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.

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 1,380 students enrolled in grades PK3 through 12. 
Primary School: 110
Lower School: 325
Middle School: 365
Upper School: 580

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. 

Twenty percent of our students are self-identified students of color. We have an extremely diverse religious community. Students live in 72 different zip codes in the Metro Atlanta area. Fifteen percent of our students qualify to receive financial 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. Read more about our bus service here.

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. Read more about our parent organizations here.

PK3 and PK4 students do not wear a school uniform. Students in grades PK5, Kindergarten and grades 1-12 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.  Our code is 3559.

The HIES Campus Shop, located in the Upper School Humanities Building, sells all HIES spirit and outerwear.  The BearWearhouse, located in Alumni Hall, has a selection of gently worn uniform pieces and logo items at a discounted price.

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 September.

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. Please visit www.ssat.org to register for the admissions test and to access information and tools about the test. For the 2021-2022 Admission Season, SSAT test scores should be submitted to HIES no later than Feb. 15, 2022. Please request that SSAT release your student's scores to HIES by using our school code: 3970.

SSAT is offering three ways of testing this year:

• Computer-Based SSAT At-Home
• Computer-Based SSAT at a Prometric Test Center
• Paper-Based SSAT

3970

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

We encourage parents to tell their child that they will be meeting and 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.

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 virtual 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. 

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.

Claire Benedict, Assistant Director of Admissions, PS & LS (PK3-Grade 5)

	Schedule a Zoom with Claire
	Schedule a Phone Call with Claire

Andrew Mack, Assistant Director of Admissions, MS & US (Grades 6-12) 

	Schedule a Zoom with Andrew
	Schedule a Phone Call with Andrew

Katie Patrick, Enrollment Data Manager (Ravenna, all grades)

	Schedule a Zoom with Katie
	Schedule a Phone Call with Katie