FAQs
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Inquiring online is the best way to begin the admission process at Harpeth Hall. This ensures we have your current contact information and allows you to receive communication from the Admission Office. 

Inquire Online & Create An Account

When you inquire, you provide us with your household information and year interested in applying. With that inquiry, you will be added to our mailing list and receive information about upcoming admission events and our monthly electronic newsletter.

Our system will send you an email with your login and link to create a password. This login information allows you to access the admission portal where you will be able to register for tours, student visit days, admission events, and apply for admission

*Returning or current families may navigate directly to the admission portal to add a candidate, access admission events, and our online application. 

The admission application process begins the fall prior to the desired year of enrollment. If you are looking to begin at Harpeth Hall in the fall of 2025, your process begins in Sept. 2024.

While we guarantee an interview for every applicant who applies by Jan. 6, 2025, we strongly encourage you to submit the application by Dec. 1, 2024. The application must be complete in order to view available dates and schedule. Interviews begin late-October. We recommend interviewing by Jan. 20, 2025.

Harpeth Hall’s largest entry classes are 5th, 7th, and 9th grades. Admission to 6th, 8th, and all other grades is entirely dependent upon available space.

Applicants can take the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) at Harpeth Hall on Dec. 8, Jan. 11, and Jan. 25. After completing the Harpeth Hall admission application, select a date from within your admission portal. Harpeth Hall accepts only one ISEE score per admission cycle.

Taking the ISEE at Harpeth Hall is not required. For other test locations, register here and have scores sent to Harpeth Hall (school code 431670) Testing must be completed no later than January 31.

We highly discourage any type of paid test prep/tutoring for the ISEE. The ISEE website provides free practice tests and tips.  

ISEE fee waivers are available to Harpeth Hall applicants. To request a fee waiver, families must complete a financial aid application through Clarity. Learn more about Harpeth Hall's consideration of the ISEE scores here.

Standardized test scores from the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) are helpful to the Admission Committee as it seeks to enroll a cohesive and diverse group of girls.

The ISEE is a required part of the Harpeth Hall application, yet is only one aspect of our holistic application review. The Admission Committee reviews the ISEE within the context of a student’s entire file including her application essay, interview, transcript, and teacher recommendations. Harpeth Hall strongly discourages test preparation outside of the ISEE website and accepts only one ISEE score per admission cycle.

As educators, our Admission Committee is well versed in interpreting an applicant’s score report. In each of the four sections of the score report, subsections of specific concepts are measured. When reviewing a student’s results, the committee takes into consideration the full report. Learn more about Harpeth Hall's consideration of ISEE scores here.

While we guarantee an interview for every applicant who applies by Jan. 6, 2025, we strongly encourage you to submit the application by Dec. 1, 2024. The application must be complete in order to view available dates and schedule the interview. Interviews begin late-October. We recommend interviewing by January 20.

The student essays provide an opportunity for the applicant to share her own thoughts and interests, allowing the Admission Committee to get to know her. We expect the essays to be completed thoughtfully in her own words.

Harpeth Hall requires recommendation forms from current math and current English teachers. These forms are very helpful in understanding a student’s learning environment and approach to learning. Recommendations are due no later than January 31, 2025. If your student has the same teacher for both math and English, your teacher will complete only the math recommendation form.

Please contact the Office of Admission and Financial Aid at 615-346-0126 if your school does not provide teacher recommendations.

Additional letters of recommendation are not necessary and are not expected.

Please do not submit personal letters of recommendation.

The Admission Committee seeks to enroll a cohesive and diverse group of girls. The Admission Committee considers each piece of an application which includes application essays, the interview, school transcripts, teacher recommendations, and ISEE testing. Harpeth Hall’s holistic review process allows the Admission Committee to evaluate every aspect of an application within the context of a student’s academic and life experiences. Successful Harpeth Hall applicants demonstrate intellectual curiosity, engagement in community, and social emotional strengths, and are ready to develop their talents and interests.

To learn more about Harpeth Hall girls, please visit Portrait of a Graduate.

Yes! Visit Tuition & Financial Aid for more information about tuition and financial aid.

Join us Sunday, November 3, 2024 to hear from the Head of School, and meet faculty, students, and parents. Admission Preview Day is a great way to ask questions about life at Harpeth Hall - academics, arts, athletics, clubs, service learning, leadership development, and our signature programs SEEK in the middle school and Winterim in the upper school. Your whole family is invited! No RSVP is necessary.

Registration begins at 1:30 p.m. in the Athletic and Wellness Center. The program begins at 2:00 p.m.

Applicants with a complete file are either admitted, placed in the wait pool, or denied. 

Yes. Each year, Harpeth Hall receives more applications than there are spaces available. We advise prospective families to apply to more than one school.

We value family connections to Harpeth Hall and recognize the desirability of enrolling sisters. However, what is right for one child may not be right for another. A sibling or legacy applicant will be accepted based on the Admission Committee's determination that the student will be successful at Harpeth Hall. Admission to Harpeth Hall is not guaranteed for any student. We recommend that all applicants apply to more than one school.

For the 2024-25 school year, there are 721 total students, 311 in the middle school and 410 in the upper school.

New upper school students are invited to Honeybear 101 in early August and participate in grade-level retreats and/or orientations. Middle school students spend time in grade-level retreats at the beginning of the school year. Retreats encourage team building and class unity among the students and faculty. Other community building opportunities include weekly advisory, Bear Families for middle school girls, and our Life Balance program.

In addition to her teachers, each student is placed in a grade-level advisory group and has a grade-level dean that works with the entire class. The middle school (grades 5-8) and upper school (grades 9-12) directors oversee the curricular programs. In each division, the dean of students coordinates the co-curricular and club programs. 

We have a rotating, block schedule that begins at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 3:10 p.m. On Wednesdays, Harpeth Hall begins at 9 a.m. The day includes four rotating classes, breaks, lunch, and community time. For a sneak peak into the daily life of a Harpeth Hall girl, read See Yourself Here!

The Harpeth Hall uniform represents the school’s dedication to equity, scholarship, and school spirit and was designed to present a positive impression, encourage concentration on learning, and reduce the tendency to use clothing for social competition. The uniform includes the Campbell plaid skirt worn with a school branded long- or short-sleeve white, green, or gray polo shirt, tall or calf-length white socks, and uniform shoes. Navy pants and a navy blazer are also optional pieces of the uniform.

Harpeth Hall is a nondenominational independent institution.

Harpeth Hall has a full-time learning specialist for both middle and upper school to assist with student support. Our learning specialists work in collaboration with faculty, advisors, parents, and students to support learning in the school environment. The specialist can help reinforce skills necessary for student success at Harpeth Hall, including academic planning, time management, organization, and strategies for note taking, reading, studying, and test taking. In addition, the learning specialists offer opportunities for intellectual growth and academic enrichment. 

Harpeth Hall students who reside in Davidson or Williamson counties have the opportunity to opt in to bus service provided by Montgomery Bell Academy. Cost and service routes are determined annually, and registration opens in early summer.

Our daily schedule includes a community time, which allows students to participate in clubs and activities of their choosing. In the upper school, there are 30+ student-led clubs. In the middle school, students enjoy gathering for middle school meetings as well as participating in grade-level activity rotations designed to enhance classroom experience. Every Harpeth Hall girl joins one of four spirit clubs. Read more about student life, our athletics program , and our fine arts opportunities.

Harpeth Hall has four full-time on-campus officers who monitor and patrol campus 24/7, 365 days a year. Campus doors are locked, and every student, teacher, and staff member accesses doors via our keycard system. All visitors must check in upon arrival, as Harpeth Hall is a private campus and not open to the public. Should you have specific questions related to campus security, please be in touch with the admission office.