Common Questions

OES has around 870 students in Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 with approximately 60 boarding students. The average grade level size in Lower School is 54, Middle School is 68, and Upper School is 78.

Children need to be 4 years old by September 1 to be eligible for Pre-Kindergarten. They must be 5 years old by September 1 to be eligible for Kindergarten. Children must be able to use the bathroom independently before the school year begins.

Yes. We offer programs for international students in grades 9-12 only. For more information please visit our International Students page.

Yes. Our after-school program is called Extension, and it is available to students in Pre-Kindergarten through grade 8. Extension provides programming that runs until 6:00 p.m.

Yes. Team sports at OES operate on a no-cut policy. Beginning in grade 6, there is a team for every level of experience and skill—competitive varsity teams for experienced players as well as teams for beginners trying a sport for the first time. See the list below for sports offered at OES.

Lower School students can participate in sports-related classes through the Extension Program.

Sports Offered in grades 6-12: Basketball, cross country, fencing, golf (grades 9-12 only) , lacrosse, skiing (grades 9-12 only), soccer, tennis, track, and volleyball (girls only).

Yes. We have a bus system that picks up and drops off students at centralized neighborhood locations. The fee for this service is based upon the location and the number of students at the drop off point. Read more

Yes. OES serves lunch to all students each school day, including our half-day Pre-Kindergarten students. The cost of lunch is included in tuition. Lunch usually includes salad, soup, sandwich, international, vegetarian and regular hot lunch options. Because we are a boarding school, we also offer breakfast and dinner daily! Day students may join the boarding community for these meals at an extra cost. OES Dining

OES does not have separate programs for special needs students, but the individualized attention and small class size can be beneficial to many students who have minor learning differences. Read more about Academic Support.

No. OES is a college preparatory school with a rigorous academic curriculum. We do not have programs for students with discipline, behavioral, or drug and alcohol related problems.

Approximately 20% of OES students pay reduced tuition. We encourage anyone who feels they may not be able to afford OES to apply for Flexible Tuition, which is determined based upon a family's demonstrated financial need. We do not offer merit-based scholarships. Read more about Affording OES.

Excellent schools come in all shapes and sizes — public, independent, and parochial — and they serve different constituents and work toward different purposes. Ranking schools on a single scale does not celebrate or acknowledge these differences in schools. We feel strongly that schools should be measured, as our accreditation process does, on our ability to meet our mission, and to deliver our promise to families.