for improvement. You can even compare your practice scores to target score data for Dalton and other schools of interest.
Take a look at our SSAT Prep Guide and ISEE Prep Guide to see how Test Innovators can help you prepare for test day.
Financial Aid Application
Dalton’s financial aid program strives to enroll qualified students, regardless of a family’s ability to pay full tuition. For the 2023-2024 school year, over 20% of students received financial aid. Families must apply for financial aid during the initial application process, unless there is an unexpected change, such as a job loss.
Families applying for financial aid must complete the Clarity application by December 1, 2023.
For more information about financial aid at Dalton, visit their financial aid page.
Extracurricular Opportunities
Athletics
Dalton students can join teams in the following sports:
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross country
- Flag football
- Football
- Golf
- Indoor track
- Lacrosse
- Soccer
- Softball
- Squash
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Track and field
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
For more information on athletics at Dalton, visit their athletics page.
Arts
Arts are central to Dalton’s education philosophy. Students are required to take two years of arts courses, but many students surpass that requirement. Dalton offers impressive facilities and faculty to help students explore the arts. In total, they have four arts departments: dance, music, theater arts, and visual arts. Applicants can draw inspiration for their interview or written materials from Dalton’s opportunities in the arts. To learn more about the arts at Dalton, please visit their arts page.
Technology
Dalton encourages students to take advantage of opportunities involving technology. Their New Lab for Teaching and Learning (NLTL) is a place where students can explore and innovate with technology. The NLTL also helps teachers incorporate more technology into classes. For more information on technology and the NLTL at Dalton, check out their technology page.
Conclusion
Preparation is key to creating a strong application for a school like Dalton. Test Innovators can help you prepare for admissions tests, interviews, and essays, ensuring you create your best application.
Preparation Resources:
- Enroll in our Admissions Assist Courses
- Learn more about preparing for the SSAT
- Learn more about preparing for the ISEE
- Learn more about Dalton
Originally published on September 15, 2022. Updated on November 17, 2023.
