How to Apply
We can't wait to get to know you!
Our whole admissions process is built around getting to know your family and opening our doors so you can get to know us. We offer many opportunities to come meet us, see our classrooms, experience what learning at Fayerweather is like, and connect with our administrative staff, including our Head of School. As part of the application process, your child will also spend time with our teachers. By the end of the process, we'll both know whether we're a good fit!
Priority Admissions (and Clarity Tuition Assistance Application) Deadline: November 16, 2026
Regular Admissions (and Clarity Tuition Assistance Application) Deadline: February 1, 2027
Inquire
Fill out the inquiry form. Once submitted, you'll have access to our application portal, where everything else takes place.
Visit
Please attend at least one of our events for prospective families. These are designed to answer your questions, give you an overview of our approach to teaching and learning, and help you experience what learning at Fayerweather is like. Check our Visit page for opportunities and to register.
Caregiver Interview
Caregiver interviews with Karina Davis, our Director of Enrollment Management & Admission, are required in order to apply. These can be scheduled through the application portal.
Submit the Application
Application requires a parent/guardian statement and, for applicants with school history, teacher recommendations and transcripts. The fee is $50; waivers are available — just ask.
We have two application deadlines.
Priority Admissions Deadline: November 16, 2026
Regular Admissions Deadline: February 1, 2027
If you're applying for tuition assistance, the Clarity Application is due the same day as your application. Details on our Tuition & Tuition Aid page.
Child Visit
During the child visit, which will not be scheduled until after the application deadline, your child will spend time at Fayerweather so our teachers can get to know them.
PreK through first grade is a small-group session built around play.
Grades 2–8 include classroom time and a short academic assessment, including the same reading screeners our students use three times a year.
Applicants to grades 6, 7, and 8 also complete a writing prompt. We do not require standardized testing such as the SSAT or ISEE.
If you have questions about the child visit and what it entails, please feel free to contact us.
Decisions
The Priority Admissions Decisions (along with tuition assistance awards) will be sent on January 15, 2027.
Regular Admissions Decisions (along with tuition assistance awards) will be sent on March 10, 2027.
Here's how it unfolds.
Founded in 1967, Fayerweather is an all-gender independent private school enrolling students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade and located in Cambridge, MA. Children here are taken seriously — as thinkers, as individuals, as people whose presence in the world already matters. They learn by doing real things, in real places, for real audiences. They become themselves, in community, over time.
