Birchwood School of Hawken (Top Ranked Private School for 2026)

Name: Open House
Start: 2026-10-18T02:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-10-18T04:00:00-04:00
Location: Birchwood School of Hawken

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Quick Facts (2026)

Top Ranked OH School
Grades: Prekindergarten-8
Enrollment: 269 students
Acceptance rate: 70%
Average class size: 12 students
Application Deadline: Jan. 15 / rolling
Source: ✓Verified school update

Upcoming Events

Open House - Sun., October 18, 2026 - get more information!

School Rankings

Birchwood School of Hawken ranks among the top 20% of private schools in Ohio for:

School Facts

School Membership(s)School Assoc.

National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS)

Religious Affiliation

Nonsectarian

Grades Offered

Grades Prekindergarten-8

Students By Grade

View Data

Distribution of Students By Grade
Grade	Birchwood School of Hawken
Pre-K	29
Kind	26
1	24
2	28
3	21
4	25
5	21
6	30
7	32
8	33

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Year Founded

1984

School Calendar

View School Calendar

Last Day of School

Fri. May 28, 2027

Student Body

Total Students

269 students

Student Body Type

Co-ed

% Students of Color

49%

State avg.: 25%

Academics & Faculty

Total Classroom Teachers

45 teachers

Student-Teacher Ratio

6:1

National avg.: 11:1

% Faculty w/Advanced Degree

48%

Average Class Size

12 students

List of Courses Offered

Link to List of Courses

Matriculation DataMatric. Data

View Matriculation Data

Classroom Dress Code

Formal

Khaki, navy, or black pants with various colored polo shirts

Tuition & Acceptance Rate

Admission Deadline

Jan. 15 / rolling

Tuition Notes

2026-27 Tuition and Deposits Full-Time Preschool: Seedlings or Sprouts 5 Days 8:15 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. Tuition – $11,120 Deposit – $940 Part-Time (3-day) Preschool: Seedlings 3 Days 8:15 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. Tuition – $7,595 Deposit – $940 Part-Time (4-day or 5 mornings) Preschool: Seedlings & Sprouts 4 Days 8:15 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. or 5 Mornings 8:15 - 11:15 a.m. Tuition – $9,220 Deposit – $940 Kindergarten Tuition – $13,415 Deposit – $940 Grades 1 - 3 Tuition – $18,715 Deposit – $1,350 Grades 4 - 5 Tuition – $19,290 Deposit –$1,420 Grades 6 - 8 Tuition – $20,755 Deposit – $1,490

% on Financial Aid

35%

Acceptance Rate

70%

National avg.: 82%

Admissions Director

Linda Miyares

Application URL

Online Application

School Notes

Our mission is to equip children to lead a life of becoming - growing, thriving and flourishing - through the development of intellect and character.

Birchwood School of Hawken is a preschool through eighth grade private, independent school for students of all abilities. Our focus is academic. We provide a rigorous curriculum that emphasizes habits of industry within small classrooms, offering individual attention to each student.
Birchwood School of Hawken provides programs forgifted and profoundly giftedstudents endorsed by theCenter for Talent Developmentat Northwestern University. Parents exploring education options for their children will want to be familiar with the five distinguishing features that make Birchwood School of Hawken unique:
Highest Academic Standards for Primary, Elementary and Middle Schools
At Birchwood School of Hawken, parents will find academic standards that are benchmarked at state, national and, where appropriate, international levels. The impact on student achievement is evident. Birchwood School of Hawken students consistently gain local, state, and national recognition for their academic achievements. In addition, graduates are considered some of the "best prepared" for high school in Northeast Ohio. Our school environment nurtures, supports, and honors high academic achievement. At Birchwood School of Hawken, it is "cool" to study hard and excel.
Exceptional Education for Gifted Learners
High academic standards extend to gifted students. For over 40 years Birchwood School of Hawken has been working with this special population to meet their cognitive, affective, and social needs. While some schools offer "gifted" programs, Birchwood School of Hawkenrelies on teaching specialists in each subject so that gifted learners may advance as far their intellect and interest allows. There are no academic ceilings, hence, we do not merely implement a gifted program, we develop talent. Such a challenging and rigorous environment simultaneously develops sturdy work habits and productive attitudes toward academics enabling gifted learners toreach their highest potential.
Teaching & Training the Habits of Industry
Knowing that work habits and achievement ethics are just as important to success as a strong intellect, Birchwood School of Haawkenhas developed a systematic approach to teaching and training good habits. Birchwood School of Hawken presents a detailed training program that compliments teaching and empowers lessons so that they become habits. This effort runs throughout grade levels and is reinforced with special classes and supplementary programs that focus specifically on the development of good habits.
Individual Attention from Subject Specialists
At Birchwood School of Hawken individual attention has unique meaning. Since classes are departmentalized beginning in the first grade, our teachers are responsible for only one subject (sometimes two in the primary grades) and they teach that subject at several grade levels. Consequently individual attention from these specialists not only meets affective needs, but their personal efforts translate into robust, content-specific, timely guidance and instruction for each student.
A Globally Diverse Environment
The Birchwood School of Hawken community is one of the most diverse in Northeast Ohio. Seventy percent of our students are children of immigrants from around the world. Each day our students live and study with Asians, Middle Easterners, Europeans, South Americans, and Americans of all races. Their daily experience enables them to connect and learn about diversity and multiculturalism, and they discover, embrace, and learn to appreciate the common threads in all humanity.

Source: Verified school update

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Frequently Asked Questions

What schools are Birchwood School of Hawken often compared to?

Birchwood School of Hawken is often viewed alongside schools like Our Lady Of Angels School by visitors of our site.

What is the acceptance rate of Birchwood School of Hawken?

The acceptance rate of Birchwood School of Hawken is 70%, which is lower than the national average of 85%. Birchwood School of Hawken's acceptance rate is ranked among the top private schools in Ohio with low acceptance rates.

What is Birchwood School of Hawken's ranking?

Birchwood School of Hawken ranks among the top 20% of private schools in Ohio for: Lowest average acceptance rates and Highest percentage of students of color.

When is the application deadline for Birchwood School of Hawken?

The application deadline for Birchwood School of Hawken is Jan. 15 / rolling (applications are due on Jan. 15 but additional applications are reviewed year-round as space permits ).

In what neighborhood is Birchwood School of Hawken located?

Birchwood School of Hawken is located in the Jefferson neighborhood of Cleveland, OH.

School Reviews

5.00 out of 5 (2 reviews)

5 6/3/2016

My husband attended this school when it first opened. Decades later, we've decided to move from out of state so he could teach at Birchwood School and so our children could attend. I like that the student body is diverse ethnically, but the majority of students share a home culture where education is highly valued. The curriculum emphasizes character building, work habits and goal-setting. The founders of the school really care about each individual student realizing their full potential and discovering their unique gifts. The academic rigor was a bit of a shock to our first-grader, who had been used to "coasting" in his previous public school. But after a year in the Birchwood culture, he's developing work habits I never would have been able to instill in him on my own. My preschooler loves his teacher, and I can tell that she genuinely cares for each of her students. Overall, the school feels like a very tight-knit community.

- Posted by Parent - emily

5 1/8/2013

We "shopped" for schools all over the Cleveland area. Birchwood stood out and we love the school more and more every day. The administration and teachers are unbelievably devoted and knowledgeable.

- Posted by Parent - joekb

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Did You Know?

The average private school tuition in Cleveland, OH is $8,225 for elementary schools and $12,277 for high schools (read more about average private school tuition across the country).

The average acceptance rate in Cleveland, OH is 83% (read more about average acceptance rates across the country).