How to Apply

To initiate an application to Cary Academy, the online portion of the application must be completed and submitted along with the $75 application fee payable by credit card.  Once this first step of the process is complete, the following parts of the application can be submitted in any order (2011-12 application will be available September 1, 2010): 

Admissions Testing  Student Visit and Interview  Transcript of Grades  Teacher Recommendations Applicant Questionnaire

Our First Consideration Deadline is January 31, 2011.  All parts of the application must be completed by the deadline to receive first consideration for available vacancies.  After the First Consideration Deadline, we will continue to accept applications which will be reviewed on a rolling basis and applicants will be notified of their status as soon as possible according to available vacancies.

Admission Testing: Cary Academy requires all applicants take the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE).  The applicant selects a test date within the online application to Cary Academy; however, the test date must be scheduled with Educational Records Bureau (ERB) at www.erbtest.org.  The requested test date must be scheduled 3 weeks in advance with ERB.  Special testing accommodations are available, but the test date must be scheduled with ERB 4-6 weeks in advance.  To meet Cary Academy's First Consideration Deadline, the applicant must sit for the ISEE test on or before January 31, 2011.  A verification letter from ERB or a picture ID must be presented on the testing date.  Cary Academy is an ISEE test administration site with testing on the following dates:

• Saturday, December 11, 2010
• Saturday, January 22, 2011
• Saturday, February 26, 2011

Other schools in the Triangle area, as well as, in cities throughout the US and abroad serve as ISEE test sites.  An applicant to Cary Academy can test at any ISEE test site and request the ISEE scores be forwarded to us:  Cary Academy ERB school code is 344646.

Test preparation books are available on the ERB website FREE of charge when downloaded or for $20 each in hard copy format.  Each book includes specific background information about the ISEE test and experience, sample questions, a full-length practice test, scoring information, and a section on understanding the Individual Student Report (ISR) that will be received after testing.

Transcript of Grades: All applicants are required to submit a current report card and the previous two years' end-of-year reports. The transcript request form is to be submitted to the applicant's current school. The current school will send the required materials directly to Cary Academy.

Recommendations: All applicants are required to submit two confidential recommendation forms from academic teachers.  One of the recommendations must be completed by a current teacher, and the other recommendation can be completed by a teacher who worked with the student within the past two academic years.  An optional recommendation form can be completed by other individuals who may have worked with the applicant in another capacity (i.e. coach, scout leader, etc.).   Applicants are encouraged to use the online recommendation service; however, we will accept paper copies of the recommendations.  The link to the online recommendation forms www.schoolrecs.com is on the instruction page of the online application.  A PDF of the recommendation forms can also be found on the instruction page of the online application.

Student Visit and Interview: All applicants are required to spend one day visiting classes. A current Cary Academy student will host the applicant. During the visit, an interview will be conducted by the Admissions Office. The visit and the interview are designed to get to know the applicant, as well as, give the applicant the opportunity to ask questions about our school.  The visit is scheduled within the online application where you will be asked to specify two possible interview/visitation dates.  Since visitation days are limited, applicants are strongly encouraged to schedule the visitation day as soon as possible.  The Admissions Office will confirm your visit date via email.

Applicant Questionnaire:  All applicants are required to complete the Applicant Questionnaire and encouraged to provide as much in-depth information as possible.  The information provided on this form will help us become acquainted with the applicant and assist us in determining how a prospective student can benefit from, and contribute to Cary Academy.