Admission is the lifeblood of the School; the quality of the students it accepts affects the quality of its academic results. If the applicant pool declines, it will diminish the School’s ability to be highly selective. The School must continuously seek to improve its results, both in measurable ways such as the number of applicants, their qualifications, yield and diversity, as well as in those areas that are harder to quantify.  In addition to evaluating intellectual and academic readiness, the admission process will work to assess, in all its aspiring students, the potential to become ethical, contributing citizens of the School and the community, as well as their capacity for pursuing their interests with passion and persistence.

For the next three years, the goals of the Admission Office are to enhance the School’s ability to attract and enroll a talented student body. MICDS will work diligently to increase the overall number of student applications for admission and achieve an improved yield of students who choose to accept the School’s invitation. The School will continue to monitor key entry points in each division on a yearly basis.

Grade	Enrollment	Grade	Enrollment
JK	24	6th	90
SK	32	7th	140
1st	32	8th	144
2nd	36	9th	148
3rd	36	10th	148
4th	36	11th	148
5th	60	12th	148

Mindful of the numerous other schools that are competing for talented students, the MICDS Admission Office will work closely with the Communications Department to ensure effective outreach to and communication with targeted audiences. Demographic data in the St. Louis metropolitan area reflects a gradual decline in students at key entry points, as well as increased geographic dispersion, further increasing the competitive challenges facing private schools in this immediate area.  MICDS will continue to develop and analyze statistical and demographic data in an effort to understand accurately the number of potential applicants residing in the greater metropolitan area with an eye towards expansion of the potential applicant pool.  See also Communications and Marketing, Result Area I.

MICDS will continue its policy of giving special consideration to the children of alumni and the siblings of current students when they compare favorably in the candidate pool.

The marked increase in the last five years of applications from students of color, netting a substantial increase in that population as a percentage of total enrollments at MICDS, is a point to be highlighted and celebrated as it relates to the goals of the 2000-2005 Strategic Plan.  To this end, the School will continue its efforts to increase the number of well-qualified applicants from racially, ethnically, socio-economically, and religiously diverse backgrounds. MICDS will continue its summer program focused on providing a bridge into the Middle School. Additionally, the Admission Office will continue to nurture partnerships with city schools in an effort to attract increased minority applications.

An important challenge to the admission process is to convey successfully the opportunities afforded families who cannot meet the costs of tuition.  The School will continue to award substantial need-based financial aid in an effort to ensure our goal of true accessibility to all qualified candidates.  The Strategic Plan does not propose instituting a merit-based financial aid component but recommends periodic review of this concept, in concert with its continuous monitoring of the distribution of financial aid funds.

The Admission Office will convey the importance of the Parent Partnership to prospective parents during the admission process. See also Community of Learners – Parent Partnership. It will also play an introductory role in educating prospective parents as to the need for annual charitable support of the School as an integral aspect of an independent school education.