Admissions Process
The John Thomas Dye School admits students of any race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School.
JTD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs.
Policy & Procedure
Applications for admission are made available online in August of the year prior to the student's enrollment.
To begin the application process, we ask that you please fill out an inquiry form. Once we receive an inquiry, we will send instructions on how to access the application. You may also contact our Admissions Office by phone or email for information.
For the 2026-27 school year, Kindergarten girls must be five years old by August 1, 2026 and Kindergarten boys must be five years old by June 1, 2026.
Applications for Kindergarten admission are considered on a first-come basis beginning on September 30, 2025, the first day to submit the application. Please note that we limit the number of Kindergarten applications we process to 70 boys and 70 girls, and often we reach that number within the same week.
Transfer student applications (grades 1-6) are accepted starting September 30 through December 5, 2025. We encourage families to submit their applications prior to the December deadline in order to guarantee an interview spot. Openings at each grade level are based on attrition and will be limited, depending on the number of projected openings we might have in any given year.
Siblings of current students, employees’ children, and children of JTD alumni who have sustained a positive relationship with our school since graduating will be given preference once they have met the admissions requirements. Sibling, legacy, and faculty applicant families are asked to submit their admissions applications by September 15, 2025. Please note, the school's longstanding policy states that it may accept up to 40% unaffiliated families in Kindergarten. Please see the Admissions FAQ page for more information or contact the Admissions Office directly.
If you have any questions concerning the admissions process for the upcoming school year, please feel free to contact the Admissions Office for information at admissions@jtdschool.org.
For the 2026-27 school year, Kindergarten girls must be five years old by August 1, 2026 and Kindergarten boys must be five years old by June 1, 2026.
Applications for Kindergarten admission are considered on a first-come basis beginning on September 30, 2025, the first day to submit the application. Please note that we limit the number of Kindergarten applications we process to 70 boys and 70 girls, and often we reach that number within the same week.
Transfer student applications (grades 1-6) are accepted starting September 30 through December 5, 2025. We encourage families to submit their applications prior to the December deadline in order to guarantee an interview spot. Openings at each grade level are based on attrition and will be limited, depending on the number of projected openings we might have in any given year.
Siblings of current students, employees’ children, and children of JTD alumni who have sustained a positive relationship with our school since graduating will be given preference once they have met the admissions requirements. Sibling, legacy, and faculty applicant families are asked to submit their admissions applications by September 15, 2025. Please note, the school's longstanding policy states that it may accept up to 40% unaffiliated families in Kindergarten. Please see the Admissions FAQ page for more information or contact the Admissions Office directly.
If you have any questions concerning the admissions process for the upcoming school year, please feel free to contact the Admissions Office for information at admissions@jtdschool.org.
Application Materials
List of 8 items.
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Application Fee
The application fee is $200.00 but waived for families applying for Financial Assistance. -
Birth Certificate
A copy of your child's birth certificate/passport is required for all applicants, no matter the grade level. You may scan or upload a copy of the birth certificate/passport to your child’s application. -
Photos
Two photos are required as part of your child's application. Please upload a small picture of the candidate and a simple family photo as per the application instructions. -
Transcript Request Form
The Transcript Request Form, located on your Admissions Progress page, is to be given to the Director/Registrar of your child's present school and returned along with any academic records. Most preschools will not have student records, but applicants to Grades 1-6 have a permanent record at their present school.All information should be emailed to admissions@jtdschool.org no later than January 12, 2025. -
Teacher Recommendation
The Teacher Recommendation form, located on your Admissions Progress page, is to be completed by your child's current teacher after November 1. If your child has not had a formalized school experience please contact the Admissions Office to make other arrangements.Teacher Recommendations should be completed no sooner than November 1, 2024 and submitted by January 12, 2025. -
Personal Letters of Recommendation
JTD takes great pride that no single person in the community holds any more influence over admissions decisions than anyone else. As such, personal letters of recommendation are not required for any grade level. Every year we admit families whose application does not include a personal letter of recommendation.
Should an applicant family choose to have a letter submitted on their behalf, we ask that it be written by someone who has a close, personal connection to the family. Families currently in the applicant pool may not submit a letter of recommendation in support of another applicant family. All recommendations should be emailed to admissions@jtdschool.org by January 12, 2025. Multiple recommendation letters are discouraged. -
Financial Assistance
The cost of an independent school should not prohibit a qualified student from obtaining a strong elementary education. If you are interested in applying for Financial Assistance, whether you require a large amount or a small amount, please check the appropriate box on the application. The application fee is waived if you are applying for assistance.
Please refer to the page on Financial Assistance under Admissions for more specific information. -
Admissions Decisions
After carefully reviewing each applicant's file, the Admissions committee will meet in March to make final decisions for the 2025-26 school year. Notifications stating acceptance, waitpool, or non-acceptance will be sent through Blackbaud’s Admissions Progress page under the Decision tab to each family on Friday, March 14, 2025. Enrollment contracts will be due on Friday, March 21, 2025.
Visiting JTD
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Parking on Campus
There is a parking structure on the west side of the campus. Please check in with our security and park on the upper level. Security will supply you with a required visitor pass. -
Tours
We are happy to offer in-person and virtual campus tours to our prospective parents/guardians applying for the 2026-27 school year. Kindergarten tours are offered in May and September. Tours for Transfer Students (Grades 1-6) are available in the fall/winter. Please fill out an inquiry form to receive more information about campus tours. Please note, tours do fill up quickly. -
Interviews
We are happy to offer both on campus and virtual interviews to our applicant parents/guardians from October through February. Families who submit applications will receive information about scheduling their appointments. -
Open Houses
Throughout the fall and winter, the Admissions Office will host events for applicant families. More information will be shared with families in the fall. -
Student Assessments
Assessments represent one of the many ways the School learns about a student during the admissions process.The Kindergarten admission process includes an assessment of a child's developmental readiness for our program and an understanding of each child’s personality and strengths. Kindergarten screenings will be offered on select Saturdays in January and February.
The First, Second, and Third grade admission process considers a student's social-emotional development, academic ability, previous school record, and performance on our in-school assessment.
The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth grade admission process considers a student's strength of character, academic ability, previous school record, performance on a brief writing assessment, and standardized testing results. Applicants may submit results of ISEE standardized testing, public school state/district testing, or previous school standardized testing such as the CTP5 or NWEA Map tests through their Admissions Progress page. If taking the ISEE, please use the John Thomas Dye School's code of 054003. If you do not have recent testing or would prefer to take a standardized exam through JTD, please contact the Admissions Office for more information.
Ready to apply?
Applicants for admission are accepted one year prior to the student's enrollment. If you have just found out you are moving to Los Angeles or if you have any questions, please feel free to call the admissions office for information.
The John Thomas Dye School admits students of any race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs.
Located In Los Angeles, CA, John Thomas Dye is an independent school for grades K-6. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.
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