Kent Denver is a small, vibrant, inclusive learning community filled with students who are curious, intelligent, determined and kind.
Each year, our admission team is delighted to meet students from schools throughout Denver and beyond. Our goal is to identify the most capable and highly motivated students. Over the years, we have discovered that the students who succeed and benefit most from a Kent Denver education are those who are committed to contributing positively to school life and believe wholeheartedly in our goal of excellence in scholarship and character.
Kent Denver application process includes multiple elements to help us get to know your student, while allowing your entire family to learn about our school and community.
Application elements are explained below. All steps must be completed by January 31, 2022. Admission decisions will be shared on February 25, 2022.
We look forward to meeting you! Your family interview includes a campus tour led by a current parent and individual meetings with a member of our admission team. These meetings help us learn more about you and address any questions you have about Kent Denver. Parent/guardian activities should last about two hours.
Rising 6th, 7th and 8th Graders: After your family interview, we will introduce you to your host, and together you will attend classes, participate in community time (assembly, recess, etc.), and meet the people who make Kent Denver so special—our teachers, advisors, and most importantly, our students.
Rising 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th Graders: We invite you to come back to campus at a later date after your tour and interview to experience our school in action. We’ll introduce you to your host and together you’ll immerse yourself in a fun morning in the life of Kent Denver: lively classes, engaging teachers, and friendly classmates.
How to schedule your campus tour and family interviews:
Please click here to complete the family application on our online application portal.
Once this section has been completed and processed, student essay forms, recommendation forms and the transcript request form will become available on the online application portal. You may also use the online application portal to schedule the family interview if you have not already done so.
The student essay portion of the application process will become available on the online application portal once the family application form has been submitted and processed. Student essays help the Admission committee learn more about the applicant and their passions, strengths and challenges. Applicants should complete this section without input from anyone else.
The parent essay portion of the application process will become available on the online application portal once the family application form has been submitted and processed. This essay portion allows parents or guardians to share with the Admission committee their unique perspective on their child.
Four recommendation forms are required for each applicant, and are available on the online application portal once the family application form has been submitted and processed. Recommendation forms will be available in the online application portal on November 1, affording teachers the opportunity to get to know your student.
Kent Denver requires the following common* recommendations:
School principal or counselor
Current English or social studies/history teacher
Current math teacher
One additional current academic teacher of the student's choosing
If you have concerns about how well current teachers have been able to get to know your student this year (remote learning environment, new school, etc.) there are also two "Optional Teacher Recommendations" available to share with teachers or administrators from 2020-21. Applicants may send these additional recommendation requests if necessary.
*Kent Denver is among several independent schools using a Common Recommendation and Transcript Request forms to reduce the workload for your student’s current teachers and school staff. The following schools use the Common Recommendations and Transcript Request forms: Kent Denver School, Colorado Academy, Graland Country Day School, Montessori School of Denver, St. Anne’s Episcopal School, St. Mary’s Academy, Stanley British Primary School.
This required form should be completed by a current teacher in a subject other than English or math. Teachers in subjects such as science, history/social studies, world languages, art, music, technology, etc.
If you have concerns about how well your child’s current teachers have been able to get to know your student this year, you may also share the “Optional Teacher Recommendations” with teachers or administrators from 2020-21.
Can I use a coach or tutor for an additional recommendation?
If you would like to include a recommendation from an adult from a non-academic setting who has coached or mentored your child, you may use one of the “Optional Teacher Recommendations.”
Ideally, students should ask current teachers to submit recommendation forms. However, students applying for the 6th-grade may ask a 4th-grade teacher to submit a recommendation form.
If you have concerns about how well your teachers have been able to get to know your student in a remote learning environment, please contact us to discuss options.
The transcript request form will become available after December 1 on the online application portal, once the family application form has been submitted and processed.
Current year and previous year’s transcripts are required and must include the most current grades and/or comments.
Flexible Standardized Test Requirements for 2022–23 Applicants
To ease the pressure of being a student and a young person during COVID-19, the Kent Denver admission team has changed the testing requirement for all student applications to ‘flexible’ for the 2022–23 school year.
What does ‘flexible’ mean? While your student will still need to submit some form of standardized testing with the application, the test does not need to be the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) or the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT). Any standardized test taken after September 2019 will fulfill the requirement. A few examples of acceptable test options include: CMAS, ERB, WISC, PSAT, HSPT, STAR and iReady. (Please contact the admission office if you have questions about specific tests).
If your child does not have any standardized testing to provide, we ask that you register for the ISEE or the SSAT (details below), and send your scores to Kent Denver to fulfill this requirement. Both tests may be available at local test sites, or both are administered online, at your home.
Why We Require Standardized Tests
Score reports represent one aspect of an applicant’s academic strengths and potential. Test results are by no means the most important element of our admission process, which is designed to get to know each student individually.
MORE ABOUT THE ISEE
More information about the ISEE and how to register ishere. More information about the ISEE at Home and how to register is here. We will offer the ISEE at Kent Denver School on Saturday, December 4 and Saturday, January 22.
MORE ABOUT THE SSAT
More information about the SSAT and how to register is found here. More information about the SSAT at Home and how to register is here.
Financial Assistance with Testing Fees
Completing your application to Kent Denver should not create a financial hardship for your family. Please contact us at kdsadmission@kentdenver.org or (303)770-7660 ext. 433 for a fee waiver for either test.
Students with Accommodations
Both testing organizations support students with documented learning differences. We recommend requesting accommodations from your preferred test option as soon as possible; additional paperwork is required before you may register your student.
January 11 (Zoom) & January 22, 2022 (in-person): Financial Aid Workshops
January 31, 2022: Admission Application and Financial Aid Application deadline
February 2022: Upper and Middle School admission decision notifications
Why Kent Denver?
"If you are looking for a well-rounded education with rigor, provided by the best teachers and the most supportive staff in Colorado, Kent Denver is the place. They truly do foster love of learning and create an environment that encourages curiosity and critical thinking. Moreover, your kids will be ready for college, not only academically but also socially and emotionally. It was hard to find one school that was perfect for my two very different kids but this place was near perfect for both of them."
- Kent Denver Parent
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