Admission Policy
St. Mark’s offers rolling admissions, which means eligible students are admitted throughout the year until a classroom is at capacity. Applicants are encouraged to complete an application by fall of the desired enrollment year due to the competitive nature of the process.
Students must meet the school’s age, academic, and behavioral standards. The PK2 age requirement is 2 years old on or before September 1. All subsequent grades follow the September 1 age requirement. Students must be toilet trained to enter the PK3 program.
Admission Procedures
APPLICATION - Applications and an accompanying non-refundable $100 application fee are accepted throughout the year. Applicants are encouraged to complete an application by fall of the desired enrollment year due to the competitive nature of the process. In addition to the application, different grades require different steps. Please refer to the Admission Checklist for required supporting documents.
ACCEPTANCE - Once all required admission documents are submitted, candidates are reviewed for acceptance by the Admission Committee. The Admission Committee includes the Head of School, the Division Head(s), Faculty, and the Director of Enrollment. The Admission Committee evaluates qualified applicants in accordance with the best interest of the child and the school, and acceptance is given in the following order:
- Siblings of currently enrolled students
- Children of St. Mark’s alumni
- Grandchildren and former students who left in good standing
- Children of active pledging parishioners of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, other Episcopal parishes, or children currently enrolled in other Episcopal Schools
- Children/grandchildren of St. Mark’s School staff members
- All other applicants in date order
WAIT POOL - All qualified applicants will be notified of acceptance or will remain in a wait pool until an opening occurs for which they are qualified. The wait pool is not ranked. If a space becomes available, the Admissions Committee will reconvene to review the applicants who show a continued interest in St. Mark’s. All admission applications will remain on file for three consecutive years.
Religious Exemptions Policy Statement
St. Mark's Episcopal Church and School in Palm Beach Gardens mandates immunizations as required by the Florida Department of Health. Rooted in Scripture, The Book of Common Prayer, and the Baptismal Covenant, and informed by theologies of community, creation, and the body, our faith admonishes us to respect the dignity of every human being and come together for the common good, which we enact by following the mandated immunization schedules. As such, St. Mark's School requires, prior to attendance in our school, that each student have on file with the school a certificate of immunization for the prevention of communicable diseases for which immunization is required by the Florida Department of Health. A completed Florida Certificate of Immunization (Form DH 680) is required to document the administration of prescribed immunization doses. An exemption from immunization requirements is permissible only with a physician's certification as to the need for either a temporary or permanent medical exemption. An exemption from immunization requirements is not permissible for religious, philosophical, personal or other reasons.