Riverdale Country School

Riverdale Country School describes its educational approach around "mind, character, community," aiming to develop curiosity, purpose, and belonging in students. Its website emphasizes active, student-centered learning with high challenge and high support, encouraging students to ask questions, think critically, collaborate across disciplines, and apply their learning toward making the world more equitable and better for others.

Riverdale’s official admissions process is: optionally attend a virtual open house, submit the preliminary application through Ravenna, schedule a required child interview, and then use Ravenna to send recommendation forms and transcripts; campus tours are offered as part of the interview process. (riverdale.edu) Testing depends on grade: Kindergarten applicants must take the FLI assessment, Grades 5-12 must submit either the ISEE or SSAT, and there is no required testing for Pre-K or Grades 1-4. (riverdale.edu) On the current official page, the preliminary application for the 2026-2027 school year was due November 17, 2025, and financial-aid applications were due December 15, 2025 for prospective families (December 1, 2025 for current Riverdale families, including sibling applicants for aid). (riverdale.edu) Riverdale lists decision/reply dates by division for the 2025-2026 cycle: Kindergarten decisions on February 5, 2026 (reply by February 12), Grades 1-8 on February 11, 2026 (reply by February 27), Grades 9-12 on February 20, 2026 (reply by March 12), and PreK on February 26, 2026 (reply by March 5); it also notes that some grades (1-5, 8, 10-12) are considered only when attrition creates openings. (riverdale.edu) I did not find a published formal waitlist procedure or explicit admissions-priority categories on Riverdale’s official admissions pages; instead, the school describes a holistic review that considers factors such as character, community engagement, academic preparation, and class composition (including gender, diversity, ability, and age range), while also stating a non-discrimination policy. (riverdale.edu)