A free resource from ConnectPrep · Book a free consultation
A free resource from ConnectPrep · Book a free consultation
SSAT, ISEE and HSPT requirements, deadlines, tuition, financial aid, class sizes and teaching approach for independent day and boarding schools across the United States, checked on each school’s own website.
This database covers the accredited independent K to 12 schools in the United States, organized by region. For each school we record what its own website says about the SSAT, ISEE, HSPT or other testing, the fall 2027 application deadline, grades, day or boarding, tuition, financial aid, class size and ratio, teaching approach and affiliation, mission and what sets it apart, with links to the sources.
All 8 regions are complete, covering 2,363 schools. Each regional page has a filterable table with a link to every school’s own admissions page.
Fewer than many families expect. Of the 1,729 schools in our database that state a testing policy, 444 require the SSAT or ISEE for at least some grades, 123 are test optional and 373 use no entrance test. Elementary, Montessori and Waldorf schools usually rely on visits and observations, while selective day and boarding high schools are the most likely to require a test.
Both are admissions tests for independent schools. The SSAT is used more by boarding schools and is offered at several levels, while the ISEE is more common at day schools in some cities. Most schools that want a test accept either one, so check each school’s policy in the regional tables before registering.
Many Catholic high schools use the High School Placement Test (HSPT) instead of the SSAT or ISEE, and Archdiocese of New York schools use the TACHS. The regional tables mark these schools as HSPT or TACHS.
Most day and boarding school deadlines fall between December 1, 2026 and February 1, 2027, with January 15 the most common single date for boarding schools. Many schools keep admitting on a rolling basis after the deadline if seats remain.
Across the 500 schools in our database that publish an average class size, the median is 14 students, and the median student to teacher ratio is 7 to 1 across 814 schools.
Most do. 1,903 of the 2,363 schools describe need-based financial aid on their own websites, and where schools publish it the median share of students receiving aid is 30%. 338 offer merit scholarships, 32 are tuition free and 192 set tuition by family income. Each regional table has a Financial aid filter.
14 accredited independent schools in our database describe a military or leadership corps program on their own websites: Army and Navy Academy (Carlsbad, CA), Benedictine Military School (Savannah, GA), Culver Academies (Culver, IN), Fishburne Military School (Waynesboro, VA), Fork Union Military Academy (Fork Union, VA), Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, VA), Marine Military Academy (Harlingen, TX), Missouri Military Academy (Mexico, MO), New York Military Academy (Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY), Oak Ridge Military Academy (Oak Ridge, NC), Randolph-Macon Academy (Front Royal, VA), Riverside Military Academy (Gainesville, GA), Saint Thomas Academy (Mendota Heights, MN) and St. John’s Northwestern Academies (Delafield, WI). Most are boarding schools. Select a school for its testing policy, tuition and financial aid. Public military academies and schools outside the independent school associations are not included.
98 schools in our database publish an average class size under 12 students. Our 2027 data report lists all of them, and every regional table can be sorted by average class size.
We list the accredited independent schools in each region from the NAIS and regional association directories, then check each school’s own admissions and tuition pages. Nothing comes from third party directory sites, and schools we cannot confirm on an official site are left out.
ConnectPrep helps families build school lists, prepare applications and interviews, and get ready for the SSAT, ISEE and HSPT, online nationwide and in person in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.
School lists come from the member directories of NAIS and the regional independent school associations, plus TABS for boarding schools. Each school’s testing policy, deadline, grades and tuition are read on its own official admissions and tuition pages, and its mission, approach, class size, ratio and financial aid on its about, academics and affordability pages, and every row in the regional tables links to the page we used. When a school does not state a policy, we say so rather than guess. Closed schools and schools without a reachable official website are left out.
Have a correction? Email info@connectprep.com.
This is a ConnectPrep page. It is researched and published by ConnectPrep, an independent tutoring, test prep and admissions advising company based in Westport, Connecticut. ConnectPrep is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the schools listed, NAIS, TABS or the regional associations, The Enrollment Management Association (SSAT) or ERB (ISEE). Information is checked against official sources as of the date shown, but policies change, so always confirm details directly before you apply or register.