School Guide · Sunnyvale
Helios School: the whole report, not a cutoff score
Helios asks applicants for cognitive testing but sets no minimum full-scale IQ. Admissions reads the entire written report — strengths, learning patterns, and all — alongside teacher recommendations, a parent interview, and a student workshop.
School information guide · Confirm current policy with Helios admissions
How Helios uses testing
Helios is an independent K–8 school for gifted learners in Sunnyvale — about 180 students, average class size of 20, mixed-grade classrooms, and the motto 'Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Kind.'
The school is built around deep, inquiry-driven learning: semester-long project themes, Singapore Math and Art of Problem Solving, an iLab makerspace, and social-emotional learning woven through the curriculum. Mixed-grade classrooms let students experience both challenge and comfort.
For admissions, Helios asks for an individually administered cognitive test — the WPPSI-IV for children under 6, the WISC-V for ages 6 and up — from a licensed psychologist. Crucially, there is no minimum full-scale IQ: the entire report is reviewed with attention to cognitive strengths and learning patterns, which makes the quality of the write-up matter as much as the numbers.
- Instrument
- WPPSI-IV under age 6; WISC-V for ages 6 and up
- Score policy
- No minimum full-scale IQ — the complete report is reviewed
- Deadline
- Results due by early February (e.g., February 2, 2026)
- Examiner
- A licensed psychologist
Timeline: working backward from February
The early-February deadline shapes the entire fall for applying families.
Plan testing early
Families generally arrange testing in fall or winter — leaving room for a reschedule if a child is sick, and time to read the results before submitting.
The assessment itself
A WPPSI-IV or WISC-V session with a licensed psychologist, typically experienced by children as puzzles and games with a friendly adult.
Submit the complete report
The full psychological report goes to Helios admissions by the early-February deadline — not a score summary.
Helios's own guidance on preparation
Helios cautions against test prep beyond telling your child the visit will involve puzzles and games. Coaching on test items can invalidate results — and it works against the school's whole approach, which is reading an authentic cognitive profile rather than screening against a cutoff.
What admissions reads in the report
Because there is no minimum score, understanding what Helios actually looks at helps parents relax about the number and focus on the picture.
Complete IQ profile
Full-scale IQ and the individual index scores — read as a pattern, with no minimum required.
Cognitive strengths
Areas of exceptional ability and learning potential that suggest fit for gifted programming.
Learning patterns
How the child processes information and approaches problems, as described in the narrative sections.
The rest of the file
Teacher recommendations, a parent interview, and a student workshop round out the holistic review — all run by Helios itself.
Context: the qualities Helios values
- Strong social-emotional intelligence and self-awareness
- A collaborative, community-oriented mindset
- Diverse cognitive strengths across multiple domains
- Empathy and perspective-taking
- A growth mindset and resilience in learning
- Authentic curiosity about the world and others
The mixed-age classrooms, outdoor education, and student workshops all give Helios windows into collaboration and leadership that no report can show. For parents, the practical answers to the two most common questions: no, there is no minimum IQ score; and yes, reports are typically due in early February, so fall or winter testing leaves the healthiest margin.