Approaching the High School Application Marathon

For students applying to private high schools, the fall semester of 8th grade can be stressful. Between school tours, open houses, and application essays, a teen can feel overwhelmed, nevermind if you add on top of the application process the typical 8th grade academic load and extracurriculars. Students who spread the process out with advanced planning can stay calm and focused, rather than overworked and stressed.

High School Private School Application Process

Bay Area private schools usually kick off the process in the fall with tours and open houses, often in the evening or weekend. Some schools also allow a shadow day for the student to visit the school to see firsthand a day-in-the-life. 

The application includes some combination of parent essays, student essays, schoolwork samples, standardized testing, student interviews, student-created videos, and activity sessions. Some schools ask for graded work, and one school asks for an independent project. In terms of testing, Catholic high schools require the High School Placement Test (HSPT), several high schools (including Lowell High School, an SFUSD magnet type school) require the STAR or ISEE, and many either use an essay assessment service or take a writing sample onsite. Essays range from short answer questions to 200 - 400 word deeper questions. For example, my son applied to a curated list of four private high schools; he completed 32 essays, one video, three interviews, one activity session, eight tours, and six open houses. He avoided schools with testing, but this is not always possible. Nonetheless, our Thanksgiving and Winter vacations were tied up with his application work. 

Due dates range from November to January, with the Catholic schools and Nueva priority deadlines earlier, and most independent schools due in early January. 

Focusing the School Search 

Step one of an efficient school search is to narrow the list of schools. The more that one applies to, the more work that is involved, and the more pressure on the student. I view myself as a matchmaker between families and schools, and create a spreadsheet to help them track the schools; one must balance the list in terms of competitiveness of admissions, unless public school is an option. Starting to research now will help save time in the fall. Factors to consider:

• Cost and Financial Aid. First and foremost, families must consider what tuition they can afford. Some schools have need-based financial aid, and for these schools, how the limited budget is allocated varies dramatically. Merit-based high school scholarships are rare. As a result, some families choose Catholic schools, which are typically half the tuition of independent schools. Other families might choose public or charter schools.

• Location and Transportation. Consider the geographic range that works for your family. Do the parents commute in a particular direction each day, allowing for a drop off? Does the school offer transportation convenient to your home? Is the school located near public transportation, and are you and your child comfortable with this mode of transportation without a parent? 

• Project-Based/Inquiry-Based vs Traditional. Consider what style of learning your student prefers, as well as any strong parental preference. A project-based, inquiry-based, or constructivist school will have many projects, exploration, hands-on learning, and few tests, whereas a traditional program will have more structure, testing, directed writing, and teacher-led explanations. For students who enjoy creativity, the progressive, hands-on methodologies are an enjoyable way to learn. For students who need more direction, either a progressive curriculum with more structure, traditional, or a balanced program might be a fit. International Baccalaureate (IB) programs are programs that offer both traditional teaching and flexibility to choose your pathway in 11th and 12th grade.

• Academic Course Menu. Depending on your student, they might seek a school with a large variety of options, a particular advanced math class, foreign language, a music or art pathway, or a humanities program. Each of my children has had particular classes in mind that they’d like the time to study. If your student has a particular leaning, this is important to check for. 

• Disability or Learning Specialist. If your child needs academic support for a diagnosis, this is typically in the Learning Specialist or Disability Officer’s purview. 

• Academic Challenge or Support. Your child’s academic proclivity might include the need for more challenging classes with the opportunity to accelerate in their subject(s) of strength. Your child might also have areas where they prefer less rigor to allow a balanced day with time for extracurriculars. Both your child’s academic strengths and preferences come to play.

• Athletics. If your child plays a sport, or would like to, check that the school offers their sport(s). Also consider whether your child intends to play their sport in college. If so, and it’s a team sport, they should check with their coach on the match of the high school teams to the level they’d like to recruit for. In other words, teams like soccer are dependent on the whole team to assess an athlete’s strength, so if your child aims for Division 1 vs Division 3, the team’s overall level at the school can be important for college recruiting, whereas for sports like swimming, their times alone can speak for their skills. On the other hand, if your child prefers to play for fun and has no intention of continuing at the collegiate level, look for a school with a no-drop policy or a dual track with a team that does not require try-outs.

• Extracurriculars. Once your child is in high school, involvement in extracurriculars is an important part of their day. Colleges expect students to participate either in school activities, activities outside of school, independent projects, or a mix of the above. If your student already has a passion, check if the school has this program, and if they don’t yet know their passion, look for a variety of clubs and teams. 

Summer Is Coming . . . . What Can I do?

Summer is a good time to organize the school search while enjoying an activity that your student will include in their application. Some typical summer activities will include:

• Choose programs that focus on the student’s passions, or that allow the student to explore a new passion. For example, athletes might enter a sports program to fine tune their skills or try out a new sport, musicians might enroll in a summer ensemble, artists might take a pottery class, and aspiring engineers might learn about robotics. 

• Discuss as a family what is most important in a high school, and then compile a target high school list that matches best to the student and family.

• Complete a practice test for any standardized testing that the student might take, and begin to study areas that need improvement.

• Essays are typically released in early August, though working ahead only helps if the student is sure of the school choice.

Role of a K-12 Consultant 

A consultant can help you navigate through the school selection and application process to develop the school list, edit your application essays, and select the best fit for your child. While I keep a list of schools with openings, I also consider the student and family needs when I craft a school list. A consultant can also review all admissions materials, in particular student and parent essays, to help focus them to each school’s admissions goals. How to share a neurodiverse child’s needs can be critical in gaining admissions. For those children who have challenges writing up their ideas, I can directly work with your child to brainstorm, draft, and edit their own essays. I provide feedback on whether the essays read as genuine and how to shine during the application process. 

Want more input on K-12 schools?

Vicky consults with families to help select, apply to, and communicate with public and private schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. Vicky maintains a principle of non-judgment. Hourly, VIP, and Season packages include a discussion to review school options, applications, essays, and key decisions. Vicky offers a limited number of packages each year to assure her availability. 

Vicky’s own children have attended both public and private schools, and have received both accommodations and curriculum changes; her elder is in high school, and her younger in middle school. New clients can email to learn more about her services, or see her website to learn about her packages.