The Admissions Process

The Admissions Process

Learn about The Briarwood Way.

The admissions team is here to help guide you through the admissions process and encourage you to schedule a tour to learn more about The Briarwood School.
Schedule a Tour Today!
Collage of Briarwood lower school students with the words "lower school" above the photos.
Collage of briarwood middle school students with the words "middle school" over the photos.
Collage of briarwood upper school students with the words "upper school" over the photos.
Our Students

Profile of a Briarwood Student

  • Difficulty with spelling.
  • Difficulty learning phonics (sounding out words).
  • Requires extra help in school due to problems with reading and spelling.

Source: International Dyslexia Association

  • Trouble organizing words on the page from left to right.
  • Writes letters that go in all directions, letters and words run together on a page.
  • Trouble writing on a line and inside the margins.
  • Difficulty understanding spelling rules.
  • Can spell correctly orally but makes spelling errors in writing.
  • Blends printing and cursive.
  • Trouble reading their own writing.

Source: International Dyslexia Association

  • Not being able to recognize printed numbers, or trouble imagining a number line.
  • Trouble learning to count, or only counting on their fingers.
  • Not understanding that a number represents quantity.
  • Anxiety about working on math problems or going to math class.
  • Trouble adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing single-digit numbers.
  • Not knowing which steps to follow to solve a math problem.

Source: British Dyslexia Association

 

Students at Briarwood have average to above average intellectual abilities and have not yet reached their academic potential in traditional school environments. Briarwood students typically have a primary diagnosis of dyslexia, and may need additional support with dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and co-existing conditions such as ADHD.

What disabilities are not served at Briarwood?

Briarwood is not equipped to effectively serve students with certain primary diagnoses. These include Intellectual Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, and Emotional Disturbance.

Does your child have an intellectual disability, Autism/ASD, DDX3X, Down Syndrome, Fragile X, Intellectual Developmental Disabilities, Okur-Chung, Prader-Willi Syndrome, or Williams Syndrome?

The Tuttle School might be a better fit. Learn More.

Important Admissions Dates

A complete FIE must be sent to admissions@briarwoodschool.org prior to starting the application stage.

Wednesday,
October 15, 2025

2026-27 Application is available

Wednesday,
January 14, 2026

Priority admissions application deadline

Friday,
February 20, 2026

Last Day for Priority Shadow Days

Friday,
March 6, 2026

Priority Admissions Decision Day

The Briarwood School follows a rolling admissions policy and welcomes applications year-round for consideration when openings are available. Decisions are made shortly after the student’s shadow day.

The Admissions Process
Step 1
Schedule a Tour
  • Schedule a tour here!
  • Touring allows prospective families to learn more about our school, ask questions, and see students/teachers in action.
  • You are more than welcome to start the process with Step 2 and submit your child’s full psycho-educational evaluation at the time of the tour or prior. Please send to admissions@briarwoodschool.org.
Step 2
Submit Evaluation (Required)
  • Submit a current (within 2 years) full psychoeducational evaluation to our Admissions team.
    • A full psycho-educational evaluation or sometimes called FIE- Full Individual Evaluation that includes: cognitive functioning (FSIQ, working memory, processing speed), academic achievement (reading, writing, math), language and communication (receptive and expressive language), social/emotional/behavioral functioning, and visual-motor and perceptual skills.
    • We encourage you to obtain an evaluation as soon as possible since the process can take several weeks.
    • To learn more about how to obtain an evaluation, please access our free printer-friendly resource.
    • Our team will review your child’s evaluation and determine if an application is warranted. If applying is not recommended, alternative educational options will be discussed.

You are welcome to submit the evaluation before you tour to start the review process.

Step 3
Submit an Online Application
  • If an application is recommended, a link will be shared by our Admissions team.
  • Parents log into the Admissions Portal to complete the application.
  • Documentation needed for the application includes: parent questionnaire, school record release form, current report card, testing/evaluations, and teacher recommendations.
  • A non-refundable processing fee of $375 is required.
Step 4
Student Shadow Day & Academic Screener
  • Once the completed application has been received and reviewed by the admissions committee, the admissions team will invite your student for a Shadow Day from 7:45am to 2:30pm.
  • During this day, the student will be able to experience a typical day with his or her peers with a designated Shadow Buddy.
  • An informal academic screening will also be conducted to gain more data in the areas of reading, math, and writing. The screening helps us to learn how we can best support your student.
Step 5
Final Decision Process

After the student’s Shadow Day, we make a final decision for enrollment:

  • Priority admissions decisions are made before or on the Friday before Spring Break.
  • Rolling admissions decisions are made shortly after the Shadow Day.

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