Rye Country Day Admissions Consulting

Harder than a single percentage suggests, and the difficulty depends almost entirely on grade. The school publishes both sides of the equation. Grade 9 draws roughly 194 applications for 30 to 35 seats. Grade 6 draws about 146 for 18 to 20. Kindergarten sees around 110 applications for 12 to 18 places. Worked across the grades where RCDS publishes firm numbers, admitted students represent something closer to 17% of applicants than the 25% figure often quoted elsewhere. Grades 11 and 12 depend entirely on whether anyone leaves.

December 15, 2026 for everything your family submits directly, then January 10, 2027 for the components that depend on other people, meaning interviews, questionnaires, testing, transcripts, and recommendations. Decisions arrive February 5, 2027, and newly accepted families must enroll by March 5. RCDS does consider second-round applications on a rolling basis after the deadline, but only for Grades 5 through 12. There is no late round for Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 4, so those families genuinely cannot afford to drift past December.

Neither. The admissions committees state plainly that both tests are viewed equally, which means the choice should come down to your child rather than any imagined institutional preference. Applicants to Grades 5 through 12 take one or the other. Younger applicants follow a different path entirely, with the ISEE Primary at Grades 2, 3, and 4 and observational screenings below that. Have scores sent using the ISEE code 334965 or the SSAT code 6208, and finish testing before January 10.

Yes. RCDS accepts the Standard Application Online along with many schools in the Fairchester Consortium, which simplifies life considerably for families applying across several area schools at once. This is worth confirming directly if you have read otherwise somewhere, because older guidance circulating online still claims the school takes only recommendation forms through the SAO rather than the full application. That is no longer accurate.

The school reports that 48.9% of students identify as students of color. Aggregator data places Asian American enrollment at roughly 17 to 18% of the student body, though figures vary by source and reporting year, so treat that as a range rather than a fixed number. Community programming runs schoolwide rather than by division, including the UPLIFT mentorship program and the annual Arts Festival and International Fair. Our Asian American admissions guide to RCDS covers belonging and community in more depth.

Some, and the school says so openly. RCDS describes itself as a family school by tradition, and sibling and legacy applications receive priority consideration when all other things are equal. That last clause carries real weight. Priority consideration is not admission, and the underlying application still has to stand on its own. Families in this position sometimes under-prepare on the assumption that the connection will carry the file, which is a costly misread.