How to Apply

JCHS uses the online web service Ravenna to help us communicate with families. Our online application will be available in early September. Please call us or use Ravenna to schedule your campus visit. 

Request Information

To receive information about JCHS, please create an account on Ravenna by clicking on the button to the right. If you have questions about this system, please feel free to contact Ravenna solutions (help@ravennasolutions.com) or the JCHS admissions office (admissions@jchsofthebay.org).

Schedule Student and Parent Campus Visits

After you create your account on Ravenna, you will be able to sign up for a campus visit through our online JCHS Admissions Google Calendar. Campus visits, which are now available for scheduling, will begin on September 25 and continue primarily on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays through mid-December. Students from The Brandeis School of San Francisco, please reach out directly to the JCHS Admissions Office at 415.694.5771 or admissions@jchsofthebay.org. Visits are required for all prospective students. During the campus visit, prospective students attend classes with current students, talk to students and teachers, meet members of the Admissions team, and enjoy a delicious lunch.

We also encourage parents to see the JCHS campus and find out more about the culture of the school. JCHS has scheduled group parent tours (30-45 minutes) led by a member of our Admissions team on the following dates:
  • Monday, October 7 at 9 am
  • Monday, November 4 at 9 am
  • Tuesday, November 12 at 9 am
Space is limited for tours. To join a tour please register on Ravenna. More tour dates will be announced for December later in the season.

Parents may also schedule one-on-one interviews with our Admissions team if they wish. 

Attend an Open House or Regional Meeting (Optional)

Once you have explored JCHS through Ravenna, you can register to attend our events.

Please note that while Open House attendance is completely optional, our events tend to fill up quickly. Prospective students and their families are invited to join us on one of the following dates:
  • Sunday, October 27, 2019, 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM 
    (PLEASE NOTE: this Open House is now full. Email the Admissions Office to be placed on the waiting list.)
  • Wednesday, October 30, 2019, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

You may also wish to join us at one of our regional meetings. Please contact the Admissions Office if you are interested in attending as space is limited. 
  • East Bay Regional Meeting in Oakland: November 4, 2019
  • Marin Regional Meeting in San Rafael: November 13, 2019
  • Peninsula Regional Meeting in Palo Alto: 2019 dates TBA
  • San Francisco Regional Meeting in San Francisco: December 4, 2019

Register and Take a Standardized Test (SSAT or ISEE Required)

JCHS requires applicants to take one of two standardized tests - the SSAT or the ISEE. Please make sure that you have taken this test no later than February 1, 2020. Please designate JCHS as a score recipient on the registration form, as we can only accept test results sent directly from the testing organization. 

JCHS will host one Sunday ISEE testing date to be announced. Please let the Admissions Office know if you require a Sunday test date.
SSAT test online registration http://www.ssat.org/
  • SSAT School Code: 4230
 ISEE test online registration http://www.iseetest.org/
  • ISEE School Code: 054293
 We accept results from the optional Character Skills Snapshot, but it is not required for our admission process. JCHS also has a very limited number of fee waivers for the SSAT test available, Please contact the Admissions Office with any questions about testing.

If you are participating in our Admissions Pilot Program, the Admissions Office will be in touch with you individually to help you submit your portfolio of work.

Complete and Submit Your Online Application and Forms

Applications are due by January 9, 2020. Please submit your application online through Ravenna. The transcript release and confidentiality form must be printed, signed by a parent, and submitted to whomever is responsible for transcripts at the student’s middle school. To send teacher recommendations through Ravenna, please click the blue link associated with each form, type in the teacher or principal’s email address and submit.

JCHS requires the following for a complete application: 
  • Part 1: Parent/Guardian Application
  • Part 2: Student Application & Essay
  • Principal/Counselor Recommendation
  • Current English Teacher Recommendation
  • Current Math Teacher Recommendation
  • Current and previous year’s transcripts (sent directly from school)
  • Standardized Test Results (ISEE or SSAT)
  • Student Interview
  • $90 Application Fee (JCHS also offers fee waivers for families for whom this application fee would be a barrier to applying. Please contact the Admissions Office directly for more information at 415-694-5771.
Please note that in order to schedule a student interview, applicant must first complete and submit Part I of their application along with the application fee or waiver code.

Student Interview (Required)

We want to know you better! After you have submitted Part I (Parent/Guardian application) and your application fee, you will be able to schedule an interview through Ravenna. The student interview is required, but is also an informal one-on-one conversation in which we hope you'll share more about yourself and we can answer any questions you might have about JCHS.

Complete the Flexible Tuition Application (Optional)

JCHS offers a flexible tuition program designed to help keep a JCHS education accessible to families from a variety of economic backgrounds. Please contact Allison Brown, our director of finance and administration, with any flexible tuition questions at abrown@jchsofthebay.org or 415-345-9777 x 116.

Navigating High School Admissions

Admissions Checklist

List of 8 frequently asked questions.

  • + Step 1: Create a Ravenna Account

    We encourage applicants and their families to learn more about JCHS. The first step is to create an account with Ravenna, a web-based application system used by many Bay Area independent schools.

    For more information on how to create an account, read "Getting Started With Ravenna."

  • + Step 2: Add JCHS

    Once your account has been created, you can find our profile page by searching "Jewish Community High School" in the school directory on the left-hand side of the screen - click to expand our page.

  • + Step 3: Schedule a visit

    Schedule a campus visit. As part of the application process, prospective students are invited to get a “day in the life” experience at JCHS. Visiting students will be able to meet JCHS students and faculty, attend classes, and meet with our director of admissions. To schedule a visit, please call the admissions office at 415.694.5771.

  • + Step 4: Check out our Open House

    On the JCHS profile page, please click "explore." You may also register for an Open House by clicking “Upcoming Events.”

  • + Step 5: Schedule the ISEE or SSAT

    Schedule a time to take the SSAT or ISEE by following the instructions in the “Register to Take a Standardized Test” step.

  • + Step 6: Complete your application

    Our application is now live and you may click “apply” when you are ready to begin the application process.

    When you are ready to complete the application:  to access our application, please scroll down slightly on the JCHS application timeline until you come to a section titled "Complete Application Form and Pay Application Fee." There will be two blue links - one for a parent application and one for a student application. When you have answered all the questions on a given form, please click continue. Now you will have two options: “show me what’s left” and “view my application.” To continue and submit your application, please click “view my application.” A ​green​ button should appear at the top  right­-hand corner of the JCHS timeline that says "Go to Pay & Submit"­ please click  there. The system will prompt you to pay and then will send your application to JCHS. 

  • + Step 7: Submit your Student Statement

    Once these two application forms are sent through, the student may start the "Student Statement," located right below the application. Once this is completed, please click “view my application” and then the green button.

  • + Recommendations

    To Send Recommendation Forms to Teachers: scroll down to the section titled "Delegate Teacher Recommendation Forms." To send these forms directly to teachers, please click on each blue link and type in the email address for each teacher. The forms will be sent straight to the teachers and they will send them back to JCHS. The personal recommendation form is optional.
     

SSAT Exam Dates

For more information, visit the SSAT website.

ISEE Exam Dates

Please refer to the ISEE website for exam dates and locations.
Jewish Community High School of the Bay
1835 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA 94115
Phone: 415.345.9777
JCHS is grateful for generous operational, programmatic, and financial support from:
The Jewish Community High School of the Bay (JCHS) is a unique college preparatory high school committed to integrating deep learning, universal wisdom, and Jewish values. We empower each student to embrace her or his Jewish identity, generate empathy and compassion, delight in lifelong education, and improve the world.