Step One: The Online Inquiry and Campus Visit
Every application begins with an online inquiry, which is also how families sign up for their first campus visit. Middle school applicants attend an open house that includes a campus tour, a chance to meet teachers and students, and an introduction to academics, arts, and athletics. Upper school applicants instead join a campus tour with their parents. Families who cannot make the scheduled open house are still welcome to visit separately.
It’s worth taking this step seriously rather than treating it as a formality. Admissions officers are quietly forming impressions during these visits, and short conversations and genuine questions from a family often matter more than they expect.
Testing: SSAT, ISEE, and the Character Skills Snapshot
Ransom Everglades accepts either the SSAT or the ISEE, with no preference between the two. SSAT registration opens August 1, and families should identify Ransom Everglades as a score recipient using school code 6004. The ISEE can be taken once per testing season, either in the fall (August through November) or winter (December and January), using school code 101056.
| Assessment | What It Measures | Timing |
| SSAT or ISEE | Academic aptitude; either test accepted with no preference | Register by relevant deadlines; scores must come directly from the testing agency |
| Character Skills Snapshot | Intellectual curiosity, teamwork, initiative, resilience, and other character traits | Recommended by January 15; independent of SSAT/ISEE |
The Character Skills Snapshot deserves particular attention because it is easy to overlook. It is an untimed, roughly 25-minute online assessment, and RE has said directly that grades and test scores alone do not tell the whole story of an applicant. Families registering for the SSAT can add the Snapshot at a reduced $30 fee; registering separately costs $60.
Recommendations, Interviews, and Statements
Recommendation Letters
A complete file includes two teacher recommendations, one from the student’s current math teacher and one from their English teacher, plus a recommendation from a principal, counselor, or administrator. All three are submitted through the application portal.
The Admissions Interview
Interviews begin in September and are scheduled through MyCompass. Slots fill quickly, so families should schedule early rather than waiting until other pieces of the application are finished.
Parent and Student Statements
Parents answer a questionnaire capped at 250 words or 4,000 characters, giving the admissions committee a sense of how well the family knows the student and how the family might fit RE’s community. Upper school applicants also submit their own student statement, addressing the curricular and co-curricular activities that genuinely excite them.
Building a Timeline That Actually Works
Because Ransom Everglades’ process has several independent moving parts—standardized testing, the Character Skills Snapshot, recommendations, the interview, and two statements—families do best when they map out deadlines the moment applications open in September rather than tackling each piece as it comes up.
Top Tips for Applying
- Register for the SSAT or ISEE as soon as registration opens; testing calendars fill up fast during peak admissions season in South Florida.
- Request recommendation letters at least a month before they’re needed, since teachers are often writing for multiple applicants at once.
- Draft the student statement early and revise it together; the strongest statements sound like the student, not like a polished essay written for them.
Best Practices for Families
- Schedule the interview the moment MyCompass opens in September rather than waiting for a convenient week.
- If applying for financial aid, start the Clarity application as soon as it opens; the enhanced tax verification step can take time to process.
- Remember that RE recommends applying to at least one additional school, even for legacy and sibling applicants, since admission is never guaranteed.
Getting Started on the Ransom Everglades Application
Ransom Everglades asks families to show academic readiness, character, and genuine fit with its community, and the admissions process is built to surface all three. Families who start early, take the Character Skills Snapshot seriously, and give the interview and statements real thought tend to find the process far more manageable than its many components might suggest.
Need Help With Timing and Strategy?
Cardinal Education has guided South Florida families through the Ransom Everglades admissions timeline, from the first inquiry to Decision Day.
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