Thank you for your interest in The Willow School! We are looking forward to meeting your family through the admissions process for the 2024-2025 school year. If you have any questions, please reach out to our admissions team.

All public schools in New Orleans, including Willow School, participate in the NOLA-PS Common Application Process (NCAP). Our school, along with four other public schools in Orleans Parish, has academic admissions criteria that require a supplemental application and an admissions exam. This process is essential to evaluate the readiness of applicants for our rigorous program and is reflected in a matrix score.

In every application round, all prospective families must complete the steps of the application process:

• Complete the Willow Application.

• Take an eligibility assessment in person at The Willow School.

• Complete the Arts Interest Portfolio.

• Submit supporting documentation based on the applicant’s grade level.

• Complete enrollment actions with New Orleans Public Schools through the centralized enrollment system.

Prospective families can learn about the specific next steps for the current admissions round on the application process page.

Supporting documentation can be submitted through the SAF, or turned in via email or in person after the SAF has been submitted. Documents can be scanned and uploaded through the Supplemental Application Form (SAF), emailed to the admissions team, or submitted in person to the admissions office at the middle school campus (5625 Loyola Avenue) between 8:30am and 4:00 pm or by appointment.

Just like in the Main Round, applicants complete an application (or reactivate their previously submitted application), complete the assessment, and submit supporting documentation (report card or parent questionnaire and Arts Interest Profile). Learn more about the application components and eligibility calculations on the matrix page.

See the next steps and timelines for the Summer Round on the application process page.

Grades Open for Applications: During Main Round, Willow accepts applicants to all grades K-12. In the Summer Round, Willow only accept applicants to grades with a short waitlist or available seats.

No NOLA-PS Application ("OneApp"): Families cannot access seats at Willow through the NOLA-PS Open Enrollment Form. Since Willow applicants need to meet the eligibility criteria before they can be assigned to a seat, The Willow School is not listed as an option on the NOLA-PS Open Enrollment Form. Eligible students will be asked to complete a NOLA-PS Seat Request Form, which will be used in the placement process with the school district.

Maximum Assessment Matrix Score: In the Summer Round, students who applied in the Main Round or Spring Round can take the assessment again, resulting in an additional assessment score. Applicants can use their best scores from the math and reading sections to earn matrix points in the Summer Round. We consider all available scores in calculating a student's highest possible matrix score.

Maximize GPA with Report Card Options: For the Summer Round, applicants are asked to provide final year report card from the 2023-2024 school year in addition to the final year report card from the 2022-2023 school year. The admissions team calculates the student's GPA at each timepoint used in the Main Round and Spring Round to determine the student's best GPA and maximize the applicant's GPA matrix points.

Priorities: Priorities do not apply during the Summer Round. According to Orleans Parish School Board policy, priorities can only apply during Main Round. For Willow, this means there is no sibling priority, Tulane priority, or economically disadvantaged priority for the Summer Round of admissions.

Quicker Timeline: The Summer Round is shorter than the Main Round application period. There is less time for document submission and follow-up, so we ask that families respond as quickly as possible to outreach from the Willow admissions team.

The Willow School has a rigorous academic program, with accompanying higher expectations. Acceptance to The Willow School is determined by the applicant’s total matrix score, which is calculated as described below.

The matrix score is a sum of points from Math Assessment (all grades) + Reading Assessment (all grades) + Arts Interest Form completion (all grades) + Curriculum Meeting/Questionnaire (K-1 only) OR GPA (grades 2-12 only).

Learn more about the matrix calculations on the matrix page.

If you need help with any parts of the admissions process, or have questions, please reach out to our admissions team. We are looking forward to getting to know your child through the application process.

For Grades K - 4: Email LowerAdmissions@willowschoolnola.org or call 504-324-7318

For Grades 5-12: Email UpperAdmissions@willowschoolnola.org or call 504-304-3961

In person support and computer assistance is available by appointment. Please contact the admissions office by email or phone to schedule a time to visit our admissions office at the middle school campus (5625 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70115).

The Willow School's renowned academic program engages students and challenges them to think critically, analytically, and creatively. A National Blue Ribbon School, The Willow School has mastered the art of balancing a rigorous academic program, with accompanying higher expectations, and student well-being.

Our unique curriculum is founded on the concept of arts integration. The school believes strongly in the power of combining critical thinking skills and creativity to prepare its students for a successful academic future and to help them develop and grow into adulthood.

An Orleans Parish public school, The Willow School maintains an "A" rating with the Louisiana Department of Education and serves more than 2,000 students on three campuses.