The Thacher School is a college preparatory boarding school in Ojai, California. New students enter in Grades 9, 10 or 11, and the application for fall 2027 entry has a few fixed dates. This guide lists them in the order families meet them, with what Thacher asks for at each step.
Who can apply
Thacher welcomes applications for students entering Grades 9, 10 and 11. Day students are a small group, and the school recommends that they live within 20 miles of campus.
Before the deadline
- Submit an inquiry. The school lists the inquiry form as required, and it is how you get admission updates.
- Book the interview. Interviews are required for fall 2027 applicants. In-person interviews are offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, and virtual interviews Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pacific time. The how-to-apply page gives two completion dates, January 20 and January 22, 2027, so confirm which one applies with the admission office.
- Take the SSAT or ISEE. Thacher requires all applicants to submit one of them. The PSAT is acceptable for 10th and 11th grade applicants. The school lists SSAT dates on campus on November 14 and December 12, 2026.
- Choose a platform. Apply with the Standard Application Online, Gateway to Prep Schools or Finalsite. The school has no preference. The fee is $60 for domestic applicants and $120 for international applicants, and waivers are available on request.
- Questionnaires and transcripts. The application includes a student questionnaire, a parent questionnaire and transcripts for the current and previous year.
- Recommendations. Thacher requires current English and math teacher recommendations. A personal recommendation and a principal or counselor recommendation are optional.
Dates at a glance
| Step | Date | | --- | --- | | Interview completed | January 20 or 22, 2027 (confirm) | | Application deadline | January 15, 2027 | | Financial aid application deadline | February 15, 2027 | | Admission decisions | March 10, 2027 | | Accepted candidates reply deadline | April 10, 2027 |
What the application contains
The required parts are student and family biographical information, a student questionnaire, a parent questionnaire, and transcripts for the current and previous academic year. Thacher expects applicants to have completed a comprehensive Algebra 1 course that includes quadratics. A student who has only taken Pre-Algebra or a basic first-year algebra course needs to cover that material in spring or summer. Students who are not native English speakers also send English proficiency scores, unless they have attended an American or international school for the past three years. The accepted tests are the TOEFL (code 6955) and the Duolingo English Test.
How the testing works
All testing must be taken during the same academic year in which the student is applying, so a score from an earlier year will not count. Thacher's SSAT code is 7648 and its ISEE code is 052265. Enter the right code when you register so the scores reach the admission office. The PSAT is acceptable only for 10th and 11th grade applicants. The school lists SSAT dates on campus on November 14 and December 12, 2026, both ahead of the January 15 deadline.
How the interview works
The interview can be in person or virtual, and it runs from September through January. Your interviewer becomes your family's main contact point for the rest of the process, so it is worth booking one early and writing down their name. A campus visit is optional but strongly encouraged. A visit includes an all-school assembly, a student-led tour and an admission presentation with a question period.
What Thacher publishes about its numbers
On its facts page, Thacher lists that 17% of applicants were admitted for fall 2026 and 71% of accepted applicants enrolled. The school also lists 48 faculty members, 540 acres and students from 21 states and 13 countries. Treat these as the school's own figures for a past class, not a forecast for yours.
A simple order to work in
1. Submit the inquiry and book the interview. 2. Register for the SSAT or ISEE for a date before the deadline. 3. Tell your English and math teachers early, since both recommendations are required. 4. Fill in the questionnaires over several evenings rather than one long sitting. 5. Submit the application and fee by January 15, 2027.
What Thacher has not published
Thacher does not list essay prompts, average test scores or the date the application opens on the pages we reviewed. The interview date is listed two ways. Ask the admission office at admission@thacher.org to confirm.
What to do this week
Submit the inquiry and book the interview, then register for the SSAT or ISEE. After that, work backward: recommendations, the two questionnaires, then the application and fee. See the full timeline, the application steps and the FAQ.
Sources
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