Welcome to Eastside Prep!

5th Grade – 36 newly enrolling students 
6th Grade – 18 newly enrolling students (36 returning students) 
9th Grade – Approximately 35-40 newly enrolling 9th graders and 50 returning students 

Students are welcome to apply for  7th, 8th, 10th, and 11th grade, though admission to these grades is based on attrition of currently enrolled students and is uncommon.  

• Applications open in Ravenna on September 1, 2022
• Application Deadline is January 12, 2023
• Financial Aid Application Deadline for Existing EPS Families is December 5, 2022
• Financial Aid Application Deadline for Prospective Families is February 2, 2023
• Upper School Decisions communicated on February 24, 2023, at Noon, via Ravenna
• Upper School Family Responses due to EPS on March 3, 2023
• Middle School Decisions communicated on March 17, 2023, at Noon, via Ravenna
• Middle School Family Responses due to EPS on March 24, 2023

EPS has a truly independent curriculum and does not offer AP or IB classes. To quote our Head of School, Dr. Terry Macaluso:” Sometimes people wonder why we don’t offer AP classes. First, AP classes are offered in public schools, so there’s no need to pay independent school tuition if AP is a priority. The primary reason we don’t offer AP is because it flies in the face of our mission. AP classes are survey classes. They aim to cover as much of the waterfront as possible. EPS is interested in the opposite; our program is designed to go deep, to explore fewer concepts and ideas, but to do so in a way that achieves genuine understanding. For students to be able to practice critical thinking, they must be guided to reach for the essence of an idea or set of data points.”

Please visit our College Counseling Testing page for more information.

We have many students who are a great fit for Eastside Prep whom we would like to offer them admission, yet we may lack sufficient available spaces in their grade of application. When this occurs, we will offer students and their families the opportunity to join our waitpool of candidates. Typically if we have the opportunity to offer admission to a waitpool applicant, it will happen within a week of decision notification. Sometimes, offers can come later in the year.  We encourage these families to be in touch with us regarding their enrollment intentions.  

Eastside Preparatory School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, disability, national or ethnic origin, or other legally protected status in admission of otherwise qualified students or in providing access to the rights, privileges, programs, or activities generally available to all students and their families, including educational policies, scholarship and other financial aid programs, or athletic, extra-curricular, and other school-administered programs and activities.

As is true for other independent schools in the Seattle area, tuition covers only a portion of actual operating costs each year at Eastside Prep. Together with tuition, the Annual Fund helps to support the programs and people that make Eastside Prep a unique and thriving community.  Everything from faculty professional development to financial aid is supported by the Annual Fund.  At Eastside Prep, we promise that there will not be an auction or walkathon or cookie sale to support the school!  Our hope is that every EPS family will support the Annual Fund because each gift, no matter the size, helps make our vision and mission possible:  To inspire students to create a better world through critical thinking, responsible action, compassionate leadership, and wise innovation.

Our school day begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 3:00 p.m. Students have four, 70-minute class periods each day, along with ample time in the middle of the day for lunch and rotating activities such as class assemblies, advisory, clubs, and seminars. 

Daily Office Hours are from 3:00-3:30 during which students can connect with teachers for any questions or needs they may have. Afterschool activities typically take place between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m.

Afterschool activities typically take place between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. 

EPS Bus Service
Eastside Prep offers bus service to several locations around the Puget Sound region. EPS offers three bus routes. Buses arrive to campus at least 15 minutes prior to the start of classes and depart campus 15 minutes after the school day ends.

EPS Carpool Map
All EPS families are included in the Carpool Map for help with coordinating shared rides to and from campus as well as other school activities. Families decide which contact information they wish to share with the community, or they can opt out of participation in the map.

Metro
With EPS located across the street from the South Kirkland Park and Ride, some of our students elect to take the King County Metro bus to and from school. More information on potential bus routes can be found on the King County Metro website:
Metro Trip Planner

Please visit the Transportation page for more detailed information.

EPS teachers support all students’ wide-ranging learning styles. Students with identified learning needs, as well as those for whom needs may be identified while attending EPS, are provided with a variety of modes of  learning support. Accommodations (e.g. additional time for tests, or a separate testing space) are facilitated by Student Support Services for those with documented learning differences.   

Additionally, student self-advocacy is encouraged and cultivated, particularly through our  Guided Study Hall (GSH) program. GSH meets as frequently as other courses in a schedule (2-3 times per week for 70 minutes) and provides a 4:1 student to faculty environment in which learning strategies and executive functioning skills are cultivated.   

 Our focus on student well-being centers on students feeling safe and supported at EPS. In addition to ensuring students physical safety, we also attend to their social and emotional safety needs.  

• Regular drills for unforeseen incidents help us to ensure that we can always be prepared in any event. 
• Safety and security discussions occur in advisory groups; as a preparatory school, we help students to prepare for many potential situations they will encounter in their lives. 
• Security personnel coverage both during the school day and after hours helps us to bring specialized support in addition to the vigilance of all school employees.
• Three full-time school counselors help to ensure that experiencing social and emotional safety is an aspect in which all students are supported. 
• All employees, as well as substitute teaching staff and volunteers who will not be directly supervised while on campus, have gone through background checks prior to their engagement with our school community. 
• Key fob access for entry doors on an auto-locking schedule helps us to reduce risk by limiting entry points to campus buildings. 

It’s not just your student beginning at Eastside Prep—you’re joining a new school community too! Our goal is to make sure you feel as connected and engaged with Eastside Prep as your student. We partner with you through regular communication, volunteer opportunities, and events. These events include our new parent welcome evening, grade level picnics, parent coffees, celebratory events for parents, and parent-teacher advisory conferences. Many parents also choose to volunteer at EPS through our Parent Association. Opportunities include serving as a grade level parent representative, contributing to events such as our faculty-staff appreciation days, and assisting with our athletic teams. We’re happy for parents and guardians to be as involved as their interests and schedules allow.  While volunteer opportunities are offered, they are not required.