Admission Process

Virginia Chance School is an inclusive school that is warm and welcoming and works to attract and retain a diverse student body that reflects a range of racial, economic, cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds, where everyone benefits from Chance’s philosophy and mission.

The admissions process at Chance is designed to help interested families explore Chance’s unique philosophy and program. Together, we can decide if the school is a good fit for your child and your family.

The school considers a student for admission or re-enrollment based upon multiple criteria, including:

commitment to completing the full program through 5th-grade graduation
educational philosophy match between the family and the school
inclusivity with unwavering support of anti-ism's and anti-phobias
academic readiness or qualification
gender balance

Aug 1st is our age cutoff date, so as an example:

Any child who turns 2 on or before August 1 can apply for the early preschool program for the 25-26 school year.

Any child who turns 5 on or before August 1 can apply for kindergarten for the 25-26 school year.

Interested parties are encouraged to show interest through the New Student Inquiry Page and begin the application process. Applications are accepted at any time.

Admissions Steps

Interested parties are encouraged to begin the application process to tour the school. Applications are accepted at any time. For first-round consideration, families are encouraged to complete the admissions steps by the deadlines listed.

Step 1 – Start the Conversation: Inquiry Form
One of the most important steps in choosing the right school for your child is visiting a variety of schools. Please fill out the tour form to access the group tour option.

If you would like a personal tour, please fill out this tour form and then hop over to our admissions application and complete that. At that time, we will see that you are ready to make a final confirmation and advance in our admissions pipeline to secure a spot. We look forward to meeting you!

Step 2 – Submit an Application: Admissions Application

To submit an application, please ensure you have completed an inquiry form. Upon completion of this application step, you will be contacted by the school to schedule a personal tour to confirm your choice and to ensure an understanding of the full program before enrollment. We are so happy you are applying, but please note that applications do not guarantee enrollment. Please see admission details for more insight. Application fees are non-refundable.

Please submit them in a timely fashion so your child’s application is complete. Please submit paperwork with relevant information highlighting a child’s development. We require full transparency as this will help us learn about your child, what abilities and interests a child has and what he or she needs going forward in a progressive school setting. Applications for the upcoming school year are due on or before December 13 for Early Childhood and Elementary, for first-round consideration, and thereafter as parties are interested.

1. Submit an Application for Admissions and a non-refundable, non-transferable $117 application fee.

2. Copies of school progress reports if they exist.

3. Submit a Teacher Recommendation Form for kindergarten through fifth-grade applicants.

4. Copies of school or professional evaluations, such as recent report cards and standardized test scores, if they exist.

Upon the receipt of a complete application, a Chance representative will initiate one or more of these steps:

1. Scheduling a Personal Tour of Chance School, all guardians and financial supporters should be present at this important tour.
1. Contact an applicant’s teacher, with a parent’s signed permission on the Application for Admission.
2. For Early Childhood Admission: Observe an applicant at his/her current school if needed.
3. For Elementary Admission: Schedule two days of shadowing at Virginia Chance School.

Step 3 – Secure your child’s enrollment.
First-round enrollment decisions are announced on February 7, 2025, and thereafter as openings exist. Once enrollment decisions are made, acceptance packets are emailed to accepted applicants with an acceptance letter, Registration Form, Enrollment Contract, Student Profile, tuition, and fees for the 2024-2025 school year. You typically have two weeks from your child’s acceptance date to return the required paperwork and corresponding fees to secure your child’s enrollment at Chance School.

If you are put on a waitlist, your registration fee is only due at the time of full acceptance, but please note that your reply time from waitlist acceptance is shortened as we must move to the next acceptance quickly. So waitlist waits can be long, but the time to perform will be short.

Take these steps according to the deadlines included in your acceptance letter per child:

1. Return the Enrollment Papers – Registration Form, Enrollment Contract, and Student Profile. The signed enrollment contract is binding as of June 1, at which time families are liable for the school year’s entire tuition, and payments start then based on the payment schedule selected for the upcoming year.

2. Pay a Registration Fee per child according to your acceptance letter – approximately two weeks from date of acceptance: a non-refundable, non-transferable $800 registration fee for all early childhood and elementary families; or a non-refundable, non-transferable $200 registration fee is available for a family completing the financial aid process for the Elementary Program. FA registration fee is not refundable even if the award doesn't meet the need, this fee facilitates the financial aid screening process and committee work needed to award financial aid each year.

Tuition payments begin on June 1.

Teacher Recommendation Form for K/1 for Application

Chance School Teacher Recommendation for Kindergarten and 1st Grade

Teacher Recommendation Form for Grade 2-5th for Application

Teacher Recommendation Form - Primary and Intermediate

Admissions Calendar for '25-'26 School Year

January 15, 2025 - Deadline for New Student Applications, rolling thereafter.

February 3 – Re-enrollment contracts are due.

February 7-11, 2025 - Acceptance letters / offers go out to new applicants. Admissions Committee decisions are sent to Prospective Families or Waitpool Notification from the January 15th application deadline.

February 28 – New enrollment contracts are due.

March 21, 2025 - Second Round Acceptances sent to Prospective Families or Waitpool Notification.

June 1 – Irrevocable Contract deadline.

*Please note you must complete an observational visit before the Admission Committee can consider your application.

Shadow Days

An application is required for admission shadow days. All applicants must complete an observational visit before the admissions committee can consider their enrollment application. Dates are provided below for reference, but in the application, you will choose a date for your child's observational visit. Once the application with the selected date is submitted, Admissions will confirm the observational visit day(s).

Early Childhood Observational Visit

Novemeber 8

December 13

January 22

January 24

April 18

Elementary Shadow Days

November 11-12

January 22-23

April 17-18

The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, color, religion, national origin, ancestry or disability that are unrelated to the ability to work or to enjoy the benefits of the school’s progressive program, its facilities or service.

Guided by what's best for children, Chance School strives to accommodate the individual needs of each child. However, there are instances where we recognize that a student may require support beyond what our capabilities allow, particularly in areas such as behavior, emotional stability, or learning differences. In such cases, Virginia Chance School reserves the right to withhold placement to a student who may require such support.