Frequently Asked Questions

The Admissions Office is in the Upper School STEM building. The office is located on the ground floor, directly across from the STEM Dining Hall. Visitor parking is reserved in front of the STEM Building, as well as to the right of the Upper School.

HIES begins with PK3 (3-year-old program) and continues through 12th grade. We have seven natural entry points: PK3, PK4, Kindergarten, 4th, 5th, 6th and 9th grades. Admission opportunities are available in all other grades based on attrition. However, we encourage and accept applications to every grade.

We have 1,360 students enrolled in grades PK3 through 12. 
Primary School: 115
Lower School: 310
Middle School: 365
Upper School: 551

No.  All are welcome at HIES. HIES is a Christian community that serves students, faculty and staff of all faiths.  Here, we believe that God is present in every person. We strive to respect the dignity of every human being and value multiple voices and perspectives around all of life's questions, no matter what your family traditions. This intentional welcome is a hallmark of our Episcopal Mission.  Read more.

HIES is committed to fostering a community that honors and is respectful of the diverse faiths, diversity of experiences and values in our community. We are guided by both our Episcopal identity and our school’s mission to have respect for self and others, as well as to respect the varied beliefs in our diverse educational and spiritual community. 

Eighteen percent of our students are self-identified students of color. We have an extremely diverse religious community. Students live in 85 different zip codes in the Metro Atlanta area. Fifteen percent of our students qualify to receive tuition assistance and as a Round Square international school we are committed to global education and offer many opportunities for global experiences. 

Our aim is that through students' educational experiences they are ever mindful of their call to be globally minded, loving, responsible citizens who value the dignity and infinite worth of those in their community. Read more. 

For our Primary and Lower School students, we offer a fun and creative after-school care program known as Bears After-School Experience (BASE) as well as weekly After-Class Enrichment (ACE) courses in the areas of athletics, fine arts and STEAM. For our Middle School students, we offer a supervised study hall known as Middle School Bear Den. Click here for program details.

HIES currently has morning and afternoon bus routes in three locations: Decatur, Brookhaven and Buckhead.

Parent involvement is critical to the success and development of HIES. HIES is fortunate to enjoy the dedication and hard work of so many active and involved parents in an array of events throughout the year, including fundraisers, classroom celebrations, parenting workshops, and community service opportunities, in addition to three formal and vibrant parent organizations: the Parents' Association, the Fine Arts Alliance, and Crimson and Gold.

PK3 and PK4 students do not wear a school uniform. Students in grades PK5, Kindergarten and 1st-12th are required to wear a school uniform. Our uniform provider is Mills Uniform, located in the Exchange at Hammond Road in Sandy Springs (near Whole Foods). You may also visit their website. 

The HIES used uniform store, the Bear WearHouse, sells gently worn uniforms and is located in the stone house (HIES Alumni Hall) to the left of the Primary School. 

The HIES Campus Shop, located in the Upper School Riley building, sells all HIES spirit and outerwear. 

Uniform requirements and purchasing details can be found here.

The JATP brochure encourages early fall testing because it ensures the availability of a testing time for your child and more flexibility in scheduling. There is no advantage to waiting until later in the school year (i.e., January or February) for testing because the norms of the standardized tests used in JATP compare children within a narrow age range. Please schedule your appointment as soon as possible. Psychologists begin providing testing appointments in October.

JATP information and registration can be found here:
http://www.jatp.org

It is important that your child be familiar with the SSAT format before entering a testing situation. We recommend utilizing the SSAT practice booklet to help familiarize your student with the testing materials and scoring process. Consult the SSAT website for more information. The February 8, 2020test is the final admissible testing date and we do accept multiple scores if available. 

SSAT information can be found here.

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Student Evaluation registration will open in December for those applicants who have submitted the Shared Applicant Form. Registration is done through Ravenna and the Evaluation is a required step in the application process. 

We encourage parents to tell their child that they will be spending some time at Holy Innocents’, working with a teacher. They will be asked to demonstrate age-appropriate academic and social-emotional skills. Please encourage your child to listen carefully, give their best effort and enjoy themselves.

PK3 through 2nd-grade evaluations will take place in a classroom setting. Students applying to these grades will be observed in a group setting as well as one on one with a teacher. Third through 5th-grade evaluations are one on one and will take place in the Admissions suite. You are welcome to stay on campus during this time.   

Primary School group evaluations (PK3-K) are approximately 75-90 minutes in length.
Lower School evaluations (grades 1-5) are approximately 45-60 minutes in length.  

Student Interview registration will open in November for those applicants who have submitted the Shared Applicant Form. Registration is done through Ravenna and the Interview is a required step in the application process. 

Middle and Upper School interviews last 30 minutes and are one-on-one with the Director of Enrollment Management, a member of the Enrollment Management team or a member of faculty.  Parents should remind their student that the interviewer is trying to get to know them, so they should be prepared to discuss their interests, both academically and outside the classroom, and they should feel free to ask questions. 

We have a handful of Saturdays available in January and February for interviews. Additionally, we will have interview slots availableduring the school day December through February. You are welcome to stay on campus during your child's interview.

Each year, there are often more qualified applicants than we have available spaces. Some very qualified applicants may be placed on a waitlist. If your child is placed on the waitlist, you will have the option to remain on or be removed from the list in your waitlist letter. The waitlist is not ranked; rather, if spaces do become available, the Admissions Committee will meet and decide to whom those spaces will be offered. The waitlist expires on the first day of school, thus beginning the new admissions season.

Admissions decisions are made based on a student's application for a specific year. We recognize that students grow and develop each year. Depending on why a student was not accepted, his or her chances may be different in a subsequent year. For example, a student may not have been offered a space for eighth grade which is not an expansion year but may have a better chance for ninth grade where we take 35-40 students.

HIES values keeping families together and honoring children of alumni. Yet, all students must qualify for admissions based on our requirements and standards. All applications are taken to the Admissions Committee for a decision. Once the Committee has identified qualified applicants, they do attempt to offer spaces to siblings of current students and children of alumni first.

Primary and Lower School inquiries (PK3-Grade 5) - Katie Patrick, katie.patrick@hies.org, (404) 303-2150, ext. 223 

Middle and Upper School inquiries (Grades 6-12)  - Anderw Mack, andrew.mack@hies.org, (404) 303-2150, ext. 284