Here’s an overview of the important dates and deadlines to keep in mind throughout your admissions journey.
September 3, 2024
Admissions Application, Financial Aid Application, and Event Registration Open
October 2024 - January 2025
Admissions Events & Interviews
January 9, 2025
Admissions Application Deadline (Family-controlled forms and interview)
Financial Aid Application, 2022 and 2023 Federal Tax Returns for Prospective Students are Due
January 31, 2025
Remaining Application Items are Due (e.g. recommendation forms, transcripts)
March 1, 2025
2023 Tax Documents for Financial Aid Applicants are Due
March 21, 2025, after 4:00 pm
Admissions Decisions are Published on Ravenna and Notification Emails are Sent
March 28, 2025, before 12:00 pm
Enrollment Contracts & Deposits are Due
Get started by signing up for a Ravenna account and see the Steps to Apply below.
Applying for Financial Aid?
Use the code 25Knights in Ravenna to waive your Admissions Application Fee.
Steps to Apply
Step 1: Inquire & Create Your Ravenna Account
Complete your student and family profile on Ravenna. From the School Directory, select Menlo School and click Apply. Through Ravenna you will then be able to register for a variety of Menlo admission events and access our online application.
Step 2: Get to Know Menlo
We offer various admissions events for families to learn more about our school and connect with the Menlo community. Visit our Events & Visits page or your Ravenna account to see what events might interest your family. Registration for all events is required, and space is limited.
Step 3: Student Visit Experience
Prospective students can visit during the school day to imagine themselves as future Knights and observe our community’s dynamics and approach to teaching and learning. On their on-campus visit day, students will complete their interview and writing sample (see Step 4). Registration is required and space is limited.
Step 4: Interview & Writing Sample (Required)
Student interviews are a required step in our admissions process. We ask you to register early for an appointment as soon as possible. During this appointment, you will complete a writing sample. Appointments are available starting in October 2024, and appointment dates are released on a rolling basis to ensure there are enough opportunities for everyone.
Step 5: Complete Your Star Assessment (Required)
For the 2024-2025 season, Menlo has reinstated standardized testing for our admission process. Local applicants are required to complete the Star Assessment at Menlo. Other standardized test results will not be accepted in lieu of Menlo’s version of the Star assessment by local students.*
*International students who are not able to attend an in-person Star Assessment are allowed to submit SSAT or ISEE scores taken in their country of residence. International applicants are also required to submit TOEFL scores if the primary language of instruction at the student’s current academic institution is not English.
Step 6: Submit Your Application
Applications and all family-controlled forms are due on Thursday, January 9, 2025. All remaining application items (e.g. recommendation forms, transcripts) must be received on or before January 31, 2025. The Admissions Office will reach out directly to families and/or sending schools about incomplete applications prior to this deadline. Ravenna may not immediately reflect an application as completed as we review each item received. Applications completed after the deadline will be considered late and we cannot guarantee an on-time decision.
A complete application to Menlo will include:
Middle School: Grades 6-8
By January 9, 2025:
Pre-Application Form & Application Fee or Waiver
Kira Family Video Questionnaire
Student “10-Minute Takes” Form
Student Visit & Interview
Star Assessment & Writing Sample at Menlo
By January 31, 2025:
Current and Previous Year Transcripts
Principal/Counselor Recommendation
Current Year Teacher Recommendation
Previous Year Teacher Recommendation
Upper School: Grades 9-12
By January 9, 2025:
Pre-Application Form & Application Fee or Waiver
Kira Family Video Questionnaire
Student “10-Minute Takes” Form
Student Interview
Star Assessment & Writing Sample at Menlo
By January 31, 2025:
Current and Previous Year Transcripts
Principal/Counselor Recommendation
Current English Teacher Recommendation
Current Math Teacher Recommendation
Step 7: Apply for Financial Aid (Optional)
Menlo is dedicated to serving a diverse student population and families from every economic background. Thanks to our community’s generous contributions, we proudly maintain a need-blind admissions process supported by a strong Financial Aid program. Applications for Financial Aid do not affect admissions decisions, and all interested families are encouraged to apply.
Applications for the Financial Aid Program must be submitted through Clarity by January 9, 2025. Late applications without a qualifying event, such as loss of employment, will not be accepted.
Special Circumstances
International Applications
Students who attend school outside of the United States, are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States, are fluent in written and spoken English, and are relocating to the Bay Area with at least one parent or legal guardian can apply using the international application.
While our main entry points are in 6th and 9th grade during the fall term, we welcome applications for 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. Please note that we do not consider mid-year transfer applications.
Menlo will accept applications after the regular deadline; however, these applications will be placed in our late applicant pool and will initially only be considered for a place in our wait pool. Late applications must be complete (including recommendations and interviews) by May 1, 2025. Late applicant interviews will begin in April 2025, and late applicants will be informed of their admission decisions on a rolling basis. Please log in or create your Ravenna account to begin a late application.
Admissions FAQ
Below are answers to a few general questions that we are frequently asked. If you have any questions that are not answered here, please reach out to us atadmissions@menloschool.orgor call 650.330.2001 ext. 2600. We are here to help!
Menlo seeks students who love learning and have strong academic skills. We want students who are kind, honest, and inclusive of others. Menlo students are motivated and eager to try new things, stretch themselves, and become involved in our community beyond the classroom. Although Menlo is a relatively small school, we have a big-school program, and we are looking for students who will engage in all we have to offer.
Menlo students come from a wide variety of public, independent, and parochial schools—from over 35 schools in each of our divisions! Committed to attracting and supporting students from a broad spectrum of ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds, Menlo strives to reflect the rich diversity of the Bay Area.
We believe students are better educated and prepared to succeed when the School community—students, families, faculty, administration, and staff—is diverse and inclusive. Diversity benefits the entire community by providing a wide range of perspectives and experiences. Currently, 60% of our students identify as people of color.
Yes! Menlo seeks to attract talented students from every socioeconomic background. For the 2023-2024 school year, $7.7 million in aid has been awarded to 22% of families. Financial aid is need-based; aid is awarded based on a family’s need, not on academic or athletic ability. All interested families are encouraged to explore the Financial Aid process, apply, and reach out to Rose Garza or Brooke Wilson with any questions. Please see our information and frequently asked questions about financial aid here.
Yes! Menlo’s 2024-2025 admission season will include both in-person and virtual events. Please check the admissions page of the Menlo website for the most current information about ways we will help you get to know the school.
Our primary entry points are 6th and 9th grade. Each year, we enroll between 70 and 72 students in both 6th and 9th grade. The class size in the Upper School is about 145, half from our middle school and half new to Menlo in 9th grade. Applications for grades other than 6th or 9th are considered based on space availability.
While our main entry points are in 6th and 9th grade during the fall term, we welcome applications for 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. Although our enrollment is typically full, we occasionally have openings for transfer students and maintain a wait pool through the summer months. Availability is assessed after our re-enrollment period concludes in early March, however transfer and standard applications follow the same timeline. Please note that we do not consider mid-year transfer applications.
International students may apply to Menlo, however as a day school with no boarding facilities, Menlo expects all students to live locally with their parent(s) or legal guardian(s). We do not have the ability to issue I-20 visas. We are a family-focused community, and parents are expected to be on campus frequently to volunteer, attend meetings, or athletics/arts events. More information about international application requirements can be found here.
Menlo is committed to sustainability and encourages students to “go green.” Menlo students commute by bus, train, carpool, bike, and foot. Menlo provides free bus transportation along four different routes and a shuttle to and from the Caltrain station in Menlo Park. Many families carpool and some older students drive themselves. See our transportation page for more information.
The College Counseling Office carefully guides students through the college admission process. Counseling begins in the spring of sophomore year and continues through the spring of senior year. Each student is assigned to one of our four college counselors and the counselors meet regularly with students and parents. The College Counseling Office maintains a comprehensive website
Our academic and learning support programs in both Middle School and Upper School provide support and guidance at all levels, from faculty-led help sessions to a math/science learning lab and writing center, to one-on-one sustained study skills coaching, to Student Success Plans to support those with diagnosed learning differences. Of course, the most meaningful support is the strong relationships between our students and our teachers, who work daily to develop learning environments that ensure all our students thrive.
The Menlo School Admissions Office aims to build a well-rounded class of students who will thrive in and contribute positively to the Menlo community. Menlo values keeping families together as much as possible; however, every year, qualified affiliated students are not offered admission due to the competitiveness of the applicant pool and space constraints. Menlo siblings are very important to us and are carefully considered in our process. New families must also be carefully considered, since all Menlo families, at one time or another, were “new.”
Content from previous site pages, can be copied into new design as needed
We hope the information below will help you plan your admission process. Menlo uses the Ravenna-Hub platform for registration for admission events and the application.
Sign up for optional Informational Admission Events: Parent Information Sessions, Preview Days, Student Panels
Delegate Recommendation Requests to your student’s teachers
Request Transcript
Schedule Required Admissions Interview
Application Due by January 12, 2023
Admissions Decisions Will be Posted Online
March 17, 2023 after 4:00 p.m.
Enrollment Contracts and Deposits are Due
March 24, 2023 by 12:00 p.m.
Menlo Application
The Menlo application is composed of elements that highlight a student’s academic attributes and their personal character. The following items are required as part of the application:
Short answer and essay questions for parents and students.
Teacher Recommendations
Counselor or Principal Recommendation
Transcript
Interview
Writing Sample- proctored online by Test Innovators
Menlo School Admission Events 2022-2023
Some of our events will remain virtual and some will be in-person on our campus. Beginning in September, families will be able to register for all of our events through their Ravenna account.
Testing Policy for the 2022-2023 Admission Season
Menlo will remain test-optional for the 2022-2023 Admission Season. As part of our commitment to equity for all applicants, Menlo will not require testing for Fall 2023 admission. We recognize that standardized testing creates inequities for a variety of reasons, from bias to unequal access to test prep and tutoring. We will continue to evaluate the role of standardized tests in our admission process moving forward.
MENLO SCHOOL Since 1915
