Defining what matters: How competency-driven admissions help K-12 schools build stronger communities

In the world of K–12 admissions, there’s a quiet revolution underway.

As independent and private schools across the U.S. seek new ways to enroll not just the right students—but the right families—more admissions teams are shifting from traditional checklist evaluations to a values-based approach grounded in what truly matters: competencies.

These aren’t abstract ideals tucked away in a mission statement. Competencies are the traits, behaviours, and values that define your school’s culture and shape the experience for every student and family in your care. And when your admissions process is designed to identify and evaluate those core traits, everything changes—for the better.

Why competencies matter now more than ever

The traditional K–12 admissions process often relied on polished applications, glowing recommendations, and a well-rehearsed interview. But as expectations shift and families seek more meaningful connections with schools, these surface-level signals no longer tell the full story. Today’s families aren’t just applying to schools—they’re looking to join communities where their values are shared and their children can thrive.

Competency-based admissions meet this moment by focusing on what truly matters: the traits and behaviours that reflect your school’s mission and culture. By anchoring decisions in defined competencies, schools can build a clearer picture of both the student and the family behind the application. This approach empowers admissions teams to make more confident, informed choices—not just about who can succeed academically, but about who will flourish socially, emotionally, and communally. It’s an approach that doesn’t just fill classrooms—it strengthens the culture and continuity of the school itself.

Four competencies that signal student success

Grades and test scores can tell you what a student knows. Competencies help you understand how they learn, grow, and engage with the world around them.

Here are four of the student competencies schools are prioritizing—and how thoughtful questions can help surface them in the admissions process→

• Empathy & Collaboration: “Tell us about a time you made someone new feel included. How do you think it made them feel?”

• Creative Thinking: “How many pizzas are eaten every day in the U.S.? There’s no right answer—we’re interested in how you’d figure it out.”

• Courage to Try New Things: “Share a time you tried something new. How did it feel? What did you learn about yourself?”

• Resilience & Adaptability: “What do you think will be your biggest challenge in a new school? How will you work through it?”

These questions aren’t about catching the “right” answer. They’re designed to spark honest reflection and reveal the traits that signal a student will thrive in your environment.

It’s not just the student—it’s the whole family

Independent schools don’t just welcome students—they embrace families. And building a values-aligned community means understanding parent and guardian mindsets just as deeply as student motivations.

By evaluating family fit with intention, schools can better foster meaningful partnerships between home and school. That starts with competencies like→

• Parent-School Collaboration: “What are your expectations for how we’ll work together to support your child’s growth?”

• Balanced Approach to School Life: “Tell us about a time your child struggled with their commitments. How did you support them? Would you do anything differently?”

These types of questions help surface the attitudes, expectations, and engagement styles that shape a family's relationship with your school.

From concept to practice with Kira’s competency workshop

Recognizing the importance of competencies is one thing. Putting them into action across your admissions process is another. That’s where the Kira competency workshop comes in.

As part of every school’s onboarding experience, this workshop is a hands-on, collaborative session designed to help your team clearly define what “fit” looks like for your community. With Kira, you’ll explore the traits and values that reflect your mission and vision—not in broad strokes, but in detailed, practical terms that can be meaningfully assessed. Kira guides your team through defining age‑appropriate competencies and crafting multiple custom questions for each one. For middle school entry, prompts might invite students to reflect on teamwork in a playground setting; for upper school, questions shift to leadership roles in clubs or community projects. Similarly, family‑focused questions can be tailored to the concerns of parents of younger children versus those preparing teens for the rigors of high school.

By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a living competency framework—complete with grade‑level‑specific question banks—that’s ready to power every step of your admissions journey, from invitation to evaluation.

Built-in fairness, at scale

Once your competencies are defined, Kira helps bring them to life across your admissions process. 

At the heart of this system is the Kira question bank—a curated collection of custom questions, each tied to a specific competency. During onboarding, your team works closely with Kira’s experts to develop multiple questions for each trait you want to assess. For example, if you’ve identified “resilience” as a core student competency, Kira will help you write several different prompts that can surface that trait in authentic and age-appropriate ways. When an applicant or family begins their Kira assessment, the platform randomly selects one question from each competency category. This means that no two students or families receive the exact same prompts, yet everyone is evaluated through the same lens. 

Kira’s randomized question bank brings a powerful layer of fairness to the admissions process. Because no two applicants receive the same combination of questions, it’s much harder for families to prep using leaked prompts or to coach responses in advance. Reviewers are able to evaluate genuine, in-the-moment insights into how students and parents think, communicate, and reflect—resulting in a more authentic, equitable process.

On the reviewing side, Kira’s structure promotes fairness at every step. Reviewers use consistent rubrics to assess responses, reducing subjectivity and bias. Collaborative review tools enable multiple perspectives and increase transparency in decision-making. Whether you’re rolling out a brand-new process or refining one that’s already working, Kira offers a scalable, structured way to ensure your admissions decisions are aligned, equitable, and mission-driven.

From aligned admissions to thriving communities

When you build your admissions process around competencies, you’re doing more than admitting students—you’re cultivating a community. You’re giving your team the tools to assess what matters most and inviting families who share your values into a meaningful partnership.

With Kira, you're not just getting an assessment platform. You’re gaining a partner who helps your school define success, and then builds a process to help you find it—every step of the way.