Admissions Links Application Process Application Form Personal Recommendation Form Teacher Recommendation Form Transcript Release Form Directions to Tandem

Overview

Nica Waters, Director of Admissions
434.951.9314

Since its beginning, Tandem Friends School has believed the finest education is achieved through an active partnership of faculty and students. Teachers dedicate themselves to the intellectual, aesthetic, and moral growth of each student. In turn, students are expected to enter into this partnership with a sense of responsibility and respect for their mentors and for the entire school community. Learning at Tandem Friends is a cooperative venture. An academically distinguished faculty challenges students’ intellectual curiosity. Small classes promote a dynamic process of questioning and dialogue, not simply memorization and reiteration.

Quaker philosophy is the school’s foundation. We recognize that every person carries an inner wisdom and has much to contribute to the community. As a Friends school, we offer students many ways to explore matters not only of the mind, but also of the heart. Tandem Friends School, like Friends schools in general, is not interested in indoctrination or religious proselytizing.

Admissions Procedures

This website provides simply an overview of Tandem Friends and its programs. To truly experience Tandem Friends School, plan a visit. Schedule a tour. Come see a sports event or enjoy a play. If school is in session, you can visit classes and see for yourself how Friends' values, excellent teaching, and small class size result in a powerful and rewarding educational experience. Please call the Admissions Office today to schedule your visit! 434.951.9314

The following is a step-by-step guide to the admissions process:

• Schedule a parent tour and informational session through the Admissions Office.
• Complete the application form and return it, along with the $50 application fee, to the Admissions Office.
• Schedule a full-day visit for your child.
• Complete the application page, parent questionnaire, student questionnnaire, and student writing samples, and submit them to the Admissions Office.
• Sign the transcript release form and take it to your child's current school.
• Send/deliver the teacher/personal recommendation forms to
  * your child’s homeroom teacher (applicants for grades 5 and 6)
  * your child’s English teacher (applicants for grades 7-12)
  * your child’s Math teacher (applicants for grades 7-12)
  * a non-relative who knows your child well (all applicants)
  
  Students applying for grades 5 and 6 will have two recommendations submitted. Students applying for grades 7-12 will have three recommendations submitted on their behalf.
• When all steps have been completed and all forms have been received, the admissions folder will be complete. Your child will then be scheduled for a formal interview with the Admissions Committee.

  Financial Assistance

  Tandem Friends School awards financial assistance in the form of grants, based solely on demonstrated financial need. The primary responsibility for financing a student’s independent school experience belongs to the family. An independent school education is one of many choices a family may make; we expect families to choose to look to outside sources, including extended family, to meet tuition obligations before turning to financial assistance. It is our goal that any student who is qualified to attend and who would benefit from the experience the school provides will be able to attend; it is our reality that the funds available for financial assistance are limited. Please be honest with yourself and with us as you decide to apply for assistance. Any decision on financial assistance awards will be made after admission has been offered.
  
  To apply for financial assistance:
  Actual application for financial assistance is made through School and Student Service (SSS), based in Princeton, NJ. Please go online to https://sss.ets.org to apply, or see Stephanie in the Tandem Friends Business Office. Applications for financial assistance can come after the deadline; however, most funds will be allocated by the initial deadline of March 23. Families must reapply for assistance each year as needed.

  Dates and deadlines for financial assistance

  
  

  January 1, 2008	First date to file an application with SSS
  March 1, 2008	Copies of tax returns for filing year 2007 due at TFS
  March 1, 2008	Complete online application with SSS must be filed
  March 23, 2008	Financial assistance awards determined

  
  Financial assistance applications will not affect the admissions decision in any way.

  Tuition for the 2007-2008 Academic Year

  Grades 5-6:	$13,200
  Grades 7-8:	$14,040
  Grades 9-12:	$14,677

  
  Tandem Friends School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
  
  Tandem Friends School complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act to the greatest possible extent. Because of the school’s limited resources and the constraints of its buildings and grounds, Tandem Friends School cannot accommodate all students with disabilities.