Transfer to Father Ryan

If you are currently in high school and are looking to transfer to Father Ryan, you can submit your application now.* We will accept applications while we have space available. Review the steps below to access the application and review due dates for all application material.

*If you are applying for a January start date, please know that the deadline to apply is November 16, with all supplemental documentation due by December 4. We will accept applications as long as there is space available.

Steps To Apply

List of 4 items.

  • Step 1: Application

  • Step 2: Recent Grades and Transcripts

    Please submit the Records Release Form to your current school requesting that the items listed below be sent to Father Ryan High School. All supplemental documents are due by December 4, 2020.
    • Copy of quarter or semester grades
    • Copy of previous year report card
    • Standardized testing taken in the current year and/or previous year
    • Transcript
    Click here to download and print a Records Request form.

  • Step 3: Teacher Recommendations

    Please submit the School Recommendation forms to your student’s School Administrator and to his/her English, Math, and Science Teachers via our online student portal. You will have access to your student’s online portal/checklist after you submit the online application. The recommendations will need to be sent to Father Ryan High School by those completing them no later than December 4, 2020.

  • Step 4: Interview

    Personal Interview: You will be contacted by the Office of Admissions to schedule an interview. The interview is a required step in the application process, and it is an opportunity for Father Ryan to get to know you, your interests and anything else you feel is important for the Admissions Office to know.

Moving to Nashville?

Here are some resources that may help with your move.

Why Transfer to Father Ryan?

Transferring schools can be a difficult decision. Whether it’s moving from out-of-town or changing from a local high school, the Admissions Team is ready to make the transition a smooth one. Below are some testimonials from parents of current students who transferred into Father Ryan. 
Francesca Mattus '22

Janina Mattus - Mother of Francesca '22

I knew we had found the right place when Francesca got into the car after her Shadow Day and said, "we have a real problem. I love Father Ryan."

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  • Read More About the Mattus's Transfer Experience

    Francesca wants to study chemistry, write for the yearbook, perform, and compete.  She found the opportunity to do all of these at Father Ryan.
     
    We valued the Catholic education Francesca had in pre-k through kindergarten.  However, when we moved to Nashville from State College, Pennsylvania, Francesca was entering the first grade and there wasn’t an opening at the Catholic grade school for her.  Being Williamson County residents, we enrolled her in public school and decided on private, college preparatory middle school. We talked about looking into Father Ryan for high school during the spring of 8th grade.  We came for the Father Ryan campus tour and attended an Academic Blend, but ultimately decided she would stay put for freshman year.  It was during the first semester of her freshman year that we realized she needed to come see Father Ryan and experience it for herself. After meeting with Mrs. (Erin) Riggs, and having a great Shadow Day experience, Francesca made the move to the Irish for her sophomore year. 
     
    The school is so welcoming for a transfer student, and so supportive of a student’s interests.  Francesca had been a dancer at her prior school, but she wanted something different.  As a former marching band member myself, I suggested she consider auditioning for Color Guard/Winter Guard. She tried out and was welcomed to the Band world at Father Ryan, which eased the transition, as well as introduced her to a really great group of kids. 
     
    Francesca always talked about being part of a Yearbook staff, an option that wasn’t available at her former school.  It became an option at Father Ryan.  The class was amazing, and this year she is the Junior Editor, helping to tell her school’s story.  Imagine coming in as a sophomore, being that new student, and having to interview students you don't know for an article.  It has given her a deeper connection to Father Ryan and to other students.  It has given her confidence, responsibility, and a wider circle of friends.
     
    However, what impressed us most was the way the school helped further her interest in chemistry.  She has wanted to study the subject since 3rd grade, and we really needed someone to foster her love of chemistry and science.  The admissions team understood that interest, and they connected her with Dr. (Neelie) Crooke.  That has made such an impression.  Francesca applied to two summer camps for chemistry - each camp accepted only 20 students – and Dr. Crooke took the time to write her  recommendation letters.  She was accepted to the program at Bucknell University, and while that didn’t take place this summer, they are already holding a spot for her for next year.  
     
    During the pandemic, I even found myself missing the trips onto campus to drop her off for school. This is a place that truly lives its motto – you will be known and you will be loved – and that is true for the parents as well as the students.  We have definitely felt that here.
Juliana Hernandez '21

Jovita Hernandez - Mother of Juliana '21

I’m very grateful for Father Ryan…it is a special place with a deep sense of community, and it is so welcoming of newcomers.

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  • Read More about the Hernandez's Transfer Experience

    We’ve moved…a lot.  Since Juliana has been in school, we’ve changed locations several times.  Her freshman year in South Texas began in McAllen and ended in Houston – two semesters and two schools.  So we know what it’s like to transfer schools, and we know what makes a transfer experience positive.   I can tell you that Father Ryan made it the best experience for our student and our family. 
     
    Father Ryan has been the right place and the right school for many reasons. It is such a well-rounded environment and a welcoming community.  It is bigger than the schools Juliana had been to, and that means room for her to grow as a student and a person.  It means room to choose the activities she wants to be involved in.  For the first couple of weeks, Juliana was saying that she just loved this school.  It was welcoming.  She called it a bigger school that never felt big, and we saw that clearly.  The student-teacher ratio was evidence of a smaller school.  So was the communications. 
     
    I came to quickly learn and appreciate the caliber of communications between the faculty/staff and the parents.  It was so welcoming to me.   Father Ryan has the systems in place for parents  to connect and stay informed.  The student’s grades, teachers, clubs, and school events are readily accessible online. You don’t find that in every school. They also make certain that the students’ accomplishments are celebrated.  During her sophomore year, Juliana’s English teacher took the time to make Juliana’s progress and success known in the school and with our family.  It really meant a lot to me that someone had recognized the hard work she had done and made the senior staff aware. 
     
    Juliana has also been thrilled to have so many opportunities to explore.  She wants to work in either engineering or with childhood speech therapy, and she’s getting the chance to study engineering here.  She became involved with the Respect Life Club and traveled to D.C. for the March for Life each of the last two years.  It meant so much to her to be able to travel with her peers and to stand up for what she believes in.  She became active in Room In the Inn through Father Ryan, and that activity has prompted her work for the Girl Scouts Gold Award.  For her Award project, she is developing a bilingual flyer for the guests at Room In the Inn with information about resources in the area, such as jobs, counseling, and healthcare. 
     
    When we came to Nashville two years ago, we wanted to maximize our quality of life. We wanted to be close to school.  We wanted more of a community life.  And Juliana wanted to stretch her arms, meet new people, and try new activities.  You’ll know the right school for your family when you visit the school.  That’s what we found at Father Ryan. 
Christian Smith '21

Katrina Smith - Mother of Christian '21

We’ve seen him mature and grow as a young man since he came onto the campus. 

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  • Read More about the Smith's Transfer Experience

    Christian had grown up in the public school environment, but we wanted him to have a high school experience that provided him the strongest opportunities to pursue his athletics and his academics.  We also wanted him to have good mentors.  We found all of that at Father Ryan.
     
    Leaving a school system and a school community that he had known his whole life was an adjustment, but the transition went more smoothly than any of us had anticipated.  Christian had already participated in several football camps at Father Ryan and had already met a number of teammates who became his classmates.  His Shadow Day was with someone he already knew, and that enhanced that experience.  We liked the environment and found the school to be more diverse than other private schools in the area.  All of this made the move to Father Ryan so much easier.  

    Christian is a student-athlete, so it was really important that we found a fit on both of those fronts.  On the field and on the track he has found spirited, competitive and challenging environments that are making him a better athlete.  In the classroom, he has a greater workload than he had before, but he has adjusted, and he knows that this academic work is helping prepare him for his college studies.  He has the support of his teachers, who have always been willing to work with him.  He has also had the discipline of wearing a tie and shaving regularly, the little things that are part of a boy’s maturation. 
     
    Christian has also embraced the spirit of service that is such a part of Father Ryan. He’s worked with Hands on Nashville through Father Ryan, and that has opened his eyes to the impact of serving others.  
     
    One thing my husband and I have really appreciated is that Christian has been able to work with positive male figures who help model for him the ways to be a good young man, reinforcing the example that Christian sees at home.  His coaches are preparing him to be a better athlete.  His teachers are educating him to be prepared for the next step.  And all of them are just as focused on his personal and character development. We really value the personal interest they have shown in Christian, and we see its impact on him. 
     
    As a result of all these experiences, we have seen Christian mature and grow as a young man since he came onto the campus.  He is truly coming into his own.  We couldn’t be happier with Father Ryan.


At Father Ryan, there are opportunities for everyone.

Father Ryan High School