Lakeside Admissions Consulting for Asian American Upper School Families
Guidance on grades 9–11 at a Seattle day school where Asian American students form the largest group and no course carries an AP label.
Cardinal Education is an independent educational consulting company. We are not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with any private or public school, including Lakeside School.
As Seen On
About the School
A Rigorous School That Measures Rigor Differently
Families who benchmark a high school by its Advanced Placement count will find nothing to count at Lakeside. The school offers no AP courses at all, running its own advanced and honors sequence alongside Global Online Academy and School Year Abroad. It is nonetheless the top-ranked college preparatory private high school in Washington, and 99% of its graduates enroll in college. The Upper School sits on its own campus at 14050 1st Avenue NE with 595 students, and Asian American students make up 32% of the school overall, the largest single group. Ninth grade opens roughly 80 to 85 places each year.
Key Facts for Applicants to Grades 9–11
Asian American Students
32% of the school, the largest group
Multiracial Students
19%
Upper School Campus
14050 1st Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98125
Upper School Enrollment
595 students
School-Wide Enrollment
891 students
Ninth Grade Openings
Approximately 80 to 85, the widest entry point at Lakeside
Advanced Placement
None offered anywhere in the curriculum
Founded
1919, independent, coeducational, and nonsectarian
Student-Teacher Ratio
9:1
Average Class Size
17 students
Application Window
Opens September 2026, final materials due January 28, 2027
Decisions
February 19, 2027, with enrollment due February 26
Testing
SSAT or ISEE for grade 9; SSAT, ISEE, ACT, PSAT, or SAT for grades 10–11
International Applicants
TOEFL iBT required where instruction is not in English
Athletics
15 sports and 26 varsity teams in the WIAA 3A Metro League
Graduation Requirements
An Outdoor Program trip and 80 hours of service learning
Outcomes
99% of graduates go on to college
Who Attends Lakeside
These are the school’s own published figures for how students self-identify their primary race or ethnicity.
Asian American
32%
European American / White
28%
Multiracial
19%
African American, African, or Black
11%
Declined to Answer
5%
Latino / Hispanic American
4%
Middle Eastern American
1%
Affinity and Community Groups
Lakeside supports Lakeside Asian-Pacific Students as a student affinity group, alongside a distinct South Asian Affinity Group and MIxED for students who identify as multiracial or multiethnic. A parent and guardian affinity group serves families of Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander students, which gives adults a route into the community rather than leaving it to students alone. The school also runs affinity-based outreach events during the admissions season, with dates posted by October.
Academic Profile
Student-Teacher Ratio
9:1
Average Class Size
17 students
Faculty with Advanced Degrees
83% to 85%
Advanced & Honors Courses
3 advanced, 8 honors
AP Courses
None
College Counseling Staff
A team of seven, including dedicated essay specialists
Graduates Enrolling in College
99%
Departments, Sports, and Activities
Departments
English, Mathematics and Computer Science, Science, History and Social Sciences, Languages, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Arts, Physical Education, Human Development and Health, Global Online Academy, and academic electives
Sports
Baseball, basketball, crew, cross country, flag football, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swim and dive, tennis, track and field, ultimate, volleyball, wrestling
Activities
The Tatler newspaper, Imago literary magazine, the Numidian yearbook, Student Government, the Judicial Committee, Chess Team, Model United Nations, Ethics Bowl, Science Bowl, Science Olympiad, VEX Robotics, Amnesty International, and the Bellas a cappella group
Transport
Bus service and carpooling
Our longer guide to Lakeside School admissions covers the school’s founding, curriculum, and alumni in more detail.
Dates and Events in the Lakeside Admissions Cycle
One cycle a year, no rolling admission, and no mid-year entry. Upper School families hear back a full month before Middle School families do.
Aryval Opens
September 2026 (for 2027–2028 applications)
Preliminary Application & PSIS Forms
January 14, 2027
Everything Else Due
January 28, 2027 (test scores and TOEFL results included, by midnight)
Decisions for Grades 9–11
February 19, 2027, posted at 4:00 p.m.
Enrollment Response Due
February 26, 2027 by 12:00 p.m.
All-School Open House
October 25, 2026 (Grades 6–11; classrooms, art studios, and athletics facilities open to visiting families)
Upper School Tour
October through January (Led by Upper School students, 50 to 60 minutes; adults need photo ID; booking opens October)
Admission at Lakeside Webinar
Monthly, October to February (Parents and guardians only; covers how the enrollment team reads applications)
Affinity-Based Outreach Events
Posted by October (Community evenings for prospective families, listed in Aryval)
Upper School Interview
After the preliminary application (Required, with a Lakeside faculty member, virtual or in person)
The Interview Asks About Difficulty, Not Achievement
Lakeside frames the Upper School interview as a conversation about how a student navigates the experiences and challenges they meet at school. It is not a walk through accomplishments, and the school tells applicants there is nothing to prepare. Students who arrive with a polished list of wins and no language for setbacks tend to struggle with it, not because the school is testing for weakness but because reflection is the actual subject. This is worth practising as a habit of thought over months rather than as an answer memorised in a week. Combined with the school’s refusal of supplementary materials and extra recommendations, it leaves very little room for anything but a genuine account of the student.
Top Tips for Applying
- Target ninth grade where possible. Grades 10 and 11 depend on attrition and open far fewer places.
- Choose one exam and take it once; a single score set per applicant is all Lakeside will read.
- Register for testing no later than December 2026 to clear the January 28 deadline.
- International applicants should sit the TOEFL by end of December and avoid January dates entirely.
- Reserve an interview slot immediately after the preliminary application is accepted.
- Do not send a portfolio, extra letters, or unsolicited updates. None of it is reviewed.
Best Practices for Families
- Use affinity outreach events to ask current families what the culture is actually like day to day.
- Help your child build vocabulary for describing failure well before interview season.
- Write a parent statement that names a real growth area rather than presenting a finished child.
- Approach teachers for evaluations in September or October, not December.
- Keep two or three genuine alternatives on the list alongside Lakeside.
The Lakeside Upper School Application, Piece by Piece
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01Testing for Grades 9 Through 11
Grade 9 applicants submit either the SSAT or the ISEE. Grades 10 and 11 may use the SSAT, ISEE, ACT, PSAT, or SAT. Lakeside takes one set of scores per applicant, from a sitting between September 1, 2026 and January 28, 2027, and sets no minimum. SSAT code 4462, ISEE code 481120. Since the choice of exam now matters more than the number of attempts, comparing the SSAT and the ISEE before you register is time well spent.
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02Written Materials
The student essays and the interests and activities form are due January 14, completed by the student alone inside Aryval and subject to word limits. The parent and guardian statement is due the same day. All are PSIS common forms, shared with every PSIS school a family applies to through Aryval, so none of them can be written for Lakeside specifically. Write for a reader who knows nothing about your family and has thirty other files to get through.
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03Evaluations, References, and Records
Two teacher evaluations are due January 28, one from a humanities teacher and one from a math or science teacher, at least one of them current. Where one teacher covers all subjects, send a current-year math evaluation and a prior-year humanities evaluation. A personal reference form comes from a teacher, administrator, or coach who has observed the student in a group setting within two years. Transcripts must arrive directly from school and cover the first report card of 2026–2027 plus the whole of 2025–2026, with a school administrator completing the PSIS attendance form.
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04Applying From Outside the United States
Lakeside runs a separate international application, and its constraints are strict enough to check before you invest time. The school does not issue I-20 forms and cannot sponsor F-1 student visas. An international applicant must be relocating to the Seattle area with at least one parent or legal guardian and must be eligible to live in the United States through that adult’s visa status, such as an H-2 or L-2. Applicants need native or near-native English, must intend to graduate from Lakeside, and cannot enter mid-year. Where the current school does not teach in English, the TOEFL iBT is required under school code B621, with section minimums of 24 reading, 22 listening, 25 speaking, and 24 writing. Register by the end of December, since January sittings will not return results in time. Families managing a move alongside an application may want our school relocation consulting.
How Cardinal Education Helps
Cardinal Education has worked with Asian American families in the United States and abroad for twenty years, and our value is usually in telling parents something they did not want to hear early enough to act on it. At Lakeside that often means reframing what rigor looks like at a school with no AP courses, or preparing a student to talk about a setback with real self-knowledge. Our Seattle consultants can also tell you honestly how Lakeside compares with University Prep or The Bush School for your child specifically. The general version of this page is here: Lakeside Admissions Consulting for Upper School.
Lakeside Admissions FAQ
What percentage of Lakeside students are Asian American?
Does it hurt an application that Lakeside offers no AP courses?
Can Lakeside sponsor a student visa?
Is the TOEFL required?
How should a student prepare for the Lakeside interview?
Which grades are easiest to enter?
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