Lower School

List of 9 items.

• STUDENT FORM | DUE BEFORE DEC 15

  The Student Form is the first step of the application process. Once the Student Form is submitted, you will unlock access to the remaining steps of the application. There is no application fee to apply to CA.
  
  Birth Date Information:
  

  • Applicants to Pre-K must turn four years old by September 1 of the year they start Pre-Kindergarten.
  • Applicants to Kindergarten must turn five years old by September 1 of the year they start Kindergarten.

  
  

• PARENT/GUARDIAN FORM

  As parents/guardians, your responses on the Parent/Guardian Form will help CA learn more about your child and your family. The Parent/Guardian Form is available once you submit the Student Form.

• STUDENT VIDEO CLIPS (PRE-K-GRADE 1)

  Once the Student Form is submitted, parents/guardians are able to submit two short video clips of the applicant participating in developmentally appropriate activities at home.

• TEACHER RECOMMENDATION & TRANSCRIPTS

  Request the Teacher Recommendation* and Principal/Director Recommendation (if applicable) from the appropriate faculty/staff member at your child’s school. 
  
  For Grade 1 - Grade 5: Please request Transcript from the Current and Previous School year (if applicable).
  
  Request Teacher and Principal/Director Recommendation
  
  *Colorado Academy is among several Denver-area independent schools using Common Recommendation and Transcript Request Forms to reduce the workload for an applicant’s current teachers and school staff. Once you have created an account in the application portal, you will be able to submit requests for recommendations and transcripts using the common forms.
  

• APPLICANT TESTING

  For Applicants to Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Grade 1: Developmental readiness is assessed by our teachers during the Student Visit, and no other formal testing is required.
  
  *Applicants to  Grade 1 may submit optional testing results if available.
  
  For Grades 2-5, CA is test flexible and will accept the results from any testing that an applicant has completed within the last two years, such as the CogAT, WISC, DAS, MAP, DIBELS, ISEE, ISEE Primary, ERB, and any state specific standards-based assessments, among others. There is no need for the applicant to take more than one test, and the Admission Committee does not prefer one test over another.

  • If submitting CogAT, MAP testing and/or other standardized testing (such as the ERB) from the applicant's current school, request that the school send those results along with report cards and attendance records through the Transcript Request Form.
  • You may submit WISC or DAS scores directly to admission@coloradoacademy.org.
  • You may register your child for testing with an evaluator from the DATC (Denver Area Testing Consortium), or refer to the list above for additional available options. Please contact Paige Siemers to request assistance if the fee is a hardship. 

• STUDENT VISIT

  Once the Student Form is submitted you will have access to the Student Visit calendar. We invite applicants to visit CA on a day when school is in session. If applying from out-of-state please contact Paige Siemers to schedule either an on-campus or virtual visit.

• OPTIONAL CAMPUS TOUR / ADMISSION PREVIEW

  One of the best ways to learn more about Colorado Academy is to attend Admission Preview on one of three dates: October 19, October 27 or December 6. Admission Preview is open to prospective families interested in the 2023-2024 school year and beyond. Parents/guardians as well as interested students ages 10 and up are invited to attend. 

   

  Please contact admission@coloradoacademy.org or call 303-914-2513 with any questions.

• FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION | DUE BEFORE FEB 15

  With over $4.5 million in tuition assistance each year, CA welcomes students and families from all backgrounds and encourages families to consider CA no matter your income.
  
  The Application for Financial Aid is separate from the Application for Admission, although the timing of the two cycles overlaps. Families who wish to apply for tuition assistance should submit an Application for Financial Aid through SSS (School and Student Service for Financial Aid).
  

  • We recommend starting the application after January 1 as it is helpful to have end-of-year tax documents available while you are completing the form: START APPLICATION
  • Within the SSS portal, you will be asked to upload copies of your 2021 and 2022 tax returns. You will also be asked for copies of 2021 and 2022 W-2 and K-1 statements, if applicable.
  • CA prefers the SSS application, but, if you've already submitted a Financial Aid application for another school through FACTS, there is no need to fill out an additional application through SSS. You will only need to add Colorado Academy as a recipient on your FACTS application.
  • The deadline for the Financial Aid application is February 15. We realize that many families have not yet completed their 2022 tax return by this deadline. The Financial Aid Committee will consider an application complete as long as we receive your 2021 tax return and your 2022 W-2 and/or Profit & Loss Statements (if you are self-employed) by February 15. The 2022 tax return should be submitted as soon as it is completed.
  • Completing the Financial Aid application by the deadline allows the Financial Aid Award to be communicated at the same time as the Admission Decision.
  • Questions? Contact Financial Aid Manager Lisa Dean at 303-914-2516.

• NOTIFICATION: MARCH 3

  In conjunction with other Denver-area independent schools, Colorado Academy sends Lower School admission decisions (Pre-Kindergarten-Grade 5) by email at 4:00 p.m. MST on Friday, March 3, 2023.