Enrollment Overview
Parnassus seeks and supports students from all backgrounds and our proven rigorous classical program demonstrates that every Parnassus scholar will thrive in the school’s challenging academic environment.
Enrollment at Parnassus is comprised of several steps:
Step One
First, interested families should submit an application for the academic year and grade levels of interest. The application submission does not obligate the family to attend Parnassus nor does it guarantee enrollment at the school. If submitted during our open enrollment period – October 1st to January 31st – the application will be included in the lottery. If submitted after our open enrollment period, the application will be added to the waiting list in the order in which it was received.
Step Two
First, interested families should submit an application for the academic year and grade levels of interest. The application submission does not obligate the family to attend Parnassus nor does it guarantee enrollment at the school. If submitted during our open enrollment period – October 1st to January 31st – the application will be included in the lottery. If submitted after our open enrollment period, the application will be added to the waiting list in the order in which it was received.
Step Three
If you have received an offer for enrollment at Parnassus, either through the lottery or through the process described above, you will be asked to complete enrollment forms to confirm your acceptance to enroll your child at Parnassus. There are three ways to accomplish the enrollment: 1) Families can come to Parnassus and complete the enrollment forms in person; 2) We can email the enrollment forms in PDF format that families will need to print, fill out, and either scan and email to the school or drop them off at the school; 3) Parnassus can mail the forms to be completed and returned by mail or dropped off at the school.
Regardless of the enrollment method you choose, once you complete the enrollment forms and they are verified as received by the school, your child will be enrolled at Parnassus Preparatory School.
More Information About the Enrollment Lottery
Parnassus usually receives more applications than available spaces. In this situation, the school holds a lottery to randomly select applications submitted during open enrollment for the open positions and waiting list order. The lottery is held in mid February and results are mailed to families by the end of February.
Siblings
Siblings of currently enrolled students who complete and submit an application by the end of the open enrollment period are automatically enrolled if there are available seats in the grade. After the open enrollment period, siblings of already enrolled students receive preference. If the number of siblings exceeds the number of available seats in the grade, a sibling lottery will be held to identify admitted students and to establish the order of the sibling waiting list for that grade. If all seats in the grade are filled by siblings, the lottery continues and establishes the sibling waiting list, which has preference over the general waiting list and the teacher children waiting list.
Prima (Kindergarten) Age Requirement
Children entering Prima must turn 5 years old on or by September 1st of the year they enter Prima.
Parnassus Admission and Lottery Policy
Enrollment Policy
Parnassus Preparatory School seeks to enroll a diverse and representative student body, welcoming applicants regardless of race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, special needs or English-as-a-Second-Language status.
Sibling Preference
Siblings of currently enrolled students who submit an application by the application deadline will receive preference for admission. In the event we have more sibling applicants than open spaces at any grade level, we will conduct a lottery among all of the sibling applicants who met the deadline to determine admission for that grade. Siblings who are not chosen in the lottery will be placed on a waiting list and notified promptly if a space becomes available. For additional information, see our current admission and lottery policies below:
Application Overview
Open Enrollment
Our Open Enrollment period runs from October 1st to January 31st each year. Applications received during this period are all included in our enrollment lottery.
Students who apply after the deadline of January 31st will be admitted if there are any remaining openings, or added to a waiting list in the order of receipt.
Special Information for Prima (Kindergarten)
Prima: Beginning Your Child’s Classical Education
Prima (Kindergarten) at Parnassus is like no other program addressing this student age group. The program is challenging while also providing an exciting and enjoyable learning methodology. Learning time is structured, knowledge-based, and teacher-led; however, students also enjoy many opportunities for movement, songs, and chants, read-aloud stories from them teachers, and of course, recesses. In addition to the Parnassus classical core curriculum, our Prima scholars have Spanish and Latin daily, taekwondo, physical education, music, and art.
Please note that Prima scholars must be five years old by September first of the academic year they will start Prima.
Thank you for your interest in Parnassus Preparatory School. Please visit our School of Grammar section to learn more about Prima!
Submit an Application
Apply for This School Year: 2025-2026
The application form for the current 2025–2026 school year is available on this page beginning October 1, 2024.
All applications received by January 31, 2025, will be included in the enrollment lottery, which was held virtually on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. For any grade level where we have more applicants than spaces available, we conduct a lottery to determine admission for that level. Applicants who are not chosen in the lottery will be placed on a waiting list and notified promptly if a space becomes available.
If you have any questions, or if you would like an application form mailed to you, please call 763-496-1416 or email admissions@parnassusprep.com.
Apply for Next School Year: 2026-2027
The application form for the 2026–2027 school year will be available on this page beginning October 1, 2025.
All applications received by January 31, 2026, will be included in the enrollment lottery, which will be held virtually on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at parnassus.info/lottery. For any grade level where we have more applicants than spaces available, we conduct a lottery to determine admission for that level. Applicants who are not chosen in the lottery will be placed on a waiting list and notified promptly if a space becomes available.
If you have any questions, or if you would like an application form mailed to you, please call 763-496-1416 or email admissions@parnassusprep.com.
