What makes us different
The independent schools of Nashville share a common mission: to assist families in their exploration of independent school education. We follow the best practices of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) by establishing and adhering to ethical, consistent policies and procedures, most notably in our common notification and response dates in admission, our hiring practices, and our financial aid policies.
Additionally, we work hard to build strong relationships among each other, to share in common practices, and to recognize that all schools in our area – public or private – provide important opportunities for our students. We agree that we should work cooperatively both in the private and public sector to strengthen each other in the educational opportunities in Middle Tennessee.
Our Policies
Most ISNA schools conform to these expectations. A school whose admission and financial aid policies differ from these expectations are classified as affiliate schools.
Admissions:
Schools will observe a common notification date, set annually (typically in late February or early March.)
Schools will adhere to a “quiet period” from the notification date until the common reply date, set annually (typically around March 6-10).
Schools should not make first contact with accepted families during the quiet period, but schools are certainly expected to respond to or visit with these students and families if they wish to discuss a topic.
A number of independent/private schools in Nashville observe “rolling” admission policies or use different deadlines for admission.
Financial Aid:
All financial aid awards are based on need.
Financial aid awards may not be communicated prior to the common notification date.
Financial aid awards will not exceed the difference between a family’s estimated family contribution and the cost of attendance.
A family should expect to pay approximately the same amount of tuition for each child attending the same school.
Hiring Practices:
Schools will honor the right of an employee to consider employment at another school. Typically, the employee will notify the school if he or she is interviewing at another school
Schools will not encourage a candidate to break an employment contract..
Once a candidate has a signed contract for the next year, the school head and the candidate should contact the current school before any discussion about a job opportunity.