<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=345291449665129&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">

Your Complete Guide to Applying
to Templeton Academy

Welcome to Templeton Academy!

Templeton Academy is an experiential micro school offering an academically rigorous college-preparatory curriculum designed to foster intellectual curiosity through active learning and community exploration.

What if the future of education was developed around the student and driven by the student?

This is the question we are always asking ourselves.

The time and energy of mainstream education can get tied up by standardized testing, complex reporting, and a one-size-fits-all approach in the classroom. Meanwhile, the needs of individual students fade to the background.

We are pioneering an educational model that genuinely puts students first and that emphasizes the skills that colleges and employers value. Our model does not offer an “alternative” education, it offers an education experience that will help your student fall in love with learning and take an active part in their own education. 

Why not prepare students for successful, full lives starting in middle and high school?

A Transparent Look at Our Application Priorities

As you might expect, our unique educational philosophy makes our application process look different too.

As the world debates the importance of transparency in the admissions processes of our higher education institutions, we are stepping forward to share our application process with you directly.

Our goal is to figure out what makes you you and what motivates you to love learning, not simply make you take a standardized test or submit a coached essay.

We think about education as a process of learning how to be, how to do, and how to know. Because of this, our biggest priority in the application process is to find out three things from students and families:

  • What do you already know and what do you want to know? (Think facts and content)

  • What do you already know how to do and what do you want to know how to do? (Think skills and aptitudes)

  • What have you already become and what do you want to become in the future? (Think character and identity)

This resource is designed to help you explore, both practically and theoretically, how to apply to Templeton Academy and how to get the information you need to make a great decision about where you will spend your K-12 school years.

Step 1: Learn About Templeton Academy

The Templeton model is the product of a vision of what education can be: a life-giving, formative experience that unlocks the passion and potential of each student. Here at Templeton, we have asked ourselves the tough questions: What is the ultimate goal of education? What type of environment is most conducive to deep learning? How can a high school education prepare a student for life? How can it be more accessible?

But now, it’s your turn to think big and ask tough questions. As you think about applying to Templeton Academy, the first step is to learn about our educational philosophy and ask yourself if what we offer seems like it could be a good fit for you and your family.

  • Explore our website. This will give you a chance to read all about our mission, our history, and our educational philosophy. You can also browse our blog and look through our course offerings to get a sense for what life at Templeton Academy looks like.

  • Attend a community or informational event at the School. Place-based and community-based learning are very important to our model, so come visit! 

Check out our premium resource, The 2030 High School Graduate: Preparing Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s World. If you get the educational model we’re running, but are curious to understand why we’ve chosen to do education differently, this is the resource for you. While it focuses on the high school years, this resource is useful for parents of younger children as well! It’s never too early to start thinking about educating your child for life.


SUBSCRIBE TO BLYTH-TEMPLETON BLOG

Step 2: Attend an Information Session to Begin the In-Person Conversation

After you’ve done some exploring and learning, it’s time for you to begin the conversation with us and get answers to your most pressing questions.

The best way to do this is to attend one of our information sessions. These sessions are held weekly at our DC location and bi-weekly at our Nashville location and are open to the public. These sessions give students and families a chance to see the school, ask questions, and formally initiate the application process if they are interested.

You can register to attend one of our information sessions here.

Be sure to come with your questions!

Here’s a Look at Some of Our Frequently Asked Questions

Is Templeton Academy a college prep school?

Yes. Though we don’t think that is enough for a 21st century secondary school. In fact, Templeton Academy actually resembles the way students learn in college more closely than other “college-prep” schools do. We offer students longer classes over a ten week term, adjunct professors, and most importantly,  more control of their learning and their time. This emphasis on student agency at an earlier age is the best possible way to prepare students for college, careers, and life. For more information about this, check out our full resource, The 2030 High School Graduate: Preparing Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s World, or our blog post, What College Admissions Officers Are REALLY Looking For in a High Schooler.

What does a successful student look like at BTA?

Our students are smart, driven, artistic, kind, curious. They are students who don’t just want to sit in a classroom and be talked at — they want to actively participate in their learning. Or as you’ll also see in the video, they no longer want to look at teachers as rule makers, but as partners in learning. Students who are motivated to learn about the world around them and themselves will be most successful at Templeton Academy.

Check out our video about the Templeton Experience to learn more.

What makes TA different from other high schools?

The biggest differentiator between TA and other schools is our focus on the individual student. We emphasize student agency and encourage students to fall in love with learning, not simply pass tests or get good grades.

At both the elementary and high school levels, we are interested in developing curious, kind, passionate students who are prepared to tackle challenges and think for themselves.

Most notably, we have a unique schedule in which students take two classes a day per quarter. This allows students to deeply engage with the subjects they’re studying. Instead of jumping from class-to-class in 45-minute increments, students spend 2 hours and 20 minutes each day to explore each subject. This also supports our experiential approach to learning. We take hands-on learning seriously and use the geographic location around our schools to deepen our understanding of the world and the subjects we’re studying.

We operate small schools where everyone knows everyone else and classes average only eight students. Because of this, every student is known and expected to engage every day.

Check out the full list of our FAQs here.

Step 3: Schedule and Attend an Admissions Interview

The admissions interview is the most important part of our application process. We are far more interested in this conversation than in standardized testing or an essay, which is why we do not require either of these two items.

Our application process is about valuing authentic student work and authentic student identity, and then figuring if and how Templeton Academy can serve that student’s unique needs and interests.

Does this sound stressful? It shouldn’t. We are not looking for “right answers” to any questions or for prospective students to fit a preconceived mold of behavior, performance, or interest. This opportunity is truly a conversation about who the student is, what motivates them, and what potential they want to develop in themselves, things that are not captured effectively through assessments or coached essays.

  • What motivates you to love learning?

  • What are you good at?

  • What are you passionate about?

  • What are opportunities and injustices in the world that you care about?

  • What are you doing or working on when five hours flies by like five minutes?

  • What do you like about school and what don't you like?

  • What’s one thing that you’ve learned to know, do or become that you’re really proud of?

  • What do you want to learn to know, do or become?

  • What’s one thing that you would love to do, but for some reason think you cannot do?

  • If you had unlimited time and resources, what would you love to do?

Here’s What the Admissions Interview Looks Like Practically

The purpose of the interview is to get the fullest picture possible of the student and prospective family.

This interview must be attended by both the student and the parent(s)/guardian(s). It usually lasts between 60-90 minutes and both the parent(s)/guardian(s) and the student spend time one-on-one with the interviewer.

The interview is usually conducted after the prospective family (including the student) has been to an information session and has expressed interest in moving forward in the application process.  Sometimes, the information session and interview are conducted on the same visit – usually when prospective families are coming in from outside of the area to see Templeton Academy. 

Note: For our Nashville location, Step 4 in the application process either precedes or occurs simultaneously with Step 3, and our Nashville team schedules the admissions interview by calling or emailing parents. However, the description of these two steps in the process are helpful and accurate for parents interested in either the DC or Nashville locations of Templeton Academy!


SCHEDULE A VISIT

Step 4: Submit Your Supplemental Application Material

While we do not require standardized testing or an application essay, we do like to have some background information on your past coursework and performance and from your past teachers who may have good insight to share about your strengths and weaknesses.

Here’s What We Require from You and Your Student

DC Location

Nashville Location

Current school official transcript and latest report card

Current school official transcript and latest report card (request form here)

Math Teacher Recommendation Form

Math Teacher Recommendation Form

English Teacher Recommendation Form

English Teacher Recommendation Form

 

Foreign Language Recommendation Form
 

It’s not lost on us how much work this can be for all involved, so we are constantly working ourselves to make sure the collection of these important documents is as easy as possible for applicants and educators alike. Once we receive all your supplemental materials, you will get an email confirming that your application is complete, and your application will head to our Admissions Committee who will make a final decision.

You will be notified via email about the decision of the Admissions Committee!

Step 5: Complete Your Registration and Payment

You’ve been accepted to Templeton Academy! Congratulations! Next steps are registration and payment.

You can register online with our new online system. See below for specific information.

 

DC Location

Nashville Location

Online registration here

 Online registration here

Timeline & Financial Aid

Timeline (Notice We Do Not Think of Them as Deadlines)!

  • Early Admissions: (November 1, 2019 in Nashville / December 1, 2019 in D.C.). Early Admissions is the right choice for families excited and confident that Templeton Academy is the right fit for their child. Within early admissions, families complete their application relatively early, receive a decision shortly thereafter, and then a 10% tuition discount ($13,995) for enrolling within one month or their acceptance to Templeton Academy.

  • Regular Admissions: (January 16, 2020 in Nashville / January 31, 2020 in D.C.). Regular admissions is for families who are excited about Templeton Academy and hope to have more time to explore their school options to ensure we are the right match for their child. Within regular admissions, families complete their application and receive a decision shortly thereafter.

  • Third Round Admissions: (March 16, 2020 in Nashville / March 30, 2020 in D.C.). Templeton Academy recognizes that the vibrant cities we use as our campuses are growing. Because of that – and any other family needs that may arise –Templeton Academy reserves limited seats for rolling admissions. Templeton Academy is committed to being a micro-school and as such has a maximum capacity of 150 students.

Understanding Your Financial Aid and Payment Plan Options

We believe that high quality education should be available for everyone. With tuition of just $15,550 for the full academic year, Templeton Academy is one of the most accessible private high schools in the Washington, D.C. and Nashville areas. Rather than putting tuition toward building and maintaining expensive facilities and grounds, we use the city as our campus, focusing our budget on hiring the best full-time and part-time teachers.

However, we fully appreciate that tuition of just $15,550 is still unattainable to many families. Because of this, we offer flexible payment plan options and financial aid opportunities.

*Note: Templeton Academy requires a deposit of $250 from families of admitted students who are holding a spot while waiting to see how much financial aid they will receive.

Learn more about tuition, fees, and payment plans here.

Learn more about financial aid here.

More Questions? Connect with Templeton Academy Today!

We hope that this resource has been helpful as you learn more about our approach to education and our approach to getting to know you and your family as you apply to be a part of the Templeton Academy community.

At Templeton, we are passionate about the educational model we are building and the kids we are serving.

Connect with us today to learn more about applying to and attending Templeton Academy!! If you're interested in learning more about our new Nashville campus, we invite you to visit our website! 

 

VISIT THE BLOG   REQUEST MORE INFORMATION
×

Ready to begin your journey at Templeton Academy? Download our application checklist so you can stay on top of the process!

Download Now
Templeton_BrandID-06-v2

© Copyright 2019 Templeton Academy
Privacy Policy