Every day at Tenacre begins with a handshake as the head of school greets arriving students. This act of trust and personal attention sets the tone for all that follows. At Tenacre, we embrace the elementary years. As a Pre-K through Grade 6 coed school, we offer a dynamic and exciting environment in which children progressively develop critical thinking skills, become confident and joyful learners, and move forward into higher education and life as caring citizens.
At the heart of our educational philosophy is the critical need to balance nurture and challenge. Nurture, particularly in the younger years, allows children to grow, feel safe, and develop an empowering sense of confidence--"I can do it." Challenge takes on a greater role as students welcome the opportunity to prove themselves in many difficult learning situations.
Every child at Tenace is a full participant, a valued contributor to our vibrant community. In classrooms, on our playing fields, in art, music, and drama, our students are actively engaged in their own education. It is our belief that when every child has multiple opportunities to succeed, every child can and will succeed.
Our proudest tradition is that of valuing every student. We are a small school where everyone knows each other, where academics, creativity, and good citizenship are high achievements to strive toward, and where children learn firsthand the rewards and responsibilities of being part of a community.
Our focus is on the total child. The goal is to respond to the academic, emotional, physical, social, and moral dimensions of each child with a unique philosophy that creatively combines traditional and innovative elements of elementary education.
Indicate interest in our school by submitting arequest for information with us through our website. This will automatically create a record for your family within our database. Through this record, we will notify you of deadlines for application requirements and share with you any events (likely virtual) that we will be holding to help you learn more about our incredible school community.
Engage in a parent interview via Zoom with our Director of Enrollment, Meg Burke, which can be scheduled by emailing Elizabeth O’Connell, Assistant Director of Enrollment. Pre-Kindergarten applicants must be age 4, and Kindergarten applicants must be age 5 at the start of the school year to which they apply.
Admission appointments for parents applying to all grades are scheduled for 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday, beginning in early October through late January. You should expect the interview to last about one hour. To schedule your Interview (via Zoom), please call or email Elizabeth O’Connell at eoconnell@tenacrecds.org or calling 781-591-7408
Complete Part 1ouronline applicationprior to your parent interview. If you haven’t already scheduled your interview, we will call you to schedule once you start the online application. You need not complete the entire application at once. Part I of the application must be completed by your parent interview.Part II of the application must be completed by February 8, 2021.The $60 non-refundable application fee is also due by February 8, 2021.
For Applicants in Grades PK-5, the AISNE recommendation form is due by February 8, 2021. For Grade 6 applicants, the Tenacre Teacher Checklist form is due by February 8, 2021. When you are logged into your online application account, please follow instructions to have the AISNE Form or 6th Grade Tenacre Checklist form sent directly to your child(ren) teacher. It is recommended that you initiate sending the form by December to give your child(ren) teacher enough time to complete the form by the due date of February 8, 2021.
Submit the most recent school transcript you have for your child by sending it directly to Elizabeth O’Connell ateoconnell@tenacrecds.orgby February 8, 2021. (*We understand that these may have been hindered during the spring of 2020. Please discuss any concerns with Meg at the time of your interview).
Applications received after February 8, 2021 will be considered as space allows. Please call the Admissions Office to discuss this process.
Information for Applicants to Pre-K and Kindergarten:
Complete our online evaluation, which will be discussed during the parent interview.
Pre-Kindergarten applicants must have reached the age of 4, and Kindergarten applicants must be 5 by the start of the school year in which they will enroll. A child applying for either PK or K must have had a prior formal school experience which is the equivalent of at least 2 days/week for PK applicants, and 3 days/week for Kindergarten. Children applying to both PK and K must be toilet trained.
Information for Applicants in Grades 1-6:
Students applying to Grades 1-6 attend a visit day in the winter of 2021 for a group screening morning. The morning will include assessment in reading, writing and mathematics, as well as classrooms activities with homeroom teachers, a special subject class such as science or technology and games in the gym with our P.E. staff.
We hope to be able to hold our Admission Saturday for students applying to Grades 1-6 currently scheduled for Saturday, February 6, 2021. This event will be virtual with a remote platform with student applicants and details will be shared in the middle of January.
Tenacre is committed to assisting families of qualified applicants achieve their goal of an independent school education for their child, whatever their financial situation.
You may begin to fill out your Financial Aid application (PFS) online, beginning in early October. You only need to fill out one PFS, which will cover all the schools you may be applying to. Please visit our Financial Aid page for more information.
Financial Aid applications and all required documents (copies of W-2 forms and completed 1040 tax forms) are due at both Tenacre and SSS by February 8, 2021.
The application deadline for the 2021-22 year is February 8, 2021.
For all applicants, please make sure we have the following by February 8:
the online application, including Family Information (Part I) and the Parent-Guardian Questionnaire (Part II).
recent transcript
For Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5 applicants:
the appropriate AISNE independent school evaluation form.
appropriate student evaluation materials (see Step 4)
For Grade 6 applicants, please include:
the Tenacre teacher checklist form
appropriate student evaluation materials (see Step 4)
Decision letters will be sent to all applicant families electronically on Wednesday, March 10, 2021. Parents are asked to reply as soon as possible, but no later than April 10, 2020.
Wait-lists of acceptable candidates are usually established for all grade levels each year. If wait-listed, it is the parent’s responsibility to inform Tenacre if they wish their child’s name to remain on this list.