Frequently Asked
Questions

The Early Enrollment deadline is Monday, December 12, 2022. The Standard Enrollment deadline is Friday, January 21, 2023. After these two deadlines, admissions are rolling throughout the year until the start of the School year in August or until we reach maximum capacity. Prospective students can still apply after January 20th so long as room is available.  

Early applicants will be notified on January 12, 2023, and standard applicants will be notified on March 10, 2023. After these two notification dates, the Admissions Office works to notify applicants as soon as possible. 

No. We encourage prospective families to complete the first two steps in the application process as soon as possible. The first step is to complete the inquiry form. The second step is to submit the student profile and pay the application fee. The other steps can be completed at a later date. You can find the complete process here.

When reviewing applications of potential students, we look at the application as a whole—taking into account the quality of teacher recommendations, transcripts, and the in-person interview.

For our Fall 2023 applicants, standardized testing is not required. 

While optional, should you want to submit standardized testing, we will receive and review it. Applicants to Grades 7-10 may take the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT). When registering for the SSAT please include the code for SBS (7510). Please note that the SSAT typically requires registration to be completed three weeks in advance of the test date so please plan accordingly.

Applicants to Grade 11 and 12 are welcome to submit a PSAT, PreACT, ACT, SAT or SSAT score report. 

Yes. In order to enroll as a day student, you must provide proof of residency and proof that the parent/legal guardian will be residing on Long Island.

In addition to any required standardized testing, all applicants for whom English is not their first language are required to take an English language proficiency test. Our office prefers the TOEFL exam. When registering, please use the following code for TOEFL (8083) in order to send us the applicant's scores directly.
 
Please note that our office does not accept TOEFL's MyBest Score. 

If the TOEFL is not available, international applicants can consider one of the following exams: Duolingo, IELTS, Cambridge, and ELTiS.

Even if the applicant has studied in the United States for several years or is currently attending an international school with an American or British curriculum, the student may still need to take a test. Please contact the Admissions Office at admissions@sbs.org for further questions.

Admission interviews are required; however, the interview is one on one with the applicant. Parent(s)/guardian(s) are not required to be present for the interview. 

No. Students must pick one or the other. Five-day boarding is another option, which allows students to go home on weekends.

Yes. Please make sure to call 631-751-1800 x1 or email the Admissions Office at admissions@sbs.orgto set up an interview during those times. Please note that interviews are scheduled after the biographical portion of the application is submitted and the application fee is paid, making you an official applicant of SBS. Chinese applicants are also required to submit a minimum TOEFL score of 95 or Duolingo score of 120 (or other equivalent tests) before being granted an interview.

While SBS does have a dress code, we do encourage applicants to wear what they feel most comfortable in.

The Admissions Office offers interviews via Webex.

The Admissions Office will send an email to parents with the acceptance letter and instructions for accessing the parent portal to complete the enrollment process.

Applying for financial aid will impact the admissions decision. Unfortunately, SBS is not need-blind, which means that the Admissions Office will need to consider the family’s ability to pay before making the final decision on an application.

No. The financial aid award is essentially a tuition discount and does not require repayment.

SBS does not award merit scholarships—only need-based financial aid. These decisions are made based on a family’s demonstrated need and determined on a case-by-case basis. Every family has a different set of circumstances where the amount of aid granted can provide substantial relief. These factors include the number of children attending tuition-charging schools, assets, liabilities, investments, and the size of the family.

Domestic families apply for financial aid using the SSS/TADS Family Portal.

Yes. As long as a family’s finances do not change significantly from one year to another, the family can expect to pay roughly the same percentage of tuition each year that their child is enrolled at SBS.

Yes. Families that are interested in receiving financial aid must submit a financial aid application whether they are new to SBS or a returning family. The reason is that a family’s finances can change from year to year.

As a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, SBS endorses its recommendation that both birth parents have an obligation to contribute to the education of their children to the extent they are able.
 
SBS expects that separated parents, divorced parents, or parents that have never been married will contribute to the cost of their child’s education regardless of whether or not there is a legal obligation for them to do so. The financial aid process considers all resources that might be available to the student. If either parent remarries, the Financial Aid Committee will take into consideration the obligation of that parent to his/her new family and the resources of the stepparent, given the obligation of the stepparent to his/her own children. Therefore, both parents along with stepparents must provide financial information by submitting a SSS/TADS application. 

Yes. International students can receive financial aid; however, the vast majority of financial aid is allocated to domestic students. Families should apply for financial aid via the SSS/TADS Family Portal. In addition, the Admissions Office does require proof of income by way of bank statements, tax documents, pay stubs, etc.

The process will be similar to the process for students attending traditional schools. The one major exception is that recommendations will be completed by online teachers or homeschool teachers (i.e. parents). We strongly encourage that at least one recommendation comes from an adult that is not the applicant’s parent. You are also welcome to include additional outside recommendations if you would like.

Updated information on tuition and fees can be found here.

Should you have an interest in visiting campus to attend a full day of classes and have lunch on campus, please email us at admissions@sbs.org.

We are unable to accommodate overnight stays.

When scheduling your campus visit, please notify the admissions staff of your request and we will do our best to arrange a meeting. If the coach’s schedule permits, they will meet prospective families in the Admissions Office. If the coach is unavailable, we will do our best to have our athletic director attend instead.

No. While SBS is a distinctly Christian institution and aspects of our faith are integrated into the students' daily lives (ex: weekly mandatory chapel), students are allowed to maintain their own personal beliefs. Our hope is that students will develop their own understanding of who God is and who He is calling them to become.

Yes. Our dress code requires academic dress during the school day. During the fall and winter students are also required to wear blazers. Additional dress code information will be given upon acceptance.

Yes. Books, missions trips, specific athletics, extracurricular school trips, health insurance for international students, school blazers, etc. 

When school is in session, the health center is open and staffed with a Registered Nurse  Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Our on-call registered nurse is available for any health concerns that arise when the health center is closed.

Every student enrolled must participate in two of our three athletic seasons, but only one has to be a physical sport. The other can be an extracurricular—such as chess, robotics, theater, mock trial, managing a sport, etc.