Admission process
If you haven’t done so already, the first step is to come see us! Schedule a visit and discover the unique learning community that is MVS. Just click the Visit MVS button you see on this webpage.
The application process should be started by February (see details below under item 1).
Application for admission
The online application includes general biographical information and an opportunity for the parent or guardian to describe the candidate’s strengths, challenges, and passions. Submission of the application (linked below), with the application fee, triggers the scheduling of the student visit and assessment.
Application deadline: February 1. Admission decisions are issued by the end of March for applicants with complete application files by the end of February, including all supporting documents, student visit, and assessment (see items 2, 3, and 4 below). Admission decisions include accept, regret, and waitpool.
Students may be admitted after March into grades in which space remains. Final application deadline for thorough consideration, including student visit: April 20. Applications are still accepted after that date.
Academic recommendation
The academic recommendation form is given to all teacher references. For applicants in grades EC-5, this form is given to the applicant’s current classroom teacher. For applicants in grades 6-12, the form is given to the applicant’s current English teacher and current math teacher. Additional teacher recommendations are optional. Teachers send their recommendations directly to MVS and the contents of recommendations are kept strictly confidential.
Request for records & recommendation
The records request form is completed by the school the applicant currently attends and sent with a record of student progress directly to MVS. The principal or counselor is also asked to provide a recommendation, which is sent directly to MVS and kept strictly confidential. If the student has only been at the current school for a short time, records and a recommendation should also be requested from the prior school.
Personal recommendation (required for applicants to grades 9-12, optional for younger applicants)
The personal recommendation is completed by someone who knows the student candidate in a non-academic context and sent directly to MVS. The reference could be from a coach, music instructor, family friend, religious leader, etc. The recommendation is sent directly to MVS from the person completing the recommendation and is kept strictly confidential.
Applicant statement (applicants to grade 5-12)
The applicant statement invites older student candidates to describe themselves with honesty, creativity, and clarity.
Student visit
After the online application has been submitted, student applicants visit MVS. Applicants currently in grades K-12 visit individually for a full school day with their peers. Early childhood school and kindergarten applicants visit in small groups on a Saturday morning in February (see Testing/Assessment below for details). This visit allows students to experience MVS and also gives MVS an opportunity to get to know each applicant.
Applicants to grades 6-12 have an opportunity during their visit to talk with the director of the division to which they are applying and tour the campus.
Applicants who live outside the Dayton area and cannot visit during the admission process may engage with MVS staff remotely via a video conferencing application.
Testing/Assessment
Applying to the Early Childhood School and Kindergarten
Applicants to the early childhood school (ages 3-4) are assessed by the early childhood admission team in small groups on Saturday morning, February 29, 2020. Later early childhood school applicants are assessed individually on a school morning.
Applicants to kindergarten are assessed in small groups on Saturday morning, February 22, 2020. Later kindergarten applicants are assessed individually on a school morning.
EC and K applicants should be 3, 4, or 5 years old, depending on the grade, by the first day of school in mid-August, and all early childhood school children must be toilet-trained by the first day of school. Applicants with birthdays between mid-August and September 30 will be considered and may be accepted if ready academically, socially, emotionally, and developmentally.
Applying to the Lower School (Grades 1-5)
Applicants to grades 1-5 are assessed individually during their school visit day by the lower school admission team.
Applying to the Middle & Upper Schools (Grades 6-12)
In addition to being assessed during their school visits, applicants to grades 6-12 take the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) or provide other standardized testing reports. MVS administers the SSAT on the following Saturday mornings during 2019-20: October 19, November 16, December 14, January 4, February 8, March 7, April 25, and June 13. If none of those dates works for a particular applicant, a flex test on a different day can be scheduled. Applicants arrange to take the SSAT through the MVS admission office unless they live outside the Dayton area.
As new parents, we knew we had chosen the right place for our children when our third grade daughter was reading Shakespeare, taking multiple immersive field trips, and singing Hindi in the shower – all in the first few months of attending MVS!
Rhonda & Stephen Chambal, parents of three MVS students
International
Admission
The value of an MVS education is priceless. The returns are lifelong. Our challenging academics and Immersion Method philosophy are unparalleled to any other educational opportunity in the Dayton area. At MVS, we stand for personal excellence, experiential learning, intellectual curiosity, leadership development, individuality, and community.
Tuition &
Financial Aid
The value of an MVS education is priceless. The returns are lifelong. Our challenging academics and Immersion Method philosophy are unparalleled to any other educational opportunity in the Dayton area. At MVS, we stand for personal excellence, experiential learning, intellectual curiosity, leadership development, individuality, and community.