See the Clarebourne education in practice
Students who spend a full day here — in advisory, in classes, at lunch — usually know by mid-afternoon whether this is their place. Whether you schedule a shadow day, a family tour, or attend an open house, we’ll help you find the information you need.
Shadow day
Recommended for all applicants Grade 3 and above
Tuesday through Thursday during the academic year, 8:00 AM – 3:15 PM
Your child spends a full school day with students their age, beginning with morning advisory and moving through a regular class schedule. They eat lunch in the dining hall. They are not escorted by an admissions staff member — they are placed with a student host who has volunteered for the role and knows the school well.
While your child is in school, you meet with a member of the admissions team for forty-five minutes, followed by a tour of the relevant division’s spaces led by a current parent volunteer. Where scheduling allows, you will also meet briefly with the division director.
Shadow days are not available during exam periods or the first two weeks of each semester.
Family tour
Monday through Friday, 9 AM – 1 PM
Duration: approximately 90 minutes
A sixty-minute guided tour of the full campus led by a current student ambassador, followed by a thirty-minute meeting with an admissions counselor. No child participation required. Tours are recommended for families in an early stage of exploration.
Open house
Sat., October 17, 2026, 9 AM – 12 PM
Sat., January 16, 2027, 9 AM – 1 PM
Clarebourne holds two open houses per year, in October and January,. Prospective families can tour the campus, meet faculty, attend brief information sessions on academics and admissions, and speak informally with current students and parents. Open houses offer broad introduction.
What to Expect
For your child
Shadow day students are welcomed by their host at the front entrance at 7:50 AM and introduced to the advisory group before the day begins. We ask students to arrive ready to participate — not to perform, but to engage genuinely with what they find. The students they will spend the day with know they are hosting a prospective student. They have been asked to be honest about what Clarebourne is like, including the parts that are hard.
For parents
Your meeting with the admissions team is a real conversation, not a presentation. Bring your questions — including the ones you feel awkward asking. We would rather address a concern directly than have a family make a decision without full information. If you want to know something specific about a teacher, a program, a behavioral incident, or a policy, ask.
After the visit
A member of the admissions team will follow up within two business days to answer any questions that arose during the visit and to discuss next steps. If the shadow day raised concerns on our side — about readiness, about fit — we will say so directly in that conversation.