Welcome to The Children’s School

Learning at The Children’s School is a joyful adventure. Play is woven into everything we do because through play, children gain the confidence to dive in, follow their curiosity and courageously explore their world.

As children mature, play-based learning transitions to learning playfully. Campus diversity intentionally reflects our local and global communities, because learning with and from each other is critical to fostering the cultural fluency and compassion our future leaders need to take on the big global issues and thrive.

Our nationally recognized curriculum engages and inspires young minds through immersive, project-based learning. Our faculty is exceptionally gifted at recognizing unique strengths and bringing out the fearless, enthusiastic learner in every child. And our central location in Midtown provides an ideal launch pad for students to engage with the broader community.

Our 3’s/4’s classrooms have a student-teacher ratio of 8:1 and our 4’s/5’s classrooms have a 10:1 ratio. Kindergarten through grade 8 has a ratio of 12:1 – 15:1.

Our 3’s/4’s, 4’s/5’s, kindergarten and sixth grade classrooms are the starting point for many families. However, there are varying entry points depending on the year and the particular grade for which you are applying. We accept applications for all grade levels.

It is best to begin the application process the year before you would like your child to enter The Children’s School. We highly recommend that you get to know our community of brave learners by attending a virtual event and/or visiting campus before submitting an application.

We highly recommend that parents visit the school on one of our designated dates for individual family tours. We look forward to helping you discover our community of brave learners and doers.

Once an application has been submitted, prospective parents can schedule their parent one-on-one meeting with a member of our admission or administrative team.

The deadline to apply for the 2025-26 school year is Jan. 31, 2025 (Dec. 13, 2024 for Early Learning 3’s/4’s and 4’s/5’s early decision).

Recognizing that there are reasons why a family may need to submit an application after the January deadline, we do accept late applications. We cannot, however, guarantee that we will have openings beyond our initial round of acceptances, and inform families that we will be happy to consider their application if space becomes available.

Please contact Associate Director of Advancement Alison Schers (alisons@tcsatl.org, 404-873-6985) with questions about the deadline.

We require no standardized testing beyond what your child’s current school administers in the course of the year. We also do not require the JATP. If your child takes the SSAT or ISEE and you want to share the scores, please send them to admission@tcsatl.org.

We find it very helpful to receive all reports for applicants who have received psycho-educational testing. Please send these evaluations to admission@tcsatl.org.

Early Learning Program 3’s/4’s: Children must be three-years-old by the first day of school in August of the year they enter TCS. Children who turn three after the first day but before Sept. 30 can be considered for admission.  

Early Learning Program 4’s/5’s: Children should be four-years old by Sept. 1 of the year they enter TCS.

Kindergarten: Children should be five-years old by Sept. 1 of the year they enter TCS.

Each child’s developmental readiness is assessed in house during their virtual visit. When making an admission decision, we take into account developmental readiness, academic and social cohort groups, and the appropriate class placement for each applicant. 

TCS is proud to be a family school and we strive to keep families together. All applicants (regardless of family connection to the school) must apply for admission and  are evaluated according to the same criteria, and all admission decisions consider the best interest of each individual child.

Diversity is our strength. Our founder, Lila McDill, determined from the beginning that the school would be open to “all elementary children whose emotional and intellectual endowment will enable them to work within this group, regardless of race, ethnic, or religious background.” Inclusivity is part of our DNA. 

Our faculty, staff and families are some of the most diverse among our fellow independent schools in Atlanta and nationally. In fact, 53 percent of our students identify as being a person of color. TCS students come from 50+ zip codes and 25 percent of our students are enrolled in our Financial Aid Program. 

We believe that when children learn among peers from broadly varying backgrounds, they come to value the possibilities inherent in multiple perspectives. This awareness leads to strong local, cultural and global competencies that enables our children to fully, sensitively and effectively engage in the broader community.

Our Learning Strategies and Academic Support Services (LSASS) program expanded in 2021.

In 2023, LSASS began offering an enhanced, fee-based program with individual and small group support in literacy, math, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and executive function coaching.

The LSASS team can support students with many different learning profiles; however, there are occasions when our program cannot adequately support a child’s needs and it will be in the family’s best interest to find another setting for their child’s success. These situations are approached carefully and thoughtfully in partnership with parents and with the school reserving the right to make the final decision.

Click here to learn more about the LSASS program.

Our graduates have the knowledge, skills and character to thrive in many different high school environments. Empathetic and bold, they are prepared to engage in and impact their immediate environment and make their mark on a complex and constantly changing world.

The director of student life and high school counseling works closely with each eighth-grade family. The process begins in the spring of the student’s seventh grade year with an individual meeting with each student and their parents. Our approach is highly individualized and collaborative and also includes close partnerships with each student’s advisor and teachers. In addition to attending various Atlanta-area public schools, during the last five years, our graduates have been accepted to and thrive at range of secondary schools including:

• Academe of the Oaks
• Atlanta International School
• Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School
• Holy Spirit Preparatory School
• Marist School
• Mt. Vernon School
• Pace Academy
• Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School 
• St. Pius X Catholic High School
• The Galloway School
• The Lovett School
• The New School 
• The Paideia School
• The Thacher School (Ojai, CA)
• The Westminster Schools
• Woodward Academy

Absolutely! Parents are a vital element of our community, and there are many ways that they can choose to contribute their time, energy and talents to The Children’s School. All parents are members of our Parent Association which is involved with a wide range of programs and events.