Admissions

List of 11 items.

• Who should apply to the Mastery School?

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  Current 8th and 9th-grade students can apply to the Mastery School of Hawken to join in their 9th or 10th-grade years. The Mastery School is a perfect school for curious students who want to develop a sense of agency over their education. If you are excited by the idea of working with a world-renowned expert to solve a problem that is relevant to your community, then the Mastery School is the place for you.  

• How much does the Mastery School cost?

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  Information about affordability at Hawken can be found here. Students applying to the Mastery School of Hawken can apply for Flexible Tuition (need-based financial assistance) and may be eligible for additional awards, including the Cleveland Scholarship and merit scholarships.

• How do Mastery School students get into college?

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  Mastery School students use the Mastery Transcript to demonstrate their work and skills to colleges. Students have been admitted to more than 700 colleges and universities using the Mastery Transcript, and every college has accepted it as a valid transcript. The Mastery School has graduated 65 students in our first three classes, and 60% of our graduates have matriculated to a top 50 college or university as ranked by US News and World Report. You can see a list of college acceptances and more information about the college process here.

• Do you require an entrance test?

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  Students applying to either or both of Hawken’s high schools are required to take the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE). Families can register for the ISEE here and can take it at any testing site, including several that Hawken hosts at our University Circle and Gates Mills campuses.  Please note that the deadline to register for in-person ISEE tests is three weeks prior to the test date and test scores must be received by the Admission Office prior to the January application deadline.
  
  

  Boarding students are required to take the SSAT in lieu of the ISEE. More information can be found here.  

• What is the first step I should take if I am curious about the Mastery School?

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  As a very first step, we suggest watching this video and exploring our website. We also encourage you to call our admissions team at 440.423.8801 to learn more about our innovative program. 
  
  

  For Students:
  Student Visit 
  Students are encouraged to explore both of Hawken’s high school campuses, and only one student visit day is required. Visit days are a great opportunity to learn more about the school by working with our faculty, spending time with current students during a campus tour and lunch, and visiting a Macro. 
  
  Macro Shadow Days
  Macro Shadow Days are a great opportunity for students who have already visited the Mastery School to come back for a second visit and spend time diving into some of our current Macro offerings.
  
  

  For Parents:
  Virtual Parent Visit
  A great opportunity for you to learn about our program, hear from current students, and recent alumni. The hour-long event is virtual and generally held in the evenings to make it more convenient for busy families. 
  
  Macro Parent Coffees 
  Parents are welcome to join us for parent coffees, but we do encourage you to attend a virtual visit or open house first. The parent coffees are opportunities to watch our current students present in their Macro final presentations. We know that the best way to understand the Mastery School is to hear about the experience from our students, and to watch their presentations to real world challenge partners. We will share additional details on the Mastery school in brief presentations and Q&As before and after each presentation.
  
  Themed Parent Coffees 
  Join us for a parent coffee on a topic that is of specific interest to you. Perhaps you are interested in learning more about the college process, or you are currently a Montessori family interested in learning about the transition from a Montessori school to the Mastery School. These brief in-person events are a great opportunity to learn more about the Mastery School while also having all of your questions answered in a small context.
  
  For The Whole Family:
  Open House 
  Our largest events of the year, our spring and fall open houses are great opportunities to learn about the Mastery School’s program, the college process, and offerings like athletics, theater, and Outdoor Leadership. We encourage the whole family to attend!

• When should I start my application?

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  Applications for the 2026-2027 school year open in early September. We encourage you to schedule your visit day in the fall and to begin working on the parent and student questionnaires. Teacher evaluations can be requested after November 1 and the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) should be scheduled in late fall or early winter prior to the application deadline. 

• How do I know if my child will be accepted to the Mastery School?

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  Our applicant pool is competitive, and our spaces are limited. Our committee uses a holistic approach to determine admissibility to Hawken and considers the types of classes the student has taken, teacher evaluations, written submissions, the student’s visit day on campus, test scores, and other factors as they review each student’s application. We are looking for students who are excited to learn and problem-solve, and we work hard to get to know every applicant throughout the process.

• What makes the Mastery School different from other high schools?

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  At the Mastery School, students work in teams to help solve real-world problems that are presented to them by community partners (see a list of the recent companies and nonprofits that we have partnered with). Students also take deep dives into areas that interest them, working on complex projects to demonstrate high levels of skill and content mastery. Students use work from inside and outside of the classroom to build evidence toward a Mastery Transcript to demonstrate their learning.

• Do I have to apply to the Mastery School and Hawken Upper School separately?

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  Only one application is needed to apply to Hawken and we encourage your family to consider our unique programming at both our Mastery School and Upper School campuses.   Students may visit both campuses as part of the application process, but only one campus visit is required. 

• Can only 9th and 10th graders apply to the Mastery School?

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  Yes, because of the Mastery School’s curriculum and crediting system, we typically only accept applications for 9th and 10th graders.If you have any questions about eligibility, please contact Masteryadmission@hawken.edu.

• Can students at the Mastery School participate in Hawken extracurriculars like sports?

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  Yes, they can! In addition to the variety of clubs on the Mastery School campus, students can participate in many co-curriculars hosted at the Gates Mills campus.  At the end of the school day, an inter-campus shuttle brings students to our Gates Mills campus to play on our 22 interscholastic athletic teams, perform with the Hawken Players’ Society, or participate in Speech and Debate and Outdoor Leadership clubs.