Application Preparation
Prepare for the pieces Thacher reads
The application mixes SSAT or ISEE scores, two questionnaires, recommendations, transcripts and an interview.
Checked against Thacher's published admissions pages on November 5, 2026.
Testing
Testing.
- Testing requirement
- Thacher requires all applicants to submit scores from either the SSAT or the ISEE. The PSAT is acceptable for 10th and 11th grade applicants.
- School codes
- Thacher's SSAT code is 7648 and its ISEE code is 052265.
- When to test
- All testing must be taken during the same academic year in which the student is applying.
- SSAT on campus
- The school lists SSAT dates on campus on November 14, 2026 and December 12, 2026.
- English-language tests
- English proficiency scores are required if English is not the applicant's first language, unless the applicant attended an American or international school for the past three years. Accepted tests are TOEFL (code 6955) and the Duolingo English Test.
- 01
Pick the SSAT or the ISEE early and take a full timed practice test before building a study plan.
- 02
Leave room for a second sitting before the January 15 deadline, and send scores to Thacher using its school code.
Essays
The questionnaires and the written file.
- Questionnaires
- The application asks for a student questionnaire and a parent questionnaire. The school's public pages do not list essay prompts.
- Transcripts
- Thacher asks for transcripts from the current and the previous academic year.
- Recommendations
- Required: a current-year English teacher recommendation and a current-year mathematics teacher recommendation. Optional: a personal recommendation and a principal or counselor recommendation.
- 01
Read both questionnaires in full before anyone starts writing.
- 02
Let your student answer in their own words, and write the parent questionnaire as a parent, separately from the student.
- 03
Ask the English and math teachers early, and give them the deadline in writing.
Interview
An interview that feels like a conversation.
- Requirement
- An interview is required for fall 2027 applicants. The school gives two completion dates on the same page, January 20 and January 22, 2027, so confirm the date with the admission office.
- Format
- Interviews are in person or virtual. 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, September through January.
- Your contact
- The interviewer becomes the family's main contact point throughout the application process.
- Campus visit
- Campus visits are optional but strongly encouraged and run September through January. A visit includes an all-school assembly, a student-led tour and an admission presentation with Q&A.
- 01
Have two or three stories ready that show how your student thinks.
- 02
Practice explaining an interest out loud, without notes.
- 03
Bring real questions about the horse program, camping trips and dorm life.
Preparation plan
A plan that works backward from the deadline.
Adjust the pace to your student's schedule. The order matters more than the exact days.
First
Submit the inquiry and book the interview
Interviews run September through January, and Thacher lists them as required. Confirm the completion date with the admission office.
Early
Register for the SSAT or ISEE
Thacher requires one of them. Tests must be taken in the year of application, and the school lists SSAT dates on campus in November and December 2026.
Next
Complete the questionnaires
The student and the parents each complete a questionnaire.
Fall and winter
Ask for recommendations
Thacher requires current English and math teacher recommendations. Tell the teachers before you send the request.
By January 15
Submit the application and fee
Use the SAO, Gateway or Finalsite. Fee waivers are available on request.
By February 15
Submit the financial aid application
Families who want aid apply through Clarity.
After submitting
Watch for March 10
Decisions arrive March 10, with a reply due April 10.