Admissions

Admissions at JCDS

הרשמה

"Choosing JCDS was our very best decision as parents. More than a school, JCDS feels like a warm home: sweet, joyful, and caring. At JCDS, our son has not only developed a love of learning rooted in Jewish joy, but he takes pride in contributing to his community — and he knows that his perspectives, skills, and questions are valued. One of our favorite moments was when he said to us, 'You know, Ima and Mama, at JCDS, everyone feels like a star.' We are beyond grateful for JCDS in helping our son flourish."

— Jordan Namerow and Idit Klein

Admissions Process

Kindergarten - 8^th Grade

1. Inquire & Tour

Schedule a personal tour here.

2. Apply

Applications are due January 31^st, 2025 and can be found here.
*Note: Login is required. Get started to receive your login here.

3. Kindergarten Readiness Assessment & Transfer Student Visit Day (Grades 1-8)

After submitting your application, please email the Admissions office to schedule a Kindergarten Readiness Assessment or Transfer Student Visit Day.

4. Enroll

JCDS will share Admissions and Financial Aid offers via email on March 10^th, 2025.

Schedule a Tour Now

Tuition & Financial Aid

JCDS provides financial aid to cover a portion of JCDS tuition when needed. We recognize and appreciate that choosing to send a child to private or day school reflects an enormous commitment for every family in our community. During a child's formative K-8 years, this investment generates core lifetime results, offering a nurturing and challenging environment in which your child can thrive now while laying the foundation for a meaningful and successful future.

Grade(s)	Tuition (2025-2026)
Kindergarten	$37,500
Grades 1-4	$40,200
Grades 5-8	$42,600

Financial Aid

A JCDS education can be affordable and we are deeply committed to ensuring the accessibility of JCDS to a broad range of families. JCDS offers three Financial Aid programs, making grants according to eligibility and need.

JCDS provides Financial Aid funds to cover a portion of JCDS tuition to more than half its students – more than any other local day school, with an aid budget equal to or higher than most local day schools and comparable independent schools. We recognize and appreciate that choosing to send a child to private or day school reflects an enormous commitment for every family in our community. During a child's formative K-8 years, this investment generates core lifetime results, offering a nurturing and challenging environment in which your child can thrive now while laying the foundation for a meaningful and successful future.

Criteria for Determining Financial Aid Qualification

Our Financial Aid Committee works within parameters established by the JCDS Board of Trustees and follows best practices defined by FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment, which processes our Financial Aid applications. JCDS grants are determined based on each family's unique circumstances, with many variables considered. These include but are not limited to employment and other sources of income, savings, investments, home equity over $500,000, and the number of children at JCDS and other tuition-charging schools. The methodology also makes an adjustment for single-parent and dual-income households, which acknowledges their extra costs. Families who do not submit full financial information for review by the Financial Aid Committee, or whose financial profiles do not qualify them for tuition adjustments, pay full tuition.

If you have any questions about these options, contact Edward J. Black, Director of Finance, liaison to the Financial Aid Committee, at 857-228-2989, or via e-mail at EdB@jcdsboston.org.

Please click the dropdown options below for application materials and information for the three Financial Aid programs.

Jump Start to JCDS

For the first 10 new families to apply for their child entering Kindergarten, through 2^nd Grade, we are pleased to offer a grant of $10,000 off tuition* for up to three years. This grant is available through 2^nd grade and applies to the first child in a family to attend JCDS.

*Not to be combined with other Financial Aid programs. Available for one child per family.

Click here for the Jump Start Application

Access JCDS

JCDS provides this program with minimal paperwork and documentation. Families who submit the short form may be eligible to receive a $5,000 per student tuition assistance grant.

Application deadline for the 2025-2026 school year is February 28, 2025.

Click here for the Access JCDS Application.

JCDS Flexible Tuition

Flexible Tuition amounts are determined by the Financial Aid Committee using FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment. FACTS works with schools by assisting them to create a custom application and collect financial data so schools can make accurate award decisions based on financial need. This program is for all families for whom a JCDS education is not possible without more significant financial support.

Application deadline for the 2025-2026 school year is January 31, 2025.
W-2 upload is due February 5, 2025.
Documents deadline for the 2025-2026 school year is February 21, 2025.

Click here for the Flexible Tuition Application.

Confidentiality
The process is highly confidential and respectful. None of the Committee's members are current or past JCDS parents. Neither the Head of School, the Admissions Director, nor any other members of the Board of Trustees, including its President, have access to any family's financial particulars.

The only JCDS staff person with any knowledge of families' private data is Edward J. Black, our Director of Finance. Every family is welcome to contact Ed for a confidential conversation about their circumstances. You can reach him at EdB@jcdsboston.org or by calling 857-228-2989.

Admissions FAQs

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out to Karen Siegel, Director of Admissions, at Admissions@jcdsboston.org or 617-972-1733. We'd love to hear from you!

Does JCDS offer financial aid?

JCDS is proud to offer over $1.6 million annually in financial aid to over 50% of families in our learning community. Our Financial Aid programs address the needs of a wide range of families. As a school, our goal is to build a community that represents the socioeconomic diversity present in the Jewish community. We look forward to working with your family in a confidential and respectful manner to help you determine which Financial Aid program will make the most sense given your family's needs. For more information about affording JCDS, please visit the Tuition & Financial Aid section.

What are the school hours?

8:00am - 3:30pm Monday - Thursday
8:00am - 2:00pm on Fridays

Classrooms open to students at 7:45am.

Does JCDS offer transportation?

Yes! We have three bus routes: one serving Newton; one serving Cambridge, Somerville, and Arlington; and one serving Brookline, Brighton, Jamaica Plain, and Roslindale. In addition to these buses, we have an extensive carpool network. JCDS can help parents get in contact with neighbors for carpooling.

Where do most students live?

JCDS is located in Watertown, conveniently near many nearby towns. Most families currently live in Newton, Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, Waltham, Watertown, and Brighton, with families also commuting from Boston, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, Winchester, Natick, and Framingham.

Is there an After School Program?

Yes. JCDS runs an After School Program from 3:30-5:30pm Monday - Thursday, which includes After School Hour (traditional After School care), Clubs/Classes, and Middle School Athletics. Contact Karen Siegel, Director of Admissions, to learn more about our partnership with the JCC of Greater Boston for Friday-only afternoon options.

The After School Program provides a unique opportunity for JCDS students to relax, get creative, engage in productive interests, and most of all, have fun! Parents choose from an extended day program that offers a wide variety of activities, including art, games, and gym. More structured hands-on enrichment classes in crafts, robotics, strategy games, and more are also available. Students participate in activities and classes, all geared to our students in a more relaxed environment than the rest of the school day.

Does JCDS offer a lunch program?

The JCDS community offers free kosher lunches through the Massachusetts Universal Free Lunch program.

Can my child bring peanut butter to school? How are allergies handled at lunchtime?

JCDS is a nut-friendly institution. Teachers are careful to have students refrain from sharing lunch and snack items. For students with more severe allergies, the school will work closely with families and the rest of the class to ensure a safe environment.

Does my child need to be Jewish to attend JCDS?

JCDS welcomes any student who is being raised Jewishly. We have a broad understanding of what that looks like in practice, and we encourage you to contact our admissions office to explore your family's unique circumstances.

How old does my child need to be to enter Gan Nitzan (Kindergarten)?

We require that children be five years old by September 1st to enter Gan Nitzan at JCDS. Please contact Karen Siegel, Director of Admissions, for more information.

Can students with little/no Hebrew background transfer to JCDS?

Yes! Our Mechina Program for welcoming transfer students focuses on remedial Hebrew language instruction. Students are provided strong support in Hebrew language with the goal of transitioning into the traditional flow of Hebrew language instruction as soon as they are able. We make accommodations as students work to improve their Hebrew language proficiency. It is our goal to ensure that language is never a barrier to content and that students can always access discussions and other activities that involve Hebrew sources.

How do you support students relocating from Israel?

From Hebrew language enrichment to English Language Learning instruction, we offer a soft landing for families relocating from Israel. We know that many families return to Israel, and we are committed to providing instruction that prepare students for returning to the Israeli classroom at all grades.

What is the teacher-student ratio at JCDS?

The teacher-student ratio at JCDS is 1:6. We strive to create an intimate environment for learning. With only one class per grade and two teachers per classroom in our Lower School model, children are immersed in the small classroom environment at JCDS. Our middle school students enjoy opportunities for mixed grade programming widening the circle of friendships for our pre-adolescent students.

How much homework should my child expect?

JCDS is purposeful about only assigning homework that will thoughtfully advance a student's fluency of the concepts addressed in class. Our approach is guided by a growing accumulation of research that strongly suggests homework does not meaningfully impact a student's capacity to advance their comprehension of a given subject, nor is it the most productive use of a student's time at home. Instead, we offer limited homework so students can enjoy other worthwhile and important pursuits, such as time with family and friends and extracurricular activities.

In addition to encouraging students to read books of their choosing each evening at home, students will receive increasing amounts of homework over their time at JCDS. Our 8th graders report they will typically spend about an hour per night on their homework.

OUR GRADUATES

Students who graduate from JCDS attend many high schools across Greater Boston. Whether they attend a Jewish, secular independent, or public high school in their local town, our graduates find that their experience at JCDS prepares them well for wherever their journey may lead. They have a deep knowledge rooted in rigorous inquiry and a noteworthy curiosity and openness that frames their engagement with others. Along with pride in their Jewish identity, JCDS alumni are high performers, passionate participants, and articulate self-advocates in their school communities.

Our graduates attend a range of high schools, including:

Arlington High School
Beaver Country Day School
Boston Arts Academy
Boston Latin School
Boston University Academy
Brimmer and May
Brookline High School
Cambridge Rindge and Latin
Cambridge School of Weston
Commonwealth School
Concord Academy
Gann Academy

Heschel School (NYC)
John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science
Milton Academy
Newton North High School
Newton South High School
Roxbury Latin School
Sudbury Valley School
Weston High School
Winsor Academy

Our graduates attend a range of colleges and universities, including:

Barnard College
Ben Gurion University
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University
Carnegie Mellon
Clark University
Colby College
Columbia University
Connecticut College
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Earlham College
George Washington U.
Harvard University
Hebrew University
Johns Hopkins
McGill University

Middlebury College
MIT
Muhlenberg College
Oberlin College
Oxford University
Northeastern University
Parsons School of Design
Pratt Institute
Princeton University
Quinnipiac University
RISD
Rochester Inst. of Tech.
Sarah Lawrence College
Salem State University
Simmons College
Skidmore College
Smith College

Swarthmore College
Tufts University
UMass, Amherst
U. of Chicago
U. of Maryland
U. of Michigan
U. of North Carolina
U. of Pennsylvania
U. of Pittsburgh
U. of Rochester
U. of Vermont
Vanderbilt University
Wake Forest College
Wesleyan University
Yale University
Yeshiva University