Washington Market School

The Washington Market School describes its philosophy as a blend of Montessori and Reggio Emilia approaches, combining structured freedom, independence, and deep engagement with hands-on investigation, decision-making, and meaning-making. Their teaching is child-centered and observational, emphasizing curiosity, social-emotional growth, creativity, and personalized support so children build a lasting love of learning.

The Washington Market School’s 2026–27 admissions process centers on relationship-building rather than testing: families complete a required virtual information session, submit the online application, and then schedule an in-person school visit that includes a parent-only group interview/conversation; late applications may be accepted depending on availability. (washingtonmarketschool.org) Applicants also pay a $75 non-refundable fee unless applying for tuition assistance, indicate a session preference, and—if applying to the 3s–5s and currently enrolled in preschool—submit a school report; the school says it does not formally assess children. (washingtonmarketschool.org) Key 2026–27 dates posted by WMS are: application opening on September 2, 2025; sibling/legacy early-notification application deadline on November 26, 2025; sibling/legacy decisions on December 5, 2025 with replies due December 12, 2025 at noon; general application and tuition-assistance deadline on January 8, 2026; general decisions on February 26, 2026; and replies due March 5, 2026 at noon. (washingtonmarketschool.org) Posted requirements include age cutoffs of turning 2 by November 30, 2026 for the 2s program and turning 3 by September 30, 2026 for 3s–5s, with a Fall-In 2s option for some children born between October 1 and November 30. (washingtonmarketschool.org) The only explicit priority categories WMS identifies are sibling and legacy applicants, who are eligible for early notification if they apply by November 26; however, WMS says sibling status does not guarantee a spot or a first-choice session, and I did not find any explicit published waitlist policy on the admissions pages reviewed. (washingtonmarketschool.org)