Enrollment Information

Merrol Hyde Magnet School is an academic magnet school focused on advanced achievement. Students are expected to complete outside projects, participate in summer reading, and work at an accelerated pace with a high level of academic rigor. To be eligible for enrollment, a prospective student must complete the following steps:

1. Fulfill all application requirements by the December 12, 2025 deadline and receive approval notification from the MHMS Admissions Team.
2. Schedule entrance exam and satisfy score requirements. Qualified applicants must score at or above the 85th percentile in reading, language/writing, and math on a nationally normed, standardized test. The exam scheduling portal will open to approved applicants in January 2026. All exams are administered in February, and results are emailed in March.

Additionally, please note the following:

• Placement: Kindergarten students who meet enrollment criteria will be entered into the lottery for up to 40 seats, followed by a waiting list. Students applying for grades 1-11 who meet enrollment criteria will be entered into the lottery to be added to the existing waiting list. 
• Uniforms: Uniforms are required for all students. Assistance is available through the school administration for those requesting help with the cost of uniforms. All inquiries are strictly confidential.
• Transportation: Families must make arrangements for transportation to/from school, as bus transportation is not provided. After school care is available at MHMS and is operated by Unity Learning Center.  
• Sports Participation: Students in grades 7–12 must participate in at least one school sport. Please visit our ATHLETICS page for a list of the sports offered at MHMS.
• Special Services: Special education and 504 services are available in all Sumner county schools, including MHMS, for the students meeting the enrollment criteria. The Sumner county school system does not discriminate against students with disabilities. It is important to note that all students receiving special services are expected to fully participate in the rigorous Merrol Hyde curriculum.

The MHMS enrollment application is available exclusively through our online portal. To complete the application, you will need internet access, the ability to scan and upload documents, and a method for submitting payment online. In-person applications are not accepted at the school. Additionally, please note the following requirements:

• Sumner County Resident:  Applicants must be residents of Sumner county at the time of application and provide proof of residency (see Documents Needed below).
• Applicants for Kindergarten:
  • Must be five years old by August 15, 2026
  • May not have attended, enrolled in, completed, or audited any public or private kindergarten program
  • Provide birth certificate (see Documents Needed below)
• Applicants for grades 6-11: must provide proof of above-average academic achievement (see Documents Needed below)
• Entrance Exam: All applicants must take an academic entrance exam and achieve qualifying scores in reading, language/writing and math. For more information, see the Entrance Exam section below.
• Testing Fee: A testing fee of $30 is required at the time of application and is payable online. Please contact Principal Darren Frank to request a waiver, if needed. All requests are kept strictly confidential.
• Documents Needed: MHMS requires that the following documents be scanned and uploaded as part of the application process.
  • Applicants for ALL GRADES:
    • Two proofs of Sumner county residency, dated within 30 days of application. Acceptable documents include: mortgage statement, lease agreement, property tax statement, signed real estate contract, or a current utility bill. Unacceptable documents include: cell phone bills, credit card statements, bank statements, and handwritten agreements. All documents must indicate service address matching home residency address. Applicants whose parent/guardian does NOT have lease or ownership of the residence are required to submit a notarized Residency Affidavit along with all supporting documentation.
    • Current driver’s license or state issued ID. Passports are also acceptable.
  • Applicants for Kindergarten must provide a state certified copy of the child's birth certificate. Mother’s copy cannot be accepted.
  • Applicants for Grades 6-12 are required to submit final report cards from their previous two school years indicating A/B averages for SY 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • Applicants who are new to the Sumner county school district: must provide a state certified copy of the child's birth certificate. Mother’s copy cannot be accepted.

All applicants must take an academic entrance exam. Qualified applicants must score at or above the 85th percentile in reading, language/writing, and math on a nationally normed, standardized test. 

• Entrance exams are administered only when application requirements have been fulfilled and approved. All exams are administered in February.

• In an effort to align the MHMS examination process with best practices in the use of data, entrance exam results are valid for three years. After that time, students on the waitlist must retest and meet the academic exam requirements outlined above.

• Kindergarten and first grade applicants are assessed in a 1-on-1 environment using an individual, age-referenced screener.

• Applicants for second through eleventh grade are given a group-administered, age referenced written test.

• If the number of students who meet scoring requirements exceeds available seats, an online lottery is utilized to select positions on a waiting list.

 

WAITING LIST

MHMS typically has more students who meet the entrance requirements than we have space to accommodate. For this reason, we maintain a waiting list of qualified students (those who have met the enrollment requirements) for whom we do not have an open seat in their respective grades. This waiting list “follows” the student (i.e. maintains his/her place on the list) for a period of three years  - even as he/she advances in grade level year after year. After three years, prospective students are required to retest.

KINDERGARTEN: Qualified students with sibling or priority status are automatically admitted to the Kindergarten class. All remaining seats are filled through a computerized lottery of the remaining students. See "LOTTERY" section below for more information about the lottery process.

POST-KINDERGARTEN: Grades 1–11 at MHMS are typically full, and each grade maintains its own waiting list as described above. Newly qualified students are added to the end of the current list for their grade. Their position is determined by the order in which their student number is randomly selected during the lottery held each April.

WAITLIST BY GRADE LEVEL

The number of students on our waiting list for each grade is stated on the document linked below. Your student’s most current waiting list number can be found by logging onto your School Mint account.

Current WaiTLIST TOTALS BY GRADE

LOTTERY

A computerized lottery system is used each April to determine the order in which newly qualified students (those who have met enrollment requirements) are added to the waiting list. If there is no space available, each qualified student's assigned number is entered into a grade-specific lottery. Students are then added to the bottom of their grade’s waiting list in the order their numbers are drawn.

Students will move UP on the waiting list when a current MHMS student withdraws from the school. At that time, the vacant seat is offered to students on the respective grade’s waiting list in the following order:

1. Student number 1 on the waiting list

2. The first student with sibling or priority status (noted with an asterisk beside the name) 

3. Student number 2 on the waiting list

4. The second student with sibling/priority status

… continue down the waiting list using the above outlined pattern

Example Waiting List:

1. Amy Smith
2. Billy Johnson
3. Christy Williams*
4. Devon Brown
5. Emily Jones*

Using the above example, if a vacancy occurred in second grade, Amy Smith would be contacted first. If Amy declined, Christy Williams would be notified second (as she is the first student with sibling/priority status). If Christy declined, Billy Johnson would be offered the space. If Billy declined, Emily would be contacted fourth.

It is important to note that ten additional seats become available in 4th and 7th grades. Therefore, students who hold the first ten positions on the waiting list, regardless of status, as they approach these grades are guaranteed to be offered a seat.

• Students move OFF the MHMS waiting list under either of the following circumstances:
  • Entrance exam was taken 3 years prior and family chooses NOT to retest 
  • Family declines to accept a vacant position when contacted by the MHMS admissions team

• Students will never move DOWN the waiting list.

• A qualified student may be offered an open position at any time. 
  • If the offer is made during the school year, we typically allow 72 hours to accept or decline the offer in order to ensure a smooth and timely transition from the child's current school to MHMS. 
  • If the offer is made during the summer, parents/guardians are allowed one week to accept or decline the offer.

Sibling or Priority status is given to qualified students (i.e. students who have met the enrollment requirements) with any of the following circumstances:

• Sibling status is given to a student who has a sibling or step-sibling at MHMS, living in the same house as the applicant, at the time of enrollment.

• Priority status is granted to a student with a parent who is a Merrol Hyde Magnet School alumni or full-time employee of Merrol Hyde Magnet School

• If a student with a twin or other multiple birth siblings is selected in the online lottery, those siblings will automatically be offered the next available spot(s).

Sibling or priority status is indicated on the waiting list with an asterisk next to the student’s name. For more information about how either status impacts a student’s position on the waiting list, see Waitlist Notification section above.

Come See Us in Action!

We welcome you to join us for a tour of campus where you can meet our team, visit classrooms, speak to students, and see why MHMS is such a great place to learn.

Tours are typically one Thursday per month in the fall. Dates are noted on the calendar page of our website and are published once determined.  Current Tours are scheduled:    SEPT 11,  OCT 16,  NOV 13,  DEC 11

All tours begin promptly at 9:00AM. Please come to the main entrance to check in. Advance registration is not necessary. Tours take approximately 1 hour. Prospective students are welcome to attend.

If a pre-scheduled tour does not work for your schedule, please contact Principal Darren Frank to arrange another date and time.

1. How can I enroll my child in MHMS?

Applications are accepted from mid-September to mid-December through our online portal. To qualify for enrollment, parents/guardians must successfully complete the application process and prospective students must score at or above the 85th percentile in reading, language/writing, and math on an academic exam. If more students qualify than there are available spots, a computerized lottery determines placement, and remaining students are placed on a waiting list in the order drawn.

See above Enrollment Qualifications & Considerations and Application Requirements for additional details.

2. We do not live in Sumner county but are moving there. Can my child still apply?

Applicants must be residents of Sumner county at the time of application.

3. Does MHMS have a dress code?

Yes. All students in grades K-12 are required to wear uniforms, available from Lands’ End and French Toast. If the cost of uniforms is prohibitive, confidential assistance is available by contacting Principal Darren Frank. The dress code can be found here: MHMS Handbook and Dress Code.

4. Is transportation provided to MHMS?

No, transportation is not provided. Since MHMS accepts students from across Sumner County, school bus service is not available. However, after-school care is offered through the Unity Learning Center.

QUESTIONS REGARDING THE ENTRANCE EXAM:

5. What time should I arrive for my child’s test?

Please arrive 10 minutes before the exam start time. Kindergarten and first grade applicants will test at the Sumner County Board of Education (SCBOE) at 695 E. Main Street in Gallatin. Applicants for second through twelfth grade should come to the main entrance of Merrol Hyde Magnet School.

6. How long is the test and where should I wait?

Kindergarten and 1st grade testing takes approximately 15 to 45 minutes and is conducted at the Sumner County Board of Education. Testing for grades 2–12 takes approximately 2.5 to 3 hours and is administered as a group achievement test. Parents/guardians may drop off their students and return for pickup once testing is complete. Students will be supervised by MHMS staff at all times. For safety reasons, students will not be permitted to leave MHMS property without a parent or guardian.

7. What type of test is given? Can we study?

Students are assessed according to their age or current grade level. Because the test is designed to measure general developmental and academic readiness, study guides are not provided. Parents of incoming Kindergarten and first grade students should ensure their child is familiar with foundational skills appropriate for their age. Kindergarten and first grade students will be assessed in a 1:1 environment.  Students testing for second grade and above should be comfortable working in a group achievement test setting.

8. Does my student need to bring anything with him/her to the test?

Students testing for grades Kindergarten through eighth should not bring anything with them to the test. Applicants for grades nine through twelve should bring a calculator. Please do not send prior test scores, photos, letters or resumes to the exam, as MHMS does not keep these on file.

9. What if it snows on my testing date?

If the Nashville airport (BNA) closes due to inclement weather, MHMS entrance exams will be rescheduled. Check the website for updates.

10. What if I can’t make my test time due to serious illness or another reason?

Please email mhmsadmissions@gmail.com as soon as your conflict arises. If your student is sick, a physician’s excuse note (dated to include the test date) will be required to reschedule. No test will be rescheduled without approved documentation.

11. When will I receive test results?

Parents/guardians will receive an email via your School Mint portal in April indicating whether your student met the entrance exam requirements.

12. When is the lottery?

The online lottery takes place in April, with the exact date to be announced in January. Please visit the above Waiting List and Lottery section for more information.

13. I already have a student(s) attending MHMS. How does this affect my student who is applying now?

Sibling status is granted to qualified students (those who have met all enrollment requirements) who have a sibling or step-sibling currently living in the same household and enrolled at MHMS at the time of enrollment.

For more information about how sibling status impacts a student’s position on the waiting list, please visit the above Waitlist Notification section.

14. My child is on the waiting list. When will they get a spot at MHMS?

The number of available seats in each grade can vary each year and is often unpredictable. Families are contacted as soon as a vacancy arises. Please note that class sizes increase in 4th and 7th grades; therefore, the first ten students on the waitlist for those grades are guaranteed an offer when those openings occur (unless retesting is required - see the above Entrance Exam section).

15. If my student does not meet the exam criteria, what are my options?

Parents/guardians may reapply during the next application window (mid-September to mid-December) to start the process for the following school year.

16. If my student passes the test but his/her grade is full, what happens?

When a grade is full, qualified students are added to a grade-respective waiting list, based on the order their number is drawn via a computerized lottery. For more information on this process, please see the above Waiting List and Lottery section.