Admissions

Apply Soon for the 2026-2027 School Year

The Willow School looks forward to accepting applications for grades K-12 for the 2026-2027 school year during the upcoming Main Round of admissions. Main Round will begin this fall.

If you would like to be notified when Main Round opens, you can fill out the 2026-2027 Main Round Interest Form.

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Open House Dates

The best way to get to know The Willow School is by attending our Open House events on each campus. This is a fun and informative opportunity to learn about the school, meet current students, and see our beautiful, historic buildings. Mark your calendar today!

  • Lower School (K-4): October 25 at 10:00am & November 5 at 6:00pm. Please arrive at the start time for a planned program including a welcome, tour, and Q&A. Students are NOT encouraged to attend. Students may attend if necessary.

  • Middle School (5-7): October 30 at 5:00pm. Please arrive at the start time for a planned program including a welcome, tour, and Q&A. Students are encouraged to attend.

  • High School (8-12): December 4 at 5:00pm. Visit Willow from 5:00-7:00pm for a student-led tour of the high school followed by staff Q&A. Tours leave every 15 minutes with the last tour beginning at 7:00pm.

    Students are encouraged to attend.

There is no need to RSVP for Open House and attending Open House has no bearing on eligibility. See you on campus!

Please Note: The Lower School open house is the same program on both days, so there is no need to come to both events.

Waitlist Offers for the 2025-2026 School Year

Admissions for the 2025-2026 school year are closed.

Waitlisted students may receive a waitlist offer on a rolling basis through August 31 if a seat becomes available.

If your child met the eligibility criteria and is on the waitlist, you can see your waitlist position in the New Orleans Public Schools Parent Portal on the waitlist tab. Visit www.enrollnolaps.com for more information.

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.

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.

The eligibility criteria are the same in each admissions round. Learn more about the application processes and key dates from the 2024-2025 school year on the Main Round, Spring Round, and Summer Round pages. Dates for the 2025-2026 school year will be available later this fall.

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 2,200 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.