Admissions FAQ

Once you complete an inquiry online, you may begin the application process. We encourage you to view our online viewbook. The very best way to learn about Bement is to visit with us in person! Please call to schedule a visit for a campus tour and interview.

We will continue to offer virtual events to get to know us as well.  We encourage you to attend one of our admission events via Zoom for a virtual open house, live tour, or information session.

While we prefer to welcome candidates and their families in person on campus, we understand that not everyone will be able to visit in person.  We will offer both in-person and virtual open house and information sessions. 

Our in-person Open Houses give prospective students and families the opportunity to see Bement at its best. Prospective families tour campus, talk with teachers and administrators, and observe students and faculty in action on a typical school day. Most Open Houses begin in the admission office at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 10:30 or 11 a.m.

Open Houses for families considering placement for fall 2026 are:

• Tuesday, December 9, 2025 for prospective families with students applying grades 1 through 9 
• Thursday, January 8, 2026  for prospective kindergarten families families 

If you are unable to visit campus, we invite families to attend one of our virtual events*.

• Tuesday, October 7, 2025 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. ET live virtual tour for prospective families
• Thursday, October 16, 2025 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. ET live virtual tour for prospective families
• Tuesday, October 21, 2025 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. ET live virtual tour for prospective families
• Thursday, November 13, 2025 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET virtual open house for prospective boarding families
• Tuesday, January 20, 2026 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET for virtual info session for prospective boarding families

*For virtual events, AI assistants are not allowed to note take or record meetings.

Please RSVP with the admission office at 413-774-4209 or admit@bement.org for any of the events listed above.

Applicants interested in scheduling an interview (for applicants to grades 3-9) or an applicant screening (for kindergarten through grade 2), must have completed an inquiry form and completed the Student Biographical Form (SAO) with the application fee. 

We schedule visitors to campus Monday through Friday when school is in session. We are welcoming visitors to campus for interviews starting September 22. Tours and interviews are available at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 1:00 p.m (1:30 p.m. in the winter) Monday through Thursday and at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Fridays. Contact the Admission Office to schedule a tour!

The Admission Office is located in Barton House at 94 Old Main Street, Deerfield. Parking for the Admission Office can be accessed in the parking lot adjacent to Bement House, just beyond the Admission Office or along the east side of Old Main Street past the school.

If you are traveling from out of town, please visit the Visit Bement page for some helpful guidance and find a list here of accommodations, shopping, and resturants in the Pioneer Valley area.

Yes. An interview is required with one of the admission officers for students applying to grades 3 through 9. For students applying to kindergarten through grade 2, a screening with the lower school head and classroom teacher is required.

While an on campus interview/screening is preferred, we are able to schedule an interview/screening via Zoom for students applying to grades 3 through 9 if travel prevents you from visiting campus.

• Establish good routines in the morning and at bedtime.
• Read to your child–it expands their language and promotes literacy.
• Provide them with different experiences and expose them to new people.
• Have conversations with your child–include a give and take.
• Expect your child to be kind and well-mannered.

The interview is more like a conversation. We want an opportunity to get to know each student better, and allow the student to ask any questions. We ask students about school, what they enjoy doing in and out of school, their interest in arts and sports, as well as other extra curricular activities. We ask students to talk about their friends and family as well. There is nothing to do to prepare for the interview other than to be oneself and for students to be ready to talk about themselves. There are no right or wrong answers!

The interview is also a good opportunity for the prospective student and their family to learn more about Bement. Often, seeing the school firsthand is the best way to determine if Bement is a “good match." In addition, a visit to campus frequently raises questions that an on-campus interviewer is best able to answer. For these reasons, we strongly encourage families to visit campus for their interviews.

Students who are accepted to Bement are invited to spend part of or the entire day at Bement in March as part of their decision process. 

In order to maintain an effective and consistent classroom atmosphere, we invite prospective parents to observe classes in person during our Open House.

Upcoming Open House dates are:

• Tuesday, December 9, 2025 for prospective families with students applying grades 1 through 9 
• Thursday, January 8, 2026 for prospective kindergarten families

Please contact the Admission Office to RSVP.

We do offer Zoom interviews for applicants to grades 5 through 9 only; applicants may arrange one through the Admission Office at admit@bement.org. Alternatively, applicants may opt for an in-person interview near their home if we have an admission officer traveling to the area. However, we strongly recommend an in-person interview here on campus as it will allow students and families to get to know us better, and we will have a better sense of you as well. This is particularly important for our youngest applicants.

Yes, our online application is provided by the Standard Application Online (SAO). We accept the SAO to make the application process less cumbersome for those applying to more than one school.  However, all families applying to Bement must track their application through Bement's Admissions Portal. If you have not yet inquired directly to Bement via our website, upon submission of your SAO application and application fee, you will receive a separate email from Bement with instructions on how to log in to our Admissions Portal. Please refer to Bement's Admissions Portal to track the status of your application and complete any additional required parts of the application. 

As soon as you complete the Student Biographic Profile and pay the application fee, we will receive it. Any components (Parent Statements, Student Essays, Parent Questionnaire) and forms completed after this initial submission will be delivered to the school in real time. Components completed prior to the Student Biographic Profile being submitted, such as teacher recommendations, will not be delivered to us until the application fee has been paid.

Yes. Standardized test results are one of many factors that help admission officers learn about the student applying. Transcripts, recommendations, test results, the application, and the interview are all important in assessing an application.  

Applicants are required to submit recent standardized testing scores from within the last 12 months. We must receive an official score report. We prefer the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT). Bement's school code: 1570. We will also accept the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) or the WISC-IV.

To register or find more information about the SSAT:

Students, for whom English is not their first language, must also take and submit results of the TOEFL Junior. 

No.  Bement does not require Vericant.  Please contact Bement directly about applying or arranging your interview.

Testing is a required part of the application process for students applying to grades 6-9.  It is only one part of the application and testing gives the Admission Committee additional information to understand the student. During COVID, Bement paused the testing requirement.  Over the past several years we have reviewed our application process to make sure we had all the information we needed to best understand our applicants.  We identified two areas that we wanted more information: 1. Writing and 2. Math.  The SSAT provides us with a timed, ungraded writing prompt for students.  In addition, the quantitative results from the SSAT allows us to see a broader range of math achievement.  In terms of test preparation, we recommend a good night’s sleep and breakfast before the test.  It is not necessary to spend hours in test prep classes and would prefer students use that time for reading and pursuing other activities they enjoy.

We recommend that you take the SSAT in October, November, or December of the year prior to your enrollment. You may visit the SSAT site here:

International students wishing to apply to Bement for consideration in the first round of decisions should complete their application by December 15. A complete application includes the application, the application fee, a writing sample, current English and math teacher recommendations, transcripts for three years, score results from the SSAT and TOEFL Jr., and interview. We recommend that students take the SSAT in October or November.

If a student is scheduled to take the December SSAT, families MUST enter Bement's school code 1570  as a score recipient in order to receive the test scores right away and in time for consideration in the first round of decisions. If a family waits to see the scores first and then adds our code, the results will come to us much later and the application will not be considered complete. We will not be able to consider incomplete applications in the first round.

The Snapshot is designed to measure eight essential character skills: resilience, open-mindedness, responsibility, teamwork, social awareness, self-control, intellectual curiosity, and initiative. We do not require students to take the assessment. If you have participated and wish to share the results with us, we will add this to your application.

Yes. Students may submit TOEFL or TOEFL Junior results as a required part of their application. If the student attends an international school or English speaking school for three years or more, they are not required to take the TOEFL or TOEFL Junior, and this requirement is waived.

Enrolled students, for whom English is a second language, will be required to take the iTEP in the spring prior to starting at Bement. This will help determine if additional English language support is needed during the coming year. If that is determined, students will be enrolled in an ELL class (in upper school) or receive additional ELL tutoring support (in lower school for grade 5). Bement does not offer ELL support for students in kindergarten through grade 4.

You can learn more about the iTEP and how to register to take the test here.

International applicants who would like to be considered in the first round of decisions should complete their applications by December 15.

Domestic boarding applicants who would like to be considered in the first round of decisions should complete their applications by January 15.

Domestic day applicants who would like to be considered in the first round of decisions should complete their applications by February 1.

Bement will consider late applications for all grades on a rolling basis dependent on available space.

Meeting the application deadline means that we have received all required parts of your entire application. Sometimes we may need to schedule a student interview or screening after the deadline, or a current school will not be able to provide the current year transcript (report card) by the deadline. In situations like these, as long as all other materials are submitted on time, we can usually work with you to complete everything in order for you to receive an admission decision on time. Otherwise, applications incomplete at the deadline may not be considered in the first round.

Students should submit their own original work/answers to the application questions and essay. In addition, AI assistants are not allowed to notetake or record meetings.

While we do not have an age cut off in order to begin kindergarten at Bement, it is recommended that students applying to kindergarten at Bement be age 5 by the start of their kindergarten school year because our program requires many transitions and independence throughout each day.  All students applying to kindergarten must complete an in person screening to determine if they are developmentally ready and appropriate for our kindergarten.  If your child has a September or October birthday and has demonstrated readiness in their current preschool program, we would be happy to screen to determine if your child will be ready for Bement’s kindergarten program next year.  For children with birthdays beyond October, you should plan to apply for the following year.

It is recommended that students applying to kindergarten at Bement be age 5 by the start of their kindergarten school year because our program requires many transitions and independence throughout each day.  Although readiness is more than just age.  Developmentally we are looking for students who are ready to handle a full day of school with transitions to different parts of campus and different faculty members.  While students have a primary classroom teacher, kindergarteners also spend time daily formally with their art teacher and their PE teacher, but also interact with the lower school head, other faculty, librarian and children from other grade levels. Kindergarteners demonstrate their independence through their arrival to school and readiness for the day, managing their belongings and being prepared to play outdoors, and bathroom skills. While specific academic skills are not required for admission to kindergarten, children who make the transition successfully have already been in a preschool program and are comfortable navigating the school day.

Families interested in kindergarten should schedule time for either a campus tour or to attend our January 8 Open House. If you wish to apply, families should call to schedule their child for a screening as part of the application. We request that prior to the screening, candidates submit the application, teacher evaluation, and school report.

The screening dates for students applying for the 2026-2027 school year are:

• Wednesday 1/21 3:45-4:45 p.m. (FULL)
• Thursday 1/22 8:30-9:30 a.m. (FULL) and 9:45-10:45 a.m. 
• Tuesday 1/27 3:45-4:45 p.m.  
• Wednesday 1/28 8:30-9:30 a.m. (FULL) and 9:45-10:45 a.m. 
• Tuesday 2/3  3:45-4:45 p.m.
• Wednesday 2/4 8:30-9:30 a.m. and 9:45-10:45 a.m.
• Monday 2/16 3:45-4:45 p.m. (FULL)
• Tuesday 2/17  8:30-9:30 a.m. and 9:45-10:45 a.m.
• Wednesday 2/18 3:45-4:45 p.m. 
• Thursday 2/19 8:30-9:30 a.m. and 9:45-10:45 a.m.
• Monday 2/23 3:45-4:45 p.m.
• Tuesday 2/24 8:30-9:30 a.m. and 9:45-10:45 a.m.

No, it is necessary to decide if your student is applying to be a day student or a boarding student before you submit the application. A conversation with the Admission Office may help you decide which option would be best for your student. 

No, students who enroll as boarding students must remain enrolled at boarders throughout their time at Bement.

The deadline is February 1. Bement offers tuition assistance to U.S. citizens based on the demonstrated financial need of the family. Learn more about financial aid here:

Financial Aid

To learn more about the financial aid process and tuition assistance, join an information session:

• Wednesday, January 7, 2026 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET virtual information session for families interested in learning about the financial aid process (email us for the Zoom link)
• Thursday, January 7, 2026 from 3:45-4:30 p.m. in person information session for families interested in learning about the financial aid process (email us for meeting location)

Bement is proud to use the Clarity Application to determine a family’s level of financial need based on the information that families share in the application which includes assets, income, expenses, and debts.

To get started, please go to the Clarity Application starting October 1 and create an account. The application typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete. The Clarity Application is also mobile-friendly so you can complete it from anywhere. You are also able to save your progress and return at any time. At the end of the application, there is a $65 fee to submit, and you can share your application with additional schools that accept the Clarity Application for no additional charge. Simply use the dropdown menu in the application to select those schools. The application fee will automatically be waived for families meeting a certain income threshold. The deadline for completing the financial aid application including relevant supplemental documents is February 1. 

To learn more about the financial aid application, Clarity is offering several webinars for families.This year's Family Application Information Webinars:
September 23, 7pm Pacific Time
September 24, 6pm Eastern Time
October 21, 7pm Pacific Time
October 22, 6pm Eastern Time
December 9, 8:30pm Eastern Time

In addition, you can join Director of Admission Kim Loughlin for to learn more about financial aid in general. Please email us for the Zoom link and join the following information session:

• Wednesday, January 7, 2026 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET for families interested in learning about the financial aid process and tuition assistance

No. Bement offers tuition assistance to U.S. citizens based on the demonstrated financial need of the family. Our school does not offer merit awards based on academic, athletic, or other talents demonstrated by the student.

However, through the generosity of a former trustee, the school has established The Bement Bridge Grant Fund. This grant provides additional financial aid to cover the remaining balance due for tuition. This grant is available to a new lower school applicant in our local geographic area. In order to qualify, families must have a demonstrated need for full financial aid. There is no additional application process for this grant; by applying for financial aid through Clarity you will be considered for The Bement Bridge Grant. Bement commits to support this student’s tuition balance throughout her/his experience here. Each year, the Financial Aid Committee will renew the grant as long as the family continues to demonstrate appropriate financial need and Bement remains a good fit for the student. Bement’s Financial Aid Committee will use a variety of factors to determine the recipient of this grant if multiple families qualify.

For the 2025-2026 school year, Bement awarded $1,383,114 in financial aid to 37% of the student body. Aid awards are determined by level of demand and level of funding as set by our board of trustees. Generally, our financial aid budget has allowed us to award approximately 70% of a family's demonstrated need. For day students these awards typically range from $2,000 to $23,700. Boarding students receive somewhat higher awards. Aid awarded has no repayment requirements.

International students applying for a boarding place at Bement are notified January 15 (or the Friday prior if January 15 falls on a Saturday or Sunday) if they completed the application process by the first round application deadline of December 15. Domestic boarding students are notified starting in January. Day students are notified on or by March 10.

If complete and accurate information has not been provided, The Bement School may decline to consider an application, be unable to provide services or accommodations, or withdraw its offer of admission or enrollment.

These figures vary each year and we are not able to provide detailed information.  Admission to Bement is competitive and we receive more applications than we have spaces available. Interested families should reach out to our office if you have questions.  Bement may not be a good fit for a student who has not been successful in school or does not have passing grades in all subjects.  

Once the Admission Committee selects the new students for the coming year, families are notified of the decisions. Accepted students are welcome to return to Bement for a revisit day on March 26 which includes class time and lunch, which may assist them in making their final decision. Families of accepted students are invited to a welcome reception that day as well.

Upon a candidate’s acceptance to Bement, each parent or guardian is required to electronically sign an enrollment agreement and make a non-refundable deposit to hold the applicant’s place in their class. The enrollment deposit will be applied to the coming year’s tuition. Note that after signing the enrollment agreement and making the necessary deposit, subsequent cancellation of enrollment will result in forfeiture of the enrollment deposit. If enrollment is canceled after May 1, parent(s) or guardian(s) financially responsible for the student are obligated to pay the full tuition charges.

Yes. After the deadline, students can still apply to Bement. The Admission Committee will consider late applications on a rolling basis dependent on the available space. Some grades or dorms may be full, in which case late applicants will be considered for the wait pool. Please contact the Admission Office to see if there is space available after the deadline.

Yes, in a handful of cases, this can happen. During the spring and summer, places sometimes become available and we are able to admit qualified students from the wait pool.

Because many considerations go into each admission decision, including the number of spaces available and the strength of the applicant pool for a particular grade level, we welcome students to re-apply to Bement. Applicants should contact our office to let us know they wish to re-apply. We will require updated school records including transcripts and teacher recommendations. In addition, we may also require another campus visit for a screening or interview.

Our well-prepared and confident graduates are coveted by distinguished secondary schools. The list of where our students are accepted and eventually choose to enroll reflects the diversity and strength of our student body. Our director of secondary school counseling works hard with each ninth grader and their family to discover the best match for the next step in the student's journey.

Secondary School Acceptance List

The Bement School admits students of any race, color, sexual orientation, ancestry, religious affiliation, national and ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities made available to accepted students. The school does not discriminate in the administration of any institutional programs.

225-230 students are enrolled at Bement. Typically, half are enrolled in the lower school and half in the upper school. Average grade size is 21 students. In the lower school the average grade size is 15 and in the upper school the average grade size is 32. In both the lower school and upper school, there are often two class sections per grade.

Our curriculum maps are all available online and give an overview of the academic program at Bement. It also lists all subject areas by grade and includes descriptions of what is covered.

Curriculum Maps

Students are not required to bring laptops or other devices to school. Bement issues iPads to each student in kindergarten through grade two and Chrome Books to students in grades three through nine. Students are required to turn in these school issued devices at the end of the school year.

Daily round trip van transportation services are offered from the Hadley and Northampton ares. Pickup points and routes are determined based upon demand.

Morning routes are available and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis to all interested Bement families. Students ride in contracted school vans or mini-buses, and are scheduled to arrive at the school by 8:05 a.m.

Return transportation departs Bement no later than fifteen minutes after upper school dismissal.  Lower school students enrolled in the afternoon return transportation will attend the after-school program at no charge. On early-dismissal days, vans depart at upper school early-dismissal time.

For more information on cost and registration, please contact the Bement Business Office at 413-774-7061.

Before care programs are currently not available.  Day students should plan to arrive to Bement between 8 and 8:10 a.m. Monday through Friday.

After-school care is available for lower school students and is offered from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. After-school care is available for upper school students and is offered from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and from 3:30-5:30 on Thursday.

There is a daily fee charged for after-school care.

For lower schoolers, after-school care until 4:30 p.m. is designed to provide a safe, productive, and fun experience during the hour between lower school dismissal and that of upper school. Lower school students have the opportunity to play and interact with students of a variety of lower school ages, supervised on the playground.

Additionally, students may sign up in advance for special programs offered on certain days for an entire term. Offerings vary and carry an additional fee paid at the time of registration.

Yes, Bement does have a dress code. All students are expected to be neat, clean, and presentable, and clothing should not be distracting. 

Friday Dress is a special tradition at Bement, when the entire community dresses uniformly. All students, faculty, and staff wear a navy blazer with Bement patch, khaki pants, skirt, or skort, white collared blouse, white polo shirt, or white turtleneck.

More details can be found in the Family Handbook.

Out of respect to students and faculty with life-threatening allergies, nuts are not served at Bement. Our allergy list will be updated and shared with our kitchen and faculty each year with information provided from families to Student Health Services. Special diets must be approved by the school nurse.

The Department of Homeland Security has the most up-to-date information for international students who wish to study in the United States. Visit their site for more information: