Admissions
The Willow Supplemental Admissions Form for the 2025-2026 school year is now closed.
The application deadline for NOLA-PS and Willow was January 29. Please review the deadlines below.
All families must submit the Willow Supplemental Admissions Form and NOLA-PS OneApp by the deadline of January 29.
The final day to submit accommodations paperwork by email to the Willow admissions team is January 30.
The final day to request a makeup date or schedule an assessment is January 30. Students who do not attend their scheduled assessments on February 1 or February 2 cannot reschedule for February 8.
The deadline to submit report cards (2-12) and birth certificates (K) to Willow admissions team is February 5.
The final assessment date is February 8.
Eligibility decisions are communicated to families by February 14.
Spring Round
The Willow School welcomes applications for grades K-12. Willow accepts the most new students in kindergarten, where all students are new. Willow increases capacity in grades 3, 5, 8 and 9, where a new class of students is added.
Willow is no longer accepting applications for the Main Round. The next opportunity to apply will be Spring Round, beginning in early April. The Willow School will accept applications for grades with available seats or a short waitlist after the Main Round. If you would like to be notified when the Spring Round begins, please add your email to the Spring Round Interest Form.
Getting Started on the Road to The Willow School
Thank you for your interest in The Willow School! We are looking forward to meeting your family through the admissions process for the 2025-2026 school year. If you have any questions, please reach out to our admissions team.
Please Note: The graphic below contains the original deadlines, which have been extended by NOLA-PS. Please review the application process page for updated deadlines.
Understanding the Application Process
All public schools in New Orleans, including Willow School, participate in the NOLA-PS Common Application Process (NCAP). Our school, along with three 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. We recommend attending our open houses and reviewing our school website to learn more about the programs we offer. We encourage you to submit your application, and we look forward to reviewing it.
For the 2024-2025 Main Round, all applicants must:
Complete the Willow Supplemental Admissions Form (SAF) by January 29.
Complete the NOLA-PS application by January 29.
Take an eligibility assessment in person at The Willow School.
Submit report card(s) for grades 2-12 by February 5.
Understanding Matrix Calculations
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.
Family Support
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
If you need help with accessing the application in Spanish or Vietnamese, please reach out to the admissions team.
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).
Why Willow?
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.
The Willow School does not discriminate on the basis of an individual’s race, color, ethnic group, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic.