Admissions Overview

New Roads students are curious, engaged, active, and inspired thinkers working to make this world a better place. Our community is authentically diverse in every way; our teachers are enthusiastic, demanding, and passionate; and our program is challenging, intriguing, and fun. Our standards are high and our demands rigorous, but not always textbook-driven. We believe young people learn far more effectively when asked to solve complex challenges and reflect thoughtfully on their work than when asked simply to recall information. We welcome families of all backgrounds and makeups, asking only that you bring a respectful, inclusive mindset to the warm embrace of our community.

2023/2024 School Year Admissions Process

New Roads' Priority Application Deadline is has now passed. All applications received moving forward will be processed as time permits. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at admissions@newroads.org. To begin an application, please follow the link below to create a username and password through our application portal, MyRoads. Once registered, you will have access to complete the application form, send teacher and administrator recommendation requests, upload additional supplemental documents, and view your application progress. The status of each step can be found under the “Admissions Progress” tab in your profile.

List of 6 items.

  • Kindergarten

    1. Submit Application, due December 9, 2022
    2. Submit request for Administrative/Teacher Recommendation, due January 13, 2023

  • Grades 1-5

    1. Submit Application, due December 9, 2022
    2. Have your child complete the Elementary School Student Questionnaire, due December 9, 2022
    3. Submit request for 1 Teacher Recommendation, due January 13, 2023
    4. Submit request for 1 Administrator Recommendation, due January 13, 2022
    5. Submit request for Transcripts (all previous years as well as current mid-year grade report), due January 13, 2023

  • Grades 6-12

    1. Submit Application, due December 9, 2022
    2. Student Essay and Questionnaire, due December 9, 2022
    3. Submit request for 1 Math Teacher Recommendation, due January 13, 2023
    4. Submit request for 1 English Teacher Recommendation, due January 13, 2023
    5. Submit request for 1 Administrator Recommendation, due January 13, 2023
    6. Transcripts (2 prior years as well as current mid-year grade report), due January 13, 2023

  • Update to Testing Requirements

    New Roads School was founded as a school with a commitment to diversity, social justice, and environmental stewardship at its core. While we surely have evolved over the years, these values have only become more deeply rooted, and we examine all institutional practices through this lens. New Roads students are challenged daily to question their own worldview and assumptions, and our admissions department does the same. 

    While ISEE/SSAT(Independent School Entrance Exam/Secondary School Admission Test) testing has been a standard of the independent school admissions process, we have long questioned its use as reductive and its outcomes as largely reflective of the socioeconomic and educational background of families, not the potential of the students. These standardized tests also privilege an imaginary norm. They do not assume the neurodiversity inherent among human beings who bring a variety of capacities and academic abilities that are essential to the wellbeing of our society, a reality which New Roads embraces. Therefore, New Roads rejects their erroneous assumption.

    At New Roads, our admissions process has always been holistic, considering the whole story, unique gifts, and learning journey of each young person. We are reaffirming our commitment to remove artificial barriers to admitting curious, creative, intellectual, compassionate, and empathic students of promise who reflect the authentic diversity of Los Angeles. Viewing ISEE/SSAT testing within the context of New Roads’ core values, we decided to no longer review these scores as a part of the process.

    As we know there is more to understanding an individual than numerics, we encourage you to feel free to share additional pieces that help tell the applicant’s story. This may include art, academic projects, additional letters of recommendation, or other items that help illuminate or further spotlight parts of their story that may not be found elsewhere. These items may be sent directly to the admissions office via email. We look forward to engaging in this process together as we continue our work empowering young people to disrupt systems that produce inequality in order to build a more just future.

  • Financial Aid

    For more information and to apply for financial aid, please click here

  • Important Dates and Deadlines

    December 9, 2022 - Application deadline
    December 9, 2022 - Elementary School Student Questionnaire and Student Essay / Questionnaire deadline
    January 13, 2023 - Recommendation(s) & Transcript deadline
    January 27, 2023 - Financial Aid Application deadline
    March 10, 2023 - Notification Letters, Grades K-12
    March 17, 2023 - Response Deadline, Grades K-12
New Roads School is a college preparatory K-12 private independent school in Santa Monica, CA, serving over 514 school age children from the greater Los Angeles area. New Roads School provides an inspired educational program from which an authentically diverse student population, mirroring the rich diversity of Los Angeles, develops a personal dedication to learning, a respect for independent thinking, and an expanding curiosity about the world and its people.