Annie Wright Schools want to invest in you. Could you be the next Tacoma Scholar?
Join our 2023-2024 cohort of Tacoma Scholars. We are committed to supporting each student from enrollment in Grade 9 through the Scholar’s first post-college job.
Students and families interested in Annie Wright Schools may initiate the admission process by submitting an inquiry form here. Once we receive the form, a member of our admissions team will be in touch about next steps. We look forward to hearing from you!
Join us to learn more about our school and program via a Virtual Preview. Check out our preview schedule, register, and bring any questions you might have.
There is nothing we enjoy more than sharing our campus and classrooms with prospective families. Campus tours can be scheduled via the online application checklist. Please click here to create an application account and schedule a tour. If you have any questions, please contact Maddy Mancuso at maddy_mancuso@aw.org or 253.284.8603.
A completed online AWS family questionnaire accompanied by the non-refundable application fee is required to initiate the formal application process. Applications for the 2024-2025 school year are now open and are due January 20, 2024.
To demonstrate need, families must complete an online financial aid application through Clarity. During the admissions process, Tacoma Scholar applicants can receive fee waiver codes for both the online AWS questionnaire and the financial aid application. If you have any questions about your code or the application process, email Sahara_Jones@aw.org, Upper Schools Admissions Director, or call her at 253.284.8603.
Completed applications will include a copy of the applicant’s school transcript/report card for the past two years. School Transcripts/report cards can be uploaded by parents/guardians via the online application checklist. We require last year’s and this school year’s transcript (to date). Note: Schools often require as long as two weeks to complete transcript requests.
A Math and English teacher online recommendation form must be completed by the applicant’s current teachers. The Teacher Recommendation Requests are included in the online application and require the student's teacher’s email address. Completed recommendations are submitted electronically to the admissions team upon completion by the teacher and are confidential.
Students should sign up for an in-person assessment during one of our assessment windows. Our mathematics and English admissions assessments cover core Middle School concepts. We treat the results of the assessments as only one piece of data that contributes to our admissions decision.
Course placement will be based on transcripts, letters of recommendation, scores and, where necessary, additional placement tests prior to starting at AWS.
Students applying for Grades 9-11 are invited to attend Scholar Search each February. This is your chance to get to know the Upper School Programs at Annie Wright Schools, and for us to learn about you, too.
You will be able to register to attend Scholar Search through the checklist in your myAW application. If you don't have a myAW application account, you can create one here.
Eligible students who have completed the full application process, including all of the elements on the application checklist (accessible via myAW), and are admissible to AWS, will be invited to a final student and family/guardian interview.
The final determination of which students are named as Tacoma Scholars will come after all interviews of prospective Scholars are completed. Students may hear about admission to AWS prior to learning their status as Tacoma Scholars.
Students eligible to apply for Tacoma Scholars must:
Be a current eighth grader
Live in Tacoma or attend a Tacoma public school or Chief Leschi
Identify as a Student of Color
See financing an AWS education as a significant obstacle
Have an adult who will support and advocate for them in partnership with AWS
Founded in Tacoma, Washington, in 1884, Annie Wright Schools serve students from age three through high school. Annie Wright Lower and Middle Schools offer coed programs in Preschool through Grade 8, while separate Upper Schools for girls and boys offer day and boarding options in Grades 9 through 12. Annie Wright is proud to be an International Baccalaureate World School.