Frequently Asked Questions

We have 909 students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade for the 2022-23 academic year. The following is a breakdown by division: 
Lower School: 212
Middle School: 323
Upper School: 374

At BGA, we define diversity as a commitment to recognizing, respecting, and celebrating perspectives that differentiate us as individuals while bringing us together as a community. Our families represent a multitude of races, ethnicities, religions, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and our goal is for every student, teacher, and parent to feel a clear sense of belonging and purpose as we work together in pursuit of the Academy's mission and values. Learn more here.

Lower School: Opening bell rings at 8 a.m. (8:30 a.m. on Wednesday); Dismissal: Grades K-1 at 2:45 p.m., Grades 2-4 at 3 p.m.

Middle School: 8:15 a.m. to 3:05 p.m., Late-start Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.

Upper School: 8:30 a.m. to 3:20 p.m., No late-start mornings

Most Wednesdays the academic day begins at 8:30 a.m. to accommodate faculty meetings and professional development. Students may be dropped off as early as 7 a.m. for no additional charge, and we have a fee-based Extended Care program that runs until 5:45 p.m. for students in Lower and Middle School.

The majority of BGA families live in Williamson County in the Franklin, Brentwood, Thompson Station, and Spring Hill communities. BGA families also enroll from west Davidson, Maury, and Rutherford counties. We offer daily bus service for students in Davidson County (Brentwood, Forest Hills, Green Hills), Maury County (Spring Hill, Columbia), Rutherford County (Murfreesboro), and Williamson County (Arrington, Westhaven, Berry Farms).

Battle Ground Academy is a college preparatory school with an experienced, dedicated college counseling office with an incredible success rate matching students with appropriate “right fit” colleges and universities. Ninety-seven percent of our Class of 2022 graduates were accepted to at least one of their top three college choices (71% to their top choice). You can learn more about where our recent graduates have gone here.

Our natural entry points are kindergarten, fifth, sixth, and ninth grades. We accept applications for non-entry points as space is available.

While we do not have an official cutoff date for kindergarten admissions, we prefer for applicants to be five years old by September 1 of their kindergarten year. It is rare for applicants to be admitted with birthdays past that date. That being said, we consider each applicant on a case-by-case basis.

BGA’s 95% retention rate (five-year average) means mid-year admission isn’t always a possibility, but we will consider a mid-year admit when there is space available and the student is an academic fit.

Each applicant's file will be reviewed by a committee of teachers and administrators who work with children at the applicant's particular grade level. Each applicant must show promise of success in our academic program and high moral character. To assess this, we look closely at teacher recommendations (if available), school transcripts, and testing results. Of those well-qualified applicants, we seek to admit those who represent a diverse array of talents, interests and backgrounds. We also give consideration to applicants in the following groups: siblings of current Battle Ground Academy students; children of alumni, and faculty and staff.

Kindergarten families who meet our Priority Application Deadline on December 15 and families with children applying for first grade and up who meet our Priority Application Deadline on January 6 will be notified of their admission on Saturday, March 4, 2022, in their myBGA portal. Applications received after January 6 will be reviewed on a rolling basis as space is available, with a typical two-week turnaround time. 

We do not keep a multi-year wait list, and the admissions process begins for all grades in August of the year prior to their intended enrollment. 

Wait pools vary by grade, and while we cannot guarantee space availability, we encourage all applicants to apply by our Priority Application Deadlines on December 15 (kindergarten) and January 6 (first grade and up) to ensure they are considered in our first round of admission decisions and to reduce the likelihood of being wait-listed. 

The Office of Admissions will contact families when a space becomes available. If a space does not become available for that school year, your application can be rolled to the following year. 

BGA offers multiple opportunities to visit campus, both in-person and virtual. Learn more here. 

No. Once a child is enrolled at BGA, there is no need to re-apply. It’s one of the benefits of attending a kindergarten through 12th grade school! You will be notified when re-enrollment contracts are being sent out (typically in February). 

While we do not have a sibling discount, we encourage families with multiple children to go through our financial aid process.

We are committed to offering grant-based financial aid to families with demonstrated financial need. In fact, during the 2022–23 school year, 24.4% of our students receive some form of financial aid, with the average grant valued at $12,841. While financial assistance is available to qualifying families, it is our policy and our expectation that everyone attending BGA shares in the financial responsibility of the cost of the education. Learn more about tuition and fees, and how to apply for financial aid here.

No. All tuition assistance at BGA is in the form of grants that do not have to be repaid.

If you have questions about BGA’s financial aid process or policies, please contact financialaid@mybga.org.  If you have specific questions about completing the application for financial aid, please call our third-party financial aid partner School & Student Services directly at (800) 344-8328, or visit the SSS website. 

We expect that all parents in a household be employed before seeking financial aid. The exception is for parents caring for preschool-aged children, living with a disability, or facing other circumstances preventing employment. Please submit to SSS an explanation regarding any unemployed parents in the household. Parents who are currently enrolled in school should submit a letter to SSS explaining their program, progress toward a degree, and expected date of graduation.