Admissions
Bridges Academy is a school designed specifically for twice-exceptional students where strengths, talents and interests are recognized, leveraged to support skill development, and nurtured in their own right. We focus on providing a safe, intellectually vibrant learning community with opportunities to enrich students’ experiences and develop their abilities and talents. We accept applications and enroll students year round.
WHO SHOULD APPLY: WHAT IS TWICE-EXCEPTIONAL? THE GIFTED NEURODIVERSE STUDENT
- Intellectually gifted and highly gifted children come with a certain set of needs. The same is true for students with learning challenges or disabilities. But what about kids who fall into both groups? These children are known as twice-exceptional (2e). 2e kids display amazing gifts, talents, or potential in some areas while also being challenged in other areas with learning differences, such as ADD/ADHD, Asperger’s or autism spectrum disorder, sensory issues, and more.
- In looking for the right fit, we generally look for an overall IQ score of around 120, but we do not employ a full-scale IQ number cut-off. For many twice-exceptional individuals, the full-scale IQ on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V) is considered invalid, as they tend to present with a “peaks and valleys” profile that can affect their overall score. Instead, we examine each index and subtest to look for areas of exceptional strength, and our admissions process is further informed by the applicant’s achievement testing, transcripts, teacher and administrative recommendations, parent reports, information from professional support professionals and most importantly, the student interview and visit day.
- The admissions office is happy to review any/all documentation a parent feels comfortable sharing prior to applying to determine whether a student may be a good fit for our program. As part of the application process, we ask for all current and historical private psychoeducational or neuropsychological testing. If you have not had your child privately tested, we ask for any psychoeducational testing that was done either when the IEP was initiated or when your child had their most recent triennial review. If a WISC-V was not administered as part of the testing, you may be required to have one done if we feel we do not have sufficient evidence of your child’s cognitive or academic abilities.
AFFORDING BRIDGES
- Base tuition for the 2024-25 Academic Year is $54,550. New families are required to pay a fee of $2,500 (Grades 4-6); $2,025 (Grades 7-11), or $2,325 (Grade 12), due at the time the enrollment contract is submitted.
- Bridges is committed to making our program available for all 2e students. Roughly forty percent of our families receive some level of financial support. As part of the application process, you can formally apply for financial aid which is available to qualifying families. Visit our Financial Support page for more information.
EARLY ENROLLMENT TUITION INCENTIVE
- For families looking at the 2025-26 school year, we do have an early incentive application deadline of 4 p.m. Friday, January 31, 2025. Families who apply prior to this time will be notified of acceptance on or before March 21 and can qualify for our early enrollment tuition reduction if their contract is received by April 1, 2025. Please see the tuition page for more information.
- Bridges accepts applications year-round. After the early incentive deadline, the admissions committee reviews completed application files and families are notified on a rolling basis subject to available space.
THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS
Here are the steps to becoming a student at Bridges:
INQUIRE
As Bridges Academy has a unique mission to serve the twice-exceptional population, it is important to know as much as possible about a student before moving forward with an application. During this exploration phase, we have an initial consultation and ask to review your child's documentation to provide us with a better understanding of their profile and to help us determine fit. Scroll to the bottom of the page to contact our admissions office.
VISIT
- Morning parent tours occur approximately every two weeks. We ask that families submit an inquiry prior to signing up for tours. A registration link is provided.
- For families interested in applying, we can set up a time for your child to tour the campus and meet with us for a brief informal interview, but all students who apply are scheduled for a full shadow day.
APPLY
- Once you have had an initial consultation, toured the school and both family and school feel comfortable moving forward, you will be invited to apply. Bridges Academy utilizes the TADS system for submissions so you will be required to create an account and submit all documents through this platform.
- Once the formal application and application fee are received, we schedule a shadow day for your child. A shadow day is a full school day where the applicant can experience a typical day, get a sense of our program and environment and feel what it might be like to attend Bridges. It also gives us the chance to see how your child interacts with staff and Bridges students. We only schedule one student visit per division each day, so while this is a vital part of the process, visit days are limited.
- You will need to upload the following items to the application hub in order to complete the file. If any of these items do not apply to your student, please let us know:
- A recent school photo
- Student Confidential Information and School Records Release Forms — These forms allow us to speak with your child’s neuropsychologist and other critical providers, and allows us to speak with and request report cards or transcripts from your school. We understand you may not be ready to tell your child’s current school about your decision to apply out, so we will work with you to time these conversations.
- Please send the following links directly to your child’s teachers and administrators. Their responses will be automatically submitted directly to Bridges:
- Teacher Recommendation - one from humanities, one from math or science. If your child only has one teacher for all core subjects, please consider an electives teacher, resource teacher, or other adult who works closely with your child
- Administrator Recommendation - from the principal, vice principal, school counselor or other non-teaching administrator who knows your child best.
- Transcripts or progress reports for at least the past two years. These can be provided by you and do not have to be official transcripts. If your child is accepted and you enroll, we will need official transcripts to be sent prior to entry
- Standardized test results, if applicable
- All current and historical private psychological testing, including a Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V)
- Any school district psychological testing, such as part of the initial IEP process or as part of a triennial, if applicable
- IEP/504 Information, if applicable
- Any additional specialized assessments or evaluation, if applicable
- Please note: While not required, we welcome work samples and testimonials from individuals who know your child well.
- Bridges accepts applications on a rolling basis and does consider midyear applications.
We look forward to hearing from you and learning more about your exceptional child!
Submit an Inquiry to the Bridges Academy Admissions Office
|
Kayla Franklin Waesche Associate Director of Admissions Seattle Campus Coordinator admissions@bridges.edu |
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS
Bridges Academy is committed to building and sustaining a community that is free from discrimination of any kind. Bridges admits students of any race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, disability, sexual orientation, and national and ethnic origin (ancestry) to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, disability, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin (ancestry) in the administration of any of its school programs, its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.
Bridges Academy is committed to building and sustaining a community that is free from discrimination of any kind. Bridges admits students of any race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, disability, sexual orientation, and national and ethnic origin (ancestry) to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, disability, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin (ancestry) in the administration of any of its school programs, its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.