Are you considering switching your child from public school to an independent school? Perhaps you are contemplating a change from one private school to another as your child transitions from middle school to high school. In either case, it’s never too early to start exploring resources and learning about potential new schools. In fact, late spring and early summer hold many opportunities that may not be found as easily next September.
In many ways, independent/private school admissions mirrors college admissions… — timelines are similar, both applications generally require personal statements, transcripts, testing and teacher recommendations, and on-campus interviews play an important role in helping both the school and the family decide if they are a good fit. The independent school admission process, like that of selective colleges, involves a level of competition that should not be ignored. With enough time and good planning, however, your family’s experience can be relatively stress-free and even enjoyable! Whatever the outcome, you will learn an enormous amount about your child through the process.
Whether you are considering kindergarten or high school for your child, now is a great time to learn about different schools that suit your child’s personality and needs. If you are new to the independent school scene, you should explore www.nais.org, a helpful website that is sponsored by the National Association of Independent Schools. The site provides all visitors with access to a database of over 1100 schools throughout the country. Alternatively, the Association of Boarding Schools hosts a website at www.schools.com that focuses exclusively on boarding schools. In addition, Peterson’s Guide to Private Secondary Schools is a useful book that can be found in libraries and bookstores.
Late spring and early summer are great times to visit schools and collect brochures. Unlike autumn tours, when both students and teachers are new to their settings, a springtime tour can yield important information on the true character and functioning of a school. By late spring, routines have been established and teachers and students are fully engaged in the process of teaching and learning. This is also the time of year when school activities such as theater and music productions are plentiful. It can be fun and informative to attend a performance or game to check out the talent and resources of a school. If you are unable to visit a particular school, you should call for admissions material and explore the school’s website. If you decide to add yourself to the school’s mailing list, you will receive important information on scheduled Open Houses and other events open to the public.
Starting in the spring will also allow you to conveniently solicit advice from your child’s current teachers. These teachers, having taught your child for almost a full school year, will be able to accurately assess your child’s current strengths and weaknesses and offer ideas on the types of environments that seem most conducive to the future success of your child. Furthermore, talking openly with your child’s teacher now can make a big difference when it comes time to ask for teacher recommendations.
Getting an early start is beneficial in many ways. Although application deadlines may be a full 9 months away, it’s never too early to start school lists. You can also plan summer activities that will enhance your child’s academic and extracurricular experiences. Most importantly though, starting now opens up the dialogue with your child and begins a planning process that can take shape over the summer months.
June 26th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Excellent advice! When we were out “school shopping” we had our son go to our top choice school for one day in the spring. He was assigned another child to “shadow” in his current grade level. This gave him an opportunity to see what the school was like from HIS perspective. I was amazed at the difference in my child. He came home telling me, “OUR teacher said….” and “my friend showed me….” This was coming from a child who had attended the same school for 4 years and had never once said the words “my friend”. He even went so far as to ask if he could transfer the next day. I sadly had to tell him that he would have to wait for September.
I suddenly had confidence in my choice and he had much less anxiety about starting to a new school in September.
Note: Another great thing we did was to have him attend that school’s summer camp prior to September, so he could start establishing friendships and familiarity with the school grounds.