Being in charge of admissions, I come in contact with a number of parents who are trying to determine what school is best suited for their child. The admissions process can be an overwhelming one for many families for multiple reasons:
1. Choosing a school is an important decision that will impact your child and your family. Elementary, Middle, and High School are foundational in shaping your child’s development in their studies, relationships, and character.
2. Each school has a different admissions process. It can be difficult to keep track of deadlines, admission events, and other requirements unique to each school.
3. As you compare schools, facts, stats, and impressions can start to blur.
Because the amount of information you have to collect is so great, we have created a resource to help you organize it by school and easily compare what each has to offer.
Along with this chart, we have compiled a list of questions to get you started. Here are some important questions to ask segmented into three categories: environment, admission, and general facts.
Environment:
1. What does parent involvement look like at the school?
2. What curriculum does the school use?
3. What after-school activities does the school provide?
4. What is the student to teacher ratio?
5. Does the school provide any professional development for teachers/administrators?
Admission:
1. When is the application available?
2. When is the application deadline?
3. What steps are involved in the admission process?
4. Does the school have any Tuition Assistance? What is the criteria to apply?
5. Does the school have any upcoming Admission events (i.e. Open House, Info Night, Shadow Days, Campus Tour, etc.)?
General Facts:
1. What is the size of the school staff (Admin, Faculty, Auxiliary)?
2. What is the average education level of your teachers?
3. What are the admission age requirements?
4. Is the school accredited?
5. What grades are offered?
In addition, here are some questions you might not think to ask, but can give you a broader understanding of why and how the school operates.
1. What is the school’s mission and vision?
2. What does the school’s culture and community look like?
3. How do families, teachers, and staff communicate?
4. What are plans for future growth?
5. What do your graduates look like (character, achievements, aspirations)?
The more details you know, the better equipped you are to make a decision. We hope these resources are helpful tools that will enable you to stay organized, ask the right questions, and better determine what school is best for your child and family.
When you go on campus for a tour, take some notes. Write down the questions you need to ask and make sure to talk to everyone available, whether they are teachers, parents, students or staff. Each person can provide you with a different perspective allowing you to leave campus with a much better idea of what the school can offer your student and family.