Admission

There are three application options from which applicants can choose:

• CRMS Application
• SSAT Standard Application Online
• Gateway Application.

Whichever application you choose, you will need to create an online account. An application fee of $75 ($125 for international applicants) is required at the time of submission.

All applicants are invited to campus for a student-led tour and to have a one-on-one interview with a member of the Admission Team. The interview is a required component of the admission process and will last approximately 20-30 minutes. We also request that parents/guardians be available for a 20-30 minute meeting as well. If you are unable to travel to campus, we are happy to arrange a virtual campus tour presentation with one of our student ambassadors and a Zoom interview and parent meeting.

Students are asked to complete a series of short answer questions as well as one longer essay. Parents are requested to complete a questionnaire as well. Both questionnaires are available in the application portal.

Students are asked to submit three recommendations from a current English teacher, math teacher, and guidance counselor/principal. Supplemental recommendations can also be sent and will be included in the student's file. All of the requests can be made electronically through the application portal.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to connect with teachers in person about the request for a recommendation in advance of sending the form electronically. Completing a recommendation form is generally outside the scope of a teacher's primary responsibilities and the courtesy of a personal request prior to sending the recommendation form and a gesture of gratitude after they have completed the form is certainly appropriate.

Applicants should request an official transcript from their current school and submit it to the CRMS Admission Office. For students applying to 9th grade, only an 8th-grade transcript is required. Applicants for 10th-12th grades should provide a complete transcript for all high school years completed.

Submission of standardized test scores is optional for the 2024-25 application year. This policy allows applicants to decide if their test score accurately reflects their academic ability and potential.  For applicants electing to submit scores, they will be reviewed along with other indicators of academic ability. Applicants declining to submit scores will not be negatively impacted in the process. For test information, dates, and locations please visit www.ssat.org. The school code for CRMS is 2506. (Please contact the office directly if you would like to request a fee waiver.)

Character and personal growth are an integral part of a CRMS education, as such all applicants are strongly recommended to take the Character Skills Snapshot here which provides us with richer holistic information about you.

International applicants are welcome to also submit a TOEFL score, but this is optional as well. (Learn more about the international student program and application process here.)

Students who feel inspired are welcome to share a creative expression that shows the admission committee more about themselves and/or why they want to attend CRMS. This can be a video, poem, song, or anything else they feel embodies them creatively.

Colorado Rocky Mountain School has always evaluated candidates for admission on an individual basis. In recent years we have been asked about our policies regarding homeschooling, narrative transcripts, portfolio assessment, and other non-traditional approaches to a standard transcript. Students presenting non-traditional transcripts are still a small percentage of our applicant pool, but they are not disadvantaged in the admission process. 

In the absence of a traditional school transcript, we are still interested in assessing a student’s academic capabilities. Reading lists, curricular information, narratives about courses of study, syllabi, and copies of papers or projects can be used in place of a traditional transcript. We also recommend that students coming from a non-traditional or home school environment take the SSAT. 

Three recommendations are required as part of the application process, and typically two of these recommendations are to come from teachers, and the third is from the school guidance counselor. Obviously, in certain situations with non-traditional applicants, such recommendations are not readily available. If that is the case, students should pick three individuals, outside of the family if possible and appropriate, that have some knowledge of their academic capabilities and interests. These letters should describe the recommender’s knowledge of the individual candidate. Letters of recommendation can come from community liaison people, tutors, mentors, employers, activity directors, coaches, clergy, and others.

Again, evaluating candidates for admission at Colorado Rocky Mountain School has always been an individual process, and applicants from non-traditional or homeschool environments are not at a disadvantage in the process. We will look closely at all of the information provided and make admissions decisions accordingly.