Rolling Admissions at Rainard School for Gifted Students
In last month’s post, we shared signs it might be time to change schools to ensure a gifted student’s needs are properly supported. This month, we want to talk about what to do when those signs show up midyear instead of at the end of the school year. Like many other Houston private schools, we offer rolling admission. In this post, we’ll discuss why we have rolling admissions, what it means for your child, and what the process looks like.
Quick recap: Signs Your Gifted Child isn’t supported
- They hide their abilities to fit in. When gifted students aren’t surrounded by peers with similar interests and abilities, they may hide their strengths to fit in. This can manifest as a sudden decrease in test scores, lack of interest in learning, or consistently pretending to not know an answer.
- They are bored and checked out. Students whose needs aren’t supported may reach a point of resignation, where they no longer feel like it’s worth it to engage in school, despite their love of learning and natural interests.
- They experience increased anxiety and perfectionism: When gifted students have been made to feel different without proper emotional support for long periods of time, students’ self worth may become tied to their giftedness, which can lead to unhealthy perfectionist tendencies or anxiety.
Why We Have Rolling Admissions
We offer rolling admissions, like other Houston private schools, so that regardless of the time of the year, the student can be accepted into Rainard and join our classes. We believe that quality gifted education should meet children where they are, when they need it; and we believe students shouldn’t have to suffer due to their needs not being met in their current school. While Houston public schools begin testing in August, we have capabilities to begin the gifted identification process and/or admissions at any point. So, whether you see the signs in May or November, we are here to support your child on the next step of their gifted education journey.
How it works:
Like some other Houston private schools, our admissions process involves testing, applications and an interview. This can be started at any time.
Step 1: Begin Online Application
As the adage goes, every journey begins with the first step. Prospective students and their families can begin their online application from our website, which will re-direct you to the Standard Application Online by the Enrollment Management Association. There, you will be asked to create an account and submit documentation.
Step 2: Identify giftedness
Our identification process includes academic record submission, a teacher and principal recommendation, and an IQ test- all of which can be submitted via the online application system. Academic records can include report cards, transcripts and standardized test results. For IQ testing, we offer four testing sites, details are listed on our application page. Whether your student has been identified as gifted already in your Houston private or public school, we also encourage you to check out our blog to learn more about identifying traits of gifted children. This should help get the conversation started with your school administrators.
Step 3: Pay application fee
The application fee is 100$ and can be paid for online.
Step 4: Sit-in Visit
Once we receive your full application, our admissions office will consider inviting the student for a full day visit, so our staff can get to know the student and the student can get to know us. From 8:00am - 3:30 on the visit day, the prospective student will get to experience Rainard and all it has to offer so the best decision can be made for the student’s wellbeing.
Step 5: Admissions decision
Now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. In 24-48 hours after the sit-in visit, the acceptance decision will be waiting in your inbox. If accepted, the next step will be to send a $2,000 non-refundable enrollment fee to secure a place for your child at Rainard– and then the Rainard adventure begins!
We know the process of changing schools can be daunting for both students and parents, but it doesn’t have to be. At Rainard, we’re here to help! Please contact our admissions office at 713.647.7246 and one of our staff members will be happy to answer any questions. For now, we wish you all a relaxing and wonderful summer.
