How to Get Into The Dalton School: Fall 2027 Deadlines, Tuition, Aid and College Outcomes
By Rona Aydin
What is The Dalton School?
Dalton is an independent K-12 day school in New York City. It “was founded by Helen Parkhurst in 1919” as the Children’s University School and “was renamed The Dalton School in 1924” (Dalton history). Parkhurst’s Laboratory Plan was first tried “in the High School of Dalton, Massachusetts, in 1916.” The Dalton Plan rests on three parts: House, a home base for each student; Assignment, which Dalton describes as “a partnership between student and teacher designed to inspire growth, curiosity, and independence”; and Lab, regular time with teachers (The Dalton Plan). The home page lists “1,330” students in Kindergarten through Grade 12, with no year given (Dalton home page).
What is Dalton’s acceptance rate?
Dalton does not publish one, and we found no applicant or admit counts on its admission pages. What Dalton does publish is where it admits: “Grades of entry are Kindergarten and 9th grades,” Prep for Prep students may also apply for Grade 7 or 8, and the school says it is “unable to open a standard application process for September 2027 entry into 6th grade,” a change it describes as temporary (Apply to Dalton).
How does Dalton admission work for fall 2027?
Dalton’s Steps to Apply page gives month and day without a year; the dates below are for the cycle that leads to September 2027 entry (Steps to Apply). Applications run through Ravenna.
- Kindergarten. Applications opened August 13 (passed) and “will be accepted until 12:00 PM on November 13,” 2026. There is no test: children attend a small-group “admissions assessment” that “lasts one hour and fifteen minutes,” and parents have an interview of “about 30 minutes” on a different day. “Enrollment notifications will be posted on Ravenna in February,” and families reply “by 12:00 PM one week after the notification date.”
- Grade 9. Applications opened after Labor Day (passed) and close at 12:00 PM on November 13, 2026. Applicants take the ISEE or SSAT “between August and the first week of January” and attend a visit of “approximately 90 minutes,” held between October and early December, that includes a “20-30 minute student interview.”
- Grade 9 Early Notification. Siblings of current or former students, children of Dalton graduates and children of current faculty or staff may opt in “no later than November 6 at noon,” complete requirements by November 30 and submit ISEE or SSAT results by December 4, 2026. ISAAGNY lists the early notification release as no earlier than noon on Wednesday, December 9, with replies due by noon on Wednesday, December 16 (ISAAGNY gives no year; the weekdays match 2026).
- Grade 9 decisions. Dalton says decisions follow the “ISAAGNY timetable” without giving dates. ISAAGNY says its dates apply to files completed by Friday, January 8, 2027, but its grade-by-grade table did not load for us; Trinity, Spence and Riverdale list Friday, February 19, 2027 for Grade 9 decisions, but Brearley lists February 12 and Fieldston February 17, so Dalton’s own date is not confirmed; families should check Ravenna.
What does Dalton cost in 2026-27, and how does financial aid work?
“For the 2026-27 school year, tuition is $70,800,” inclusive of lunch, supplies, devices, trips and athletics gear; Parents Association dues of $100 per family are extra (Affording Dalton). Dalton says “Approximately 21% of our students receive financial aid,” and that over 20% of students attend “with the support of more than $15 million in need-based financial aid.” “All of our financial aid is strictly need-based.” Dalton publishes no income level below which tuition is free. New applicants file for aid by December 1, 2026, and current families renew by November 1, 2026.
What tests does Dalton require?
Grade 9 applicants must submit the ISEE or SSAT, taken between August and the first week of January. Kindergarten applicants take no standardized test; the small-group assessment takes its place. Dalton publishes no score ranges or minimums. In our view, families should treat the test as one part of a file that also includes the interview, the school report and recommendations, rather than as a cutoff.
How does Dalton compare with Trinity, Collegiate and Horace Mann?
| Dalton | Trinity | Collegiate | Horace Mann | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades and students | K-12 | K-12, coed | K-12, boys | Nursery-12, coed |
| Tuition | $70,800 (2026-27) | $71,500 (dated August 29, 2025; no school year given) | $72,070 (2026-27) | $68,700 (2026-27, Threes full day to Grade 12) |
| Standard entry grades | Kindergarten and 9 | Kindergarten and 9 | Kindergarten and 9 | Threes, Pre-K, Kindergarten, 6, 7, 8 (2027-28 only, about 5 places) and 9 |
| Grade 9 application deadline | November 13, 2026 | November 15, 2026 | November 16, 2026 | November 18, 2026 |
| Grade 9 testing | ISEE or SSAT | ISEE or SSAT | ISEE or SSAT | ISEE (SSAT if also applying to boarding schools) |
| Students receiving aid | About 21% | Almost 20% | Not published | 17.5% (2026-27) |
| Acceptance rate | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Horace Mann is also the only one of the four to publish a free-tuition program: from 2027-28, its Ingenio Non Censio Scholars Program covers tuition for admitted families earning less than $150,000 (Horace Mann tuition and aid). Our guide to the most selective NYC private schools compares a wider group.
Where do Dalton graduates go to college?
Dalton’s posted list, “Matriculation 2019-2024,” combines six graduating classes and stops at 2024; no 2025 or 2026 list is posted (Dalton college counseling).
| Selected college | Dalton graduates, 2019 to 2024 |
|---|---|
| Harvard University | 37 |
| Cornell University | 36 |
| Brown University | 28 |
| University of Chicago | 26 |
| Yale University | 22 |
| Northwestern University | 22 |
| Princeton University | 16 |
| Emory University | 15 |
| Columbia University | 14 |
| University of Pennsylvania | 13 |
| Stanford University | 9 |
| MIT | 2 |
For comparison over more recent years, Collegiate lists 12 Harvard enrollees for 2022 to 2026 (Collegiate college guidance) and Horace Mann 9 for 2024 to 2026 (Horace Mann college counseling); the spans differ, so the totals are not comparable. Our guide to Class of 2030 acceptance rates by high school sets these lists side by side.
How should families approach a Dalton application?
The view of Oriel Admissions is that families should plan around Dalton’s published process rather than unofficial acceptance rates: two standard entry points, a November 13, 2026 deadline, a parent interview for Kindergarten, a student interview for Grade 9 and, for Grade 9, the ISEE or SSAT. In our view, the emphasis Assignment places on independence means a Grade 9 applicant’s interview and school report should show how the student manages longer, self-directed work. Families applying for aid should file by December 1, 2026, Dalton’s deadline for new applicants; all of its aid is need-based, and it publishes no free-tuition threshold.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dalton School Admissions
Dalton does not publish an acceptance rate, applicant count or admit count. Its standard entry points are Kindergarten and Grade 9, and it is not opening a standard Grade 6 application for September 2027.
Kindergarten and Grade 9 applications are due by 12:00 PM on November 13, 2026. New families file for financial aid by December 1, 2026.
Grade 9 applicants must submit the ISEE or SSAT, taken between August and the first week of January. Kindergarten applicants take no standardized test and attend a small-group admissions assessment instead.
Tuition is $70,800 for 2026-27, inclusive of lunch, supplies, devices, trips and athletics gear. Parents Association dues of $100 per family are extra.
Yes. Dalton says about 21% of students receive aid, that it awards more than $15 million in need-based aid, and that all of its aid is strictly need-based. It publishes no free-tuition income threshold.
Kindergarten notifications are posted on Ravenna in February, with replies due one week later. Grade 9 decisions follow the ISAAGNY timetable, and Dalton gives no date. Other member schools list February 12 to February 19, 2027 for Grade 9 decisions.
The latest Dalton list covers 2019 to 2024 and shows 37 graduates at Harvard, 36 at Cornell, 28 at Brown, 26 at the University of Chicago and 22 each at Yale and Northwestern.
Oriel Admissions suggests working back from the November 13, 2026 deadline: book the visit and interview early, schedule the ISEE or SSAT for Grade 9, and file the financial aid application by December 1, 2026.
Sources: The Dalton School home page, Dalton history, The Dalton Plan, Apply to Dalton, Dalton Steps to Apply, Affording Dalton, Dalton college counseling, ISAAGNY notification and reply dates, ISAAGNY early notification dates, Riverdale admissions process (Key Admission Dates), Trinity tuition, fees and financial aid, Trinity Grades 5-12 admissions, Collegiate tuition and financial aid, Collegiate Grade 9 admissions, Collegiate college guidance, Horace Mann tuition and financial aid, Horace Mann Grades 6-11 admissions, Horace Mann college counseling.
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy, with offices in Princeton, New Jersey and New York. Our team pairs deep admissions expertise with a distinctive 360 approach spanning academic planning, extracurricular strategy, essays and application execution. To discuss your strategy, schedule a consultation.
