The New School

The New School describes its teaching approach as meaningful, relevant, and community-engaged: students do work that matters beyond grades, connect learning to real problems, and use Atlanta itself as an extended classroom. It emphasizes project-based, collaborative, and entrepreneurial learning through partnerships, mentorships, and internships, while also maintaining a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum in a supportive culture where teachers act as trusted advisors and students are encouraged to grow, collaborate, and be brave. (tnsatlanta.org)

The New School asks families to start by creating a free Ravenna account, which is used to register for events and begin the application; the school also encourages a parent visit, and parent visits are reserved for families of students currently in 8th grade or above. (tnsatlanta.org) To apply, students complete the online Student Application and upload a graded student essay, parents complete the online Parent Application, and families submit a $60 application fee (with fee-waiver requests handled by the admissions office). (tnsatlanta.org) Required materials also include English and Math teacher valuation forms, a transcript request to the current school, and a required half-day student visit/shadow day for students who finish the preliminary Ravenna steps; the school also says the SSAT is not required. (tnsatlanta.org) For the 2025-26 cycle listed on the site, preliminary applications were due February 2, 2026, all materials were due February 13, 2026, early-decision requests were due February 17, 2026, early decisions were emailed March 2, 2026, and regular decisions were emailed April 5, 2026; financial-aid applications through Clarity used the same February 2 priority deadline and February 13 materials deadline. (tnsatlanta.org) I did not find a published waitlist policy on the admissions pages, and I also did not find stated applicant priority categories such as sibling, staff, or alumni preference; the only priority language I found was the priority deadline for financial aid and the separate early admission/early decision option. (tnsatlanta.org)