The application for the 2025-26 school year is open.
The final application deadline is January 30th; however, please don’t wait to apply as readiness assessment seats are limited.
Below we’ve outlined a step-by-step overview to make your application process as streamlined as possible. Before you start, we encourage you to read through our application and admissions FAQs so that you’re set up for success! There, you’ll find more details on timing, assessments, and information specific to unique circumstances.
After familiarizing yourself with the application steps below, begin your application here!
To be eligible for the Davidson Academy, applicants must:
Applicants will need to confirm they will be attending the Davidson Academy's public, day school on the University of Nevada, Reno campus for local residents. Accepted students will need to physically reside in Reno before the first day of school in August 2025.
Subscribe to our eNewsletter for updates on our application.
Applications are not considered complete until Parent Agreement Forms have been signed by each custodial parent, and the Recommendation Forms (English, Mathematics and General) have been submitted. See ‘Email Correspondence’ section below for more information regarding these forms.
Davidson Academy applications are reviewed on an individual basis to determine if an applicant meets initial eligibility requirements, if more information is needed, or if the Davidson Academy is not a good fit at that time. Upon review of the application, additional testing or information may be requested in order to determine the applicant’s eligibility.
In order to minimize the chance of email sent by the application system and the Applications Team being classified as spam by your email provider, please add @www.davidsonacademy.unr.edu to your safe sender list and notify your recommenders and all parent/guardians to do the same. Please note the email address used by the online application system, onlineapplication@www.davidsonacademy.unr.edu, is an unmonitored mailbox and emails sent to that address will not be read. For further details on adding an email domain to your safe sender list, please search online or see our FAQ: "Q. Will I be receiving any email notifications after I apply through the Application System?".
Immediately upon submission of the application, each custodial parent and the listed recommender will receive emails with links to complete their respective forms. The application will not be considered complete until all these forms have been received by the Davidson Academy.
Parent/guardian(s) listed as the Primary Contact on the Parent/Guardian page of the application will receive emails at each of the following points:
Applicants who meet the Davidson Academy's eligibility criteria and application requirements will be invited to assessment. This process is unique for both campuses. See our Application Review Process.
The Davidson Institute has partnered with Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development (CTD) to offer two remote testing options.
Learn how to apply to get a head start on the 2025-2026 application if interested in our online school for students in the U.S. and Canada.
The Davidson Academy is a middle and high school level school. It is recommended that applicants at minimum have 5th grade in progress at the time of application. Applicants need to meet the minimum eligibility criteria. Any student who is under the age of 18 and currently enrolled in the 4th grade or higher, meets eligibility criteria, and who can perform at an academic level of advanced middle school or higher in all subjects may apply to the Davidson Academy.
That’s great! It’s important to note that each sibling will be evaluated and considered on their own merits. We encourage parents to submit their children's applications at the same time because we will invite siblings to the same assessment.. This way, you’ll learn of their acceptance status at the same time and can plan for your family accordingly.
We encourage applicants to apply earlier rather than later. There are multiple cutoff dates for each assessment period and only a limited number of applicants are reviewed and assessed each month with the remainder being waitlisted. Note that this is new for the 2025-26 application cycle.
Davidson Academy and Davidson Academy Online are two different and independent schools. While much of the application process and eligibility requirements are similar, admissions are not interchangeable and acceptance to one does not carry over to the other. We encourage students to apply to both individually if both are of interest.
Please direct admissions questions to applications@davidsonacademy.unr.edu. We strive to respond in a timely manner, usually within 48 business hours of receiving your message.