If you are a student with strong ability, work ethic, and motivation, and you wish to participate in a more challenging and enriching program of instruction in high school to prepare for post-secondary education (e.g. university or college), then please consider applying for Palmer’s Incentive Program.
Please note: Only students registered to Palmer Secondary are eligible to be enrolled in the Incentive Program. As Palmer is currently at its maximum student capacity, enrolment is limited to students that live within the address catchment and transfer applications may not be approved.
Grade 8 Class Applications – Before applying, please read and prepare the following:
1. Ensure that you have kindly asked your Grade 7 teacher to be your reference. They may download the Grade 7 Teacher Reference Form here: Printable Copy or Electronic Copy. This form must be emailed by your teacher or brought with the student to the entrance exam on January 28, 2026.
2. A written response that describes: 1. Why you wish to apply to the Incentive Program and what you wish to gain from it; and 2. Why you feel you are a good candidate and what you feel you can bring to the Program and your potential classmates. Please take some time to draft a response before filling out the application form. Students may NOT use any AI assisted writing tools (such as ChatGPT) to write their response. This response will need to be typed/entered at the end of the online application form.
3. Printed copies of your final Grade 6 and most recent Grade 7 report cards. These will be part of your application package to bring with you to the entrance exam on January 28, 2026.
Applications for the Sept 2026 Grade 8 Incentive class are closed. Thank you for your interest.
A confirmation email will follow after applications close with further instructions and details regarding the entrance exam. If you do not receive an email by Jan 25, 2026, please contact Mr. Liang for clarification.
Application Timeline for the September 2026 Grade 8 class
1. Monday January 5, 2026 – Applications Open at 8:00am
Along with the application form, applicants should also kindly ask their Grade 7 teacher to complete a reference form, available for download when the applications open.
2. Friday January 23, 2026 – Applications Close at 3:00pm and a confirmation email will be sent in the days following the end of the application timeframe.
3. Wednesday January 28, 2026 – Math and English Entrance Exams
The Math exam is a 100-question multiple choice, non-calculator test on the Grade 6 & 7 math curriculum. The English exam is a 1-paragraph (maximum 300 words) written piece on a topic given the day of the exam.
There are two exam times, 8:30-11:30am and 12:00-3:00pm. Exams will be scheduled after the applications close and students informed of their exam session on January 24.
Please kindly check with your teacher that you may be excused from class during your exam time.
4. February 9-27, 2026 – Richmond School District Transfer Applications Round 1
Only students registered to Palmer Secondary are eligible for the Incentive Program. Transfer application information is available on the Richmond School District website.
5. Thursday February 5, 2026 – Palmer Grade 7 Info Night
Incentive Program Information Meeting 7:45pm
6. Friday February 13, 2026 – Interviews for selected students
Students will be contacted the week prior and assigned interview times. Each interview will last approximately 30 minutes. Please bring a portfolio of school or extracurricular samples of skills, abilities, effort, and/or achievement.
7. Friday February 27, 2026 – Notification of decision
8. Friday March 6, 2026 – Deadline for accepted students to submit Program Acknowledgement Form and Deposit.
Applications for the Sept 2026 Grade 9-11 classes will be available from May 4-15, 2026.
Please be aware that, due to the accelerated Math and Science curriculum, students applying for the Grade 9 class must self-study and take a Math 9 and Science 9 proficiency exam in May as part of the application process. Please see Mr. Liang for more details.
RC Palmer Incentive Program 