Deerfield Academy

SILVER PROGRAM

School Location

Deerfield, Massachusetts

Establishment Year

1797

Platform

Gateway

Website

Link

Acceptance Rate

17%

Deadline

Jan 15

Overview

Writing Requirements

Candidate Profile (Common)

Academic, Athletic and Personal Achievements (1,500 characters)
- Please note your interests and activities in areas such as music, drama, art, community service, debate, writing, athletics, employment, or hobbies. We understand that some candidates have more opportunities for organized activities than others, but we are interested in how you spend your time outside of the classroom. Please only submit information from the past two years. Please use the “Add More” button below the first two listings if you would like to enter additional activities. If you still need more space, please use the “Additional Information” section.
- Academic, Athletic and Personal Achievements-List or briefly describe any academic or personal achievements of which you are especially proud. Use this area to note any academic honors you have received. (1,500 characters)
Additional Information/Explanation (6,000 characters)
- If you would like to provide any additional information that was not specifically requested or did not fit in the spaces provided, you may use the space below or upload a PDF (files must be under 1MB). Please only submit relevant information from the past two years. Do not upload grades, official test scores or transcripts in this section.
- If you have a document in a format other than PDF, you can download an official add-in for the latest versions of Microsoft Word that can convert Word documents to PDF. View the Gateway Knowledge Base article at https://www.gatewaytoprepschools.com/articles/6-creating-and-reducing-size-of-pdf-files for more information on creating PDFs. Please do not add pictures or scan printed documents. Doing so will potentially cause your file to be too large to upload.
- Provide Additional Information (6,000 characters)
Multimedia Description 1&2 (1,500 characters)
- Please check with the school to see if they have other ways of accepting multimedia.
- Students who have a very strong interest in a particular area are invited to submit up to two links to multimedia content. Examples of multimedia content that students have provided in the past include YouTube videos, music files, and art portfolios. Be sure to provide a description of the content in the space provided. Many schools no longer accept CDs, DVDs, videotapes or portfolios. Links are the simplest and most commonly accepted way to send multimedia to schools.
- NOTE: If you have more than two links you may add them to the “Additional Information” section above along with a description. Please limit additional link submissions in the “Additional Information” section to no more than three multimedia links.
- If your multimedia will not be available until later, do not delay in submitting your Candidate Profile now. Each school participating in the Gateway system has alternative means of accepting multimedia later in the application process. Consult each school for directions.
- Description (1,500 characters)

Applicant Short Answer Paragraph

Please choose ONE of the following questions for your short answer paragraph. Our goal is to better understand what makes you, you! So please, speak from your heart and accept our permission to be as creative, thoughtful, or as fun as you’d like to be. Your short answer should be approximately a paragraph long and not exceed 350 words. (*)

Prompt 1 : Describe a time when you felt slightly out of place. What made the moment uncomfortable, and what did you do with that feeling? (3,000 characters)
Prompt 2 : Tell us about something you find genuinely interesting, funny, or meaningful that others around you don’t seem to notice. Help us see it your way. (3,000 characters)
Prompt 3 : What’s something you do regularly that no one asks you to do? Why do you keep doing it? (3,000 characters)

Applicant Personal Essay

Please describe how ONE of the following may influence your engagement with the Deerfield community: Your personal essay should be approximately one single spaced page and not exceed 650 words. (*)

Prompt 1 : Describe a facet of your personal story or identity that is essential to who you are and will strengthen the Deerfield community. (6,000 characters)
Prompt 2 : What is something about which you changed your mind? How did your perspective change and how will that experience influence your engagement with the Deerfield community? (6,000 characters)
Prompt 3 : Tell us about a community to which you belong, how it has influenced you and how it will shape your experience at Deerfield. (6,000 characters)

Application Information

Please tell us how you learned about Deerfield. (250 characters)

Additional Information

Please use this space to provide any additional information. (6,000 characters)

Grade Writing Sample

Your graded writing sample should be an assignment, written in English, from this academic year (preferably from English class). View the Gateway Knowledge Base article at Link for more information on creating PDFs.

Briefly describe the assignment (500 characters) (*)

Recommendation

Current Academic Teacher (other than English or Mathematics) Recommendation (*)
Current Principal/Counselor Recommendation (*)
Current English Teacher Recommendation (*)
Current Mathematics Teacher Recommendation (*)
Personal Recommendation

Optional Materials

Optional Performing Arts Portfolio

Supplemental Materials: Most applicants do not need to submit supplemental materials as part of the application process. Additional materials do not necessarily strengthen an application. Admission Officers review applications holistically, and excessive supplemental submissions are generally unnecessary. Whenever possible, supplemental materials should be submitted through the applicant portal rather than by email.

Submission Guidelines:
- Athletic videos and recruiting materials should be submitted through the Media Links form in the applicant portal.
- Music, theater, and dance submissions must be submitted through SlideRoom.
- Duplicate, repetitive, or excessive submissions should not be sent.
- Any supplemental materials sent to the Admission email must follow the format below:
  - StudentLastName_StudentFirstName_ApplicationGrade_DocumentName
  - Example: Smith_Jane_9_ResearchProject.pdf
Due to the volume of materials received, the Admission Office cannot guarantee review or inclusion of duplicate, repetitive, excessive, improperly identified, or incorrectly submitted supplemental materials.

Standardized Testing & English Testing

Standardized testing

Candidates applying for grade 9 or 10 must submit the SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) or the ISEE (Independent School Entrance Examination).
Candidates applying for grade 11 must submit the ACT, PLAN, PSAT, SAT, or SSAT.
Candidates applying for grade 12 or a postgraduate year must submit the ACT, PSAT, or SAT.

English testing

If English has not been your primary language of instruction for at least three years, or English is not your primary language spoken at home, you must submit the IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, or Duolingo English Test.

Interview

How to Request an Admission Interview

Complete Gateway Part 1 Candidate Profile, Deerfield Admission Portal

School Instructions:

Prior to scheduling your Interview, Application Part 1: Candidate Profile must be completed. The interview is an opportunity to learn more about Deerfield, and for us to learn more about you, through a one-on-one conversation with an Admission Officer. Interviews are a required component of the application. Interviews are offered in-person or virtually.
Our on-campus tour and interview includes a tour of the campus with a current student, followed by a one-on-one interview with an admission officer (two hours). If you have completed Step 2 and submitted your Candidate Profile you can schedule your visit through your Deerfield Admission Portal or by contacting us: 413-774-1400 admission@deerfield.edu

About Deerfield Academy

About Deerfield Academy

Deerfield Academy is an independent boarding and day school for grades 9–12 located in Deerfield, Massachusetts.
Founded in 1797, Deerfield is one of the oldest boarding schools in the United States and is situated on a 330-acre campus in the historic village of Deerfield.
The school is committed to high standards of scholarship, citizenship, and personal responsibility.
Through a rigorous liberal arts curriculum, extensive co-curricular offerings, and a supportive residential environment, Deerfield seeks to develop inquisitive minds, healthy bodies, and strong moral character.
Deerfield emphasizes learning through close relationships with teachers, advisors, coaches, and dorm faculty. Approximately 91% of faculty members live on campus.
The school enrolls students from across the United States and around the world, creating a globally diverse community.
Deerfield promotes a residential education model in which learning extends far beyond the classroom into dormitories, athletics, arts, service, and everyday campus life.

School Is Known For

A highly rigorous liberal arts curriculum that emphasizes both breadth and depth of learning.
Academic excellence combined with strong advising, mentoring, coaching, and faculty engagement.
The pursuit of mastery while encouraging students to develop versatility across multiple disciplines and interests.
A deeply immersive boarding school experience built around shared traditions, residential life, and strong faculty-student relationships.
Strong athletic programs, with broad participation opportunities and a highly visible school spirit represented by “Big Green.”
Leadership development grounded in citizenship, responsibility, humility, empathy, and service.
A longstanding commitment to community service and global citizenship through both local and international engagement opportunities.
Environmental stewardship and sustainability as part of its educational mission and institutional values.
Strong traditions that connect current students to more than two centuries of school history.
Preparing students for leadership in a rapidly changing world through global understanding, ethical decision-making, and service.

Culture

Deerfield’s culture is built around six core values: Citizenship, Face-to-Face Interactions, Connectedness, Reflection and Balance, Pursuit of Mastery, and Shared Experiences.
Citizenship is defined by humility, empathy, responsibility, and concern for others.
The school places special emphasis on in-person relationships, encouraging meaningful face-to-face interactions characterized by generosity, kindness, and joy.
Students are encouraged to pursue excellence while maintaining balance, self-awareness, and personal well-being.
Shared experiences and traditions are viewed as essential to building friendships, identity, belonging, and school spirit.
The boarding environment is intentionally designed to help students grow independently while remaining closely connected to peers and faculty mentors.
Inclusion is described as a foundation of school life, with an emphasis on honoring each student’s individuality and fostering a strong sense of belonging.
Deerfield encourages relationships across differences in race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, and socioeconomic background.
Respect, honesty, dignity, diversity, and mutual understanding are repeatedly emphasized as community expectations.
The school values reflection, contemplation, and the search for meaning, supporting students’ moral, ethical, and spiritual growth.
Community service is viewed as both a responsibility and a privilege, reflecting the school’s belief that students should contribute positively to society.
Deerfield’s culture combines tradition and innovation, encouraging students to honor the school’s heritage while helping shape its future.

SILVER PROGRAM