Admissions Guidelines

ICSA accepts applications for admission throughout the year. Application files are reviewed by each member of our admissions committee, which is composed of the Director, the Admissions Coordinator, and the Lower and/or Upper School Principal.

Please note that ICSA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, nationality or ethnicity and encourages all interested parties to apply. 

Required Application Materials

Before a student may be admitted to ICSA, all of the following must be submitted: 

  • Student Online Application Form. This should be completed and uploaded online (digital
    signature is ok). All documentation requested must be uploaded.
  •  Two full years of school transcripts or reports for Grades 4 and up. These should cover two
    complete years (the most recently completed academic year and the previous one) as well as the
    year in progress, if applicable. School reports/transcripts must be in English, with official translations
    provided when originals are written in another language.
  •  A photocopy of the applicant’s passport or birth certificate
  • Linguistic survey (in the online form)
  • Medical Form (online) & Medical certificate
    Parents complete all medical information online (including allergies and medication taken). A medical
    certification completed by a physician, stating the student is in general good health and can
    participate in sports must be supplied by parents of new students, before they begin at school.
  • Confidential Reference or Recommendation from previous Principal/Counselor/Head of School.

In cases where it is impossible to obtain a given application document, the Admissions Committee
will make a collective decision as to whether or not they have sufficient information in the documents
presently available to make an informed decision on the candidate’s admission. Information from
other sources may be requested in such instances (for example: work samples, obligatory interview). 

Criteria for Admission

Each candidate’s application materials are carefully studied in order to assess suitability for admission. We look for candidates:
• who are motivated/determined.
• whose academic performance is average to excellent.
• whose conduct is good overall, and who are respectful to others.
• who are, and whose parents are, committed to ICSA’s mission and vision.
• who are internationally-minded.
• who would benefit from the ICSA curriculum.
• whose qualities would enrich the ICSA community and be a positive contribution to it.

If a student broadly corresponds to ICSA’s admissions criteria, but is currently having difficulty
reaching their full potential, or if the student has a current IEP, the student may be admitted, in certain cases, pending an agreement to engage in a program of
additional support. This may include, for example: Individualized Personal and Social Education,
Counseling, Learning Mentoring, and/or other kinds of learning support as appropriate. In some
cases this support will be at the parents’ expense.

The Admissions Committee has the right to accept or refuse any applicant based on their assessment of the applicant’s suitability.

Grade Level Placement

In general, students will be placed according to their age on October 31st of their year of entry. Where it is considered to be of benefit to the student, they may be placed in a lower grade than requested. 

Only under exceptional circumstances will a student be placed in a higher grade than his/her/their age group. In these cases, the cut-off date may be extended to December 31st. Factors to be considered for such a placement include the cut-off date in the child’s country of origin; the child’s successful completion of the equivalent grade elsewhere; a transcript from the previous year demonstrating exceptional academic performance and social skills; an evaluation of the social/emotional/maturity of the child, to ensure they are placed in the appropriate group. 

Requirements for Specific Grades

Certain specific requirements apply to three categories of students:

  • All applicants who have not yet attended school: It is recommended that all candidates in this
    category meet with the appropriate Principal and the Director prior to registration. This can be a
    mandatory requirement when it is deemed necessary by the school.
  • Pre K: The applicant must be fully toilet-trained before commencing school at ICSA. The applicant must be able to feed and dress him- or herself reasonably independently.
  • Grades 11 and 12: To successfully transfer into Grade 11, students must coordinate their choice of subjects with the IB
    Coordinator and/or Secondary School Principal, as they have an overall picture of the courses
    offered and the space available in each class. Grade 12 students are only accepted under certain
    circumstances.
  • Fluency in English is not a criterion for admission (with the exception of candidates applying for grades 9, 10, 11 or 12, in which cases a minimum level of English is required).

Applicants with Specific Needs

ICSA has a Learning Support program, although the number of students to whom it can be offered
is limited by the resources available at any given time. Parents or guardians of any applicant having
a specific need must submit complete reports with the application. These might include:

  • Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
  • Psychological-educational reports
  • Speech and language
    reports

Any student with significant specific academic or physical needs for which the school does
not have adequate resources will not be admitted.

Students needing Learning Support may be admitted if it is believed that the school can offer
appropriate support and that the children can be placed in the regular classroom. When reviewing
the application of a student with specific needs, the Admissions Committee will take into
consideration all students receiving learning support in that grade, with additional consultation from
the Learning Support specialists and Counselors. 

 

Admissions Procedures