Apply for Summer Stretch

  • The lottery for Summer Stretch 2026 opens February 15th, 2026 at 4pm and closes February 28th at 4pm.
  • Students must be in 7th-10th grade at the time of registration.
  • Applications are considered only after the online application is completed and the required documentation is submitted.
  • Classes that are under-enrolled by Friday, April 17, 2026, may be canceled.
  • Stretch Math courses have an additional admission requirement. See below for details.

Registration Tips:

  • Classes fill quickly! Students may select up to two classes during registration, but are accepted into only one. Only one application permitted per student.
  • For any uploaded documents, be aware that file size must be under 2 MB or it will not upload.

Lottery Admission Process

To increase access and equity, we are moving from a first-come, first-served model to a lottery system.

How the lottery works

  • Apply anytime during the first two weeks to enter the lottery.
  • Select a first-choice and a second-choice course on your application.
  • After the lottery closes, students are placed into courses.
  • When courses fill, students are placed on the waitlist.
  • Families receive placement results by the Thursday after the lottery closes.
  • Open spots after the lottery are filled from the waitlist on a first-come, first-served basis.

Summer Stretch Lottery Dates

  • Registration opens February 15 at 4:00 PM
  • Lottery period closes February 28 at 4:00 PM
  • Placements completed on March 5

Qualifiers

Pathways to Qualify for a Stretch Course (only ONE is required):

  • Enrollment in an identified highly capable program that specifically serves highly capable students. 
  • Participation in the Rainier Scholars program.
  • Smarter Balanced (SBA) scores from current or previous school year in the 90th percentile or above in at least one subject area: 
    • 5th Grade test: ELA 2649, OR Math 2638
    • 6th Grade test:  ELA 2660, OR Math 2666
    • 7th Grade test:  ELA 2692, OR Math 2694
    • 8th Grade test:  ELA 2707, OR Math 2719
    • 10th Grade test: ELA 2754, OR Math 2740
  • Other standardized test (ITBS, SSAT, SCAT, CoGAT, ERB/ISEE) scores from the current or previous school year in the 90th percentile or above in at least one subject area. 
  • PSAT, SAT or ACT scores from the current or previous school year in the 85th percentile or better in at least one subject area.
  • MAP scores from the current or previous school years in the 99th percentile in any one subject.
  • Recommendation from a teacher who can speak to the student’s ability to be successful in the program.
  • Recommendation from a teacher who can speak to the student’s ability to be successful in the program and in the relevant academic subject area.
    • Provide the teacher's institutional email address that is associated with their school or institution.
    • A recommendation request will be sent automatically to the teacher after the application is submitted.
    • Teacher recommendations may not be submitted by family members.
    • All recommendations must be completed by March 4.
  • Previous enrollment in our Summer Challenge or Summer Stretch program.

Acceptable documentation is a letter of placement or a report card in a gifted program or school. Documentation must be uploaded to your account. It can be in the form of a photo, PDF, or jpeg. The file size must be under 2 MB; otherwise, it will not upload. 

Math Prerequisites

In addition to the qualification requirements above, students enrolling in Geometry, Algebra 2, and Precalculus must show one of the following:

  • Successful completion of the required prerequisite course.
  • Current enrollment in the required prerequisite course with scores that project successful completion.

Prerequisites follow this course sequence: Algebra 1 → Geometry → Algebra 2 → Precalculus

Note: Algebra 1 has no prerequisite course.

How to Make an Account

How to Apply

Appeals

If a student was not accepted into the program and would like to appeal that decision, parents have a week to submit an appeal. If you wish to appeal, please log into your account, where there is a link to an appeal form. Once the appeal has been completed and submitted, and the required documents uploaded to your account, the admissions team will reconsider your application and, if necessary, forward the appeal to the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, which has the final word on all appeals.