Every step, both campuses, and the details families most often get wrong.
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In This Guide
Quick Answer for Busy Parents
Crystal Springs Uplands runs a nine-step application through Ravenna for both its Belmont middle school and its Hillsborough upper school. There is no entrance exam for 2027-28. Applicants complete a student statement at home, a timed written statement on Kira, and a group interview, while parents record a video share. The deadline is January 5, 2027, notification comes March 12, and families respond by March 19.
The Nine Steps to Crystal Admissions, Explained
- Create a Ravenna account and search for Crystal Springs Uplands School. Everything else, including event registration, sits behind this.
- Engage with the school through a Why Crystal info session, a family tour, a Connect with Crystal weekend, or an Inside Crystal event.
- Complete the preliminary application in Ravenna, which formally opens the file.
- Submit the student statement, combining a common essay with Crystal-specific short answers, plus the Student Activity and Interest Form.
- Request teacher recommendations and transcripts covering the last full year and the current term.
- Complete the timed written student statement on Kira, where question formats vary.
- Attend the student interview in a group format that differs by division.
- Record the parent or guardian video share on Kira at your convenience.
- Review optional submissions, which can include portfolio links, extra recommendations, or a free response.
Where the Two Campuses Differ
The nine steps are shared, but three details are not. Getting these wrong is the most common avoidable error we see.
| Detail | Middle School (Belmont) | Upper School (Hillsborough) |
| Grades | 6 to 8 | 9 to 12 |
| Teacher recommendations | Fourth and fifth-grade teachers, or current math and English. If the same teacher taught both years, use the third-grade teacher. | Current math and English teachers |
| Student interview | In-person group interview | Virtual group discussion |
| In-person events and tours | Reserved for sixth-grade applicants because of space | Open to applicants across grades |
The Four Mistakes We See Most Often
Treating the two writing pieces as one
The student statement and the Kira statement are separate submissions with different conditions. One is drafted at home over days; the other is timed and cannot be revised. Preparing only for the first leaves a student cold for the second, which is why timed writing preparation is its own exercise.
Preparing for the wrong kind of interview
Crystal uses group formats at both campuses. A child rehearsed for a polished one-on-one conversation can read as oddly formal in a room of peers. Our interview preparation works on contribution and listening rather than answers.
Asking for recommendations too late
A teacher writing in November about a student they met in September has very little to say. Ask early, and choose someone who has seen your child work through difficulty. The same logic applies to the parent video share, which benefits from thought rather than polish.
Assuming an acceptance rate you read somewhere
Crystal does not publish one. Numbers on aggregator sites are estimates and are frequently wrong. Build your list on fit and on realistic entry points instead, as our explainer on private school competitiveness argues.
Get the details right the first time
Most of what goes wrong in a Crystal application is procedural and entirely preventable. We keep families on the right steps in the right order, and spend the saved energy on the parts that actually matter.
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