Overlake School Admissions for Asian American Families
What Eastside Families Should Understand About How Redmond’s Overlake School Actually Reads an Application
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 The Overlake School.
As Seen On
About the School
Why Overlake Looks Different From the Inside
Plenty of Eastside families arrive at Overlake with a plan already half-built. Start SSAT prep in sixth grade, push the score, submit it, hope the number does the work. That plan is not wrong so much as aimed at a school that no longer exists. Overlake will take any standardized test result from the previous school year, including a state assessment your child already sat for, and the school says outright that it has no preferred test. Scores are described as one small part of a holistic read, weighed against mission fit, character, and whether a student will thrive there. For families whose instincts were shaped by more test-driven admissions cultures, that is a real adjustment, and the families who make it early apply far better.
Fast Facts
Campus
20301 NE 108th St, Redmond, WA 98053, on 75 acres roughly ten minutes from downtown Redmond
Founded
1967
Structure
Independent, nonsectarian, coeducational day school; Middle School 5–8, Upper School 9–12
Enrollment
575 students
Students of Color
78% of the student body
Average Class Size
14 students
Student-Teacher Ratio
7:1
World Languages
Mandarin Chinese, Latin, French, and Spanish
Advanced Coursework
25 AP and Honors courses
Recognition
Ranked #2 Best Private High Schools in Washington and #11 Most Diverse Private High Schools in Washington by Niche for 2026
Application Platform
Aryval, new for the 2026-2027 cycle, replacing Ravenna
International Students
Overlake does not issue I-20 forms and cannot sponsor F-1 visas
Community and Academic Profile
Students of Color
78% of the student body
SAT, Class of 2026 (76 Tested)
Middle 50%: EBRW 680–750 | Math 690–770 | Total 1370–1500
ACT, Class of 2026 (10 Tested)
Middle 50% Composite: 29–33
Faculty With Advanced Degrees
85%
College Counseling Team
3 counselors
Athletic Participation
80–85% of students each year
Accreditation
Northwest Accreditation Commission; Northwest Association of Independent Schools
Overlake runs a formal Office of Diversity and Inclusion and has appointed an Assistant Head of School for Inclusive Excellence, the first person to hold that role at the school. Its affinity programming is structured rather than ad hoc, and the school expanded it to run separate groups for Middle and Upper School students so that fifth and sixth graders are included rather than waiting until high school. Identity development and cultural responsiveness are written into the curriculum rather than run as a side initiative. Families comparing how Eastside schools handle this in practice can talk it through with our consultants in the Seattle area. A note on precision: Overlake publishes the 78% students-of-color figure but does not break out an Asian American percentage, and we will not estimate one. If a specific breakdown matters to your family, the admissions office will answer directly. Our full Overlake School admissions guide and the main consulting page are both linked at the end of this page.
Key Dates for the 2026-2027 Cycle
Application Opens on Aryval
October 2, 2026 (9:00 AM PST)
Open House
Saturday, October 24, 2026, 10:00 AM–1:00 PM
Open House
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 10:00 AM–1:00 PM
Open House
Sunday, December 13, 2026, 10:00 AM–1:00 PM
Registration Window
Rolling (Opens one month before each Open House at 10:00 AM PST, through Aryval)
All Materials Due
January 14, 2027 (4:00 PM PST)
Upper School Decisions
February 19, 2027 (12:00 PM PST in Aryval)
Middle School Decisions
March 19, 2027 (12:00 PM PST in Aryval)
Worth planning around: Overlake does not give private campus tours. An Open House is the only way in, registration opens exactly one month ahead, and there are only three dates. Families who assume they can book a visit in January will find they have missed the window entirely.
Reading the Overlake School Admissions Process Correctly
Overlake fills 32 seats in fifth grade, 32 in sixth, and 25 to 30 in ninth. Everything else depends on attrition. Those three entry years are also the only ones with interviews, and the interview format changes between them. Understanding which door your child is walking through matters more here than at schools with a single uniform process.
Top Tips for Applying
- Pick the entry year deliberately. Fifth and sixth grade each offer 32 seats; ninth offers 25 to 30 and a different interview format entirely.
- Submit the strongest standardized result your child already has rather than defaulting to a new SSAT sitting out of habit.
- Register for an Open House the day registration opens, one month before the date.
- Prepare grade 9 applicants for a paired interview, which asks a student to share airtime rather than perform alone.
- Confirm immigration status early, since Overlake cannot sponsor a student visa and expects eligibility through a parent or guardian.
Best Practices for Families
- Resist the urge to edit your child’s personal essay into something more impressive than it is; the flattening is easy to spot.
- Use the Parent/Guardian Statement to describe the child you actually have, including the parts that are still developing.
- Let the Activities and Interest Form show depth in a few pursuits rather than breadth across many.
- Ask teachers for evaluations in early fall, before requests pile up.
- Have a direct conversation about whether Overlake’s outdoor, experiential, discussion-heavy model is genuinely what your child wants.
What the Application Includes
Initial Application
Submitted through Aryval
Interview
For grades 5, 6, and 9 only. Grades 5 and 6 join a faculty-led group activity while parents meet with admissions and the family tours campus; grade 9 applicants interview in pairs while parents take a shorter tour.
Get to Know You Forms
A Parent/Guardian Statement, a student personal essay, and an Activities and Interest Form
Teacher Evaluations
Fifth grade applicants use fourth and third grade primary teachers; sixth grade applicants use fourth and fifth; ninth grade and non-traditional entry applicants use a current English and a current Math teacher
Standardized Test Score
One score from the previous school year, in any accepted format
Records
Report cards from 2025-2026 plus the first term or semester of 2026-2027, requested through Aryval
Application Requirements, in Depth
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01On Testing Specifically
This is where the most money gets spent for the least return. Overlake accepts the SBA, MAP, Iowa Assessments, ISEE, and SSAT without preference, and treats the result as a check on academic readiness rather than a ranking device. Preparing properly still has value, and our SSAT preparation remains worthwhile for students also applying to schools that do require it. But if Overlake is the target, understand what the score can and cannot do for you. Our explainer on how test-flexible schools actually use scores is the clearest thing we have written on the distinction. One caveat: Overlake’s separate Testing page still carries an older SSAT and ISEE requirement for Upper School applicants, so ninth grade families should confirm directly with admissions.
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02What Overlake Is Actually Weighing
Character, mission fit, and the likelihood that a student will contribute to a small discussion-driven classroom. A child who has been coached into polish will read as coached. A child who can say something genuinely their own, even imperfectly, reads as a fit. Our breakdown of what private schools look for in applicants covers how holistic review works in practice, and our piece on the role of extracurriculars explains why depth beats accumulation on a form like Overlake’s.
How Cardinal Education Helps
We tell families things they do not always want to hear, including when a test-forward strategy is aimed at the wrong target. With Overlake that conversation usually comes early, and it usually changes the application for the better. Our admissions consulting for private schools works on the student underneath the file: what they are curious about, what they can articulate, and whether this particular school is the right room for them. For the general overview of Overlake’s process and requirements, see our Overlake School Admissions Consulting page.
“Applying to Overlake felt overwhelming at first, but working with Cardinal Education brought clarity and structure to the whole process. They helped us focus on highlighting our son’s genuine personality in our parent statement and prepared him for his group interview in a way that felt natural rather than rehearsed. We are so grateful for the thoughtful guidance that made us successful in the application.”— Overlake Parent
Frequently Asked Questions
How diverse is Overlake?
Does Overlake have affinity groups?
Do we still need the SSAT for Overlake?
Does Overlake sponsor student visas?
Does Overlake teach Mandarin?
Which entry year is less competitive?
Considering Overlake for Your Family?
The families who do best at Overlake are the ones who stop optimizing and start listening to what the school keeps saying about itself. Get in touch and we will build a realistic Overlake plan around your child’s entry year and the January 14 deadline.