Rolling admissions offer families a more flexible alternative to traditional private-school admissions. Instead of reviewing applications after one fixed deadline, schools evaluate applications as they are received and make decisions throughout the admissions cycle. This flexibility can make the process less stressful for families with changing plans or schedules. However, rolling admissions also require careful planning. Available places may decrease as the year progresses, particularly at popular schools or grade levels. Parents should research schools early, prepare required documents, and submit applications as soon as possible. Staying organized and monitoring application requirements can significantly improve the chances of securing a desired spot.
This cluster offers a roadmap for applying to private schools, providing parents and students with insights and guidance to navigate the complexities of research, applications, and final enrollment.
View the most popular articles in The Journey to Enrollment:
Rolling Admissions
Admissions Matters: Following Up, The Competition, & Deadlines
Navigating the complex landscape of private high school admissions requires expertise and insight. This article delves into essential areas that every school should master:
- Inquiry follow-up
- Standing out in a competitive market
- Choosing between rolling admissions and fixed admissions deadlines
Discover effective strategies for personalized inquiry follow-ups that engage prospective families. Learn how to differentiate your school from competitors by identifying your unique selling points. Understand the implications of choosing rolling admissions or a fixed admissions deadline and what it means for your school's operations and appeal. Whether you are an admissions professional or a school leader, this article provides actionable insights to elevate your admissions process.
Inquiry Follow-up
Personalized Email Response
Acknowledge each inquiry with a personalized email response. Address the person by their name and answer any specific questions they might have asked. If they didn't ask any specific questions, briefly introduce the school and what it offers.
Regular Newsletters
Send regular newsletters about the school's activities, achievements, and updates. These could also include student testimonials, information about the faculty, and details about the curriculum. It's an excellent way to keep prospective students and parents engaged.
Phone Follow-Up
If the inquirer has provided a phone number, make a personal call after sending an initial email. Your call gives a personal touch and can help answer any immediate questions the person may have.
Virtual Information Sessions
Virtual information sessions can effectively give a more detailed overview of the school's offerings. Invite the inquirers to these sessions, where they
How Do I Find The Best School?
Editor's note: In the following conversation, the parent is fictitious but her questions and my answers are real.
Parent: I am thinking about sending my teenage daughter to a private school for grades 9-12. How do I find the best school for her?
Rob K: Let me answer your question with another question. I know that I sound like an attorney by doing this, but I need to understand why you are thinking about sending your daughter to private school. Once you have told me your reasons, I will explain how to accomplish your goal.
Parent: My daughter's current school is OK. It's a public school which sends a large percentage of its graduates on to further education. So, that's OK. She's been with some of her classmates since kindergarten. Now I feel that she should be with other students who really want to learn. I also want her to be in smaller classes. She's one of 25 students right now. The other thing which concerns me is that the high school curriculum seems a bit thin, and is mostly focused on SATs and AP examination preparation.
Rob K: Now, you are giving me something to work with. Small class sizes are one of the main reasons most parents decide to send their children to private school. Most schools have 12-15 students per class. Your child will not just be a number in a small class. She will know everybody and everybody will know her. She will
International Students: The New Visa Regulations And You
The documentation required by international or non-United States students has always been . As I have pointed out many times, if you are not an American citizen and are living outside the United States of America, and you wish to attend a boarding school in the U.S., you need to start the process at least 18 months in advance of the date of your first class. See the for a detailed timeline. While the article discusses how to apply to American universities, the process is the same for students applying to American private K-12 schools.
Additional documentation
What is being adhered to more strictly is a policy which dates back to the Obama administration. This policy requires that applicants for U.S. visas furnish their social media usernames. in the New York Times gives an overview of the changes. An update to the was published on September 18, 2017. Specifically, it adds the following clause: "Social media handles and aliases, associated identifiable information, and search results."
This video discusses how the US Border Patrol now requires all immigrants to provide social media logins and passwords, phone records going back 5 years, and other details.
How does this impact your child's student visa application? It means that your child
A Parent鈥檚 Guide to 草榴社区 School Entrance Exams
There are many reasons why a private, independent, or boarding school could be an excellent option for your child.
- 草榴社区 schools typically offer thrilling academic challenges, extensive STEM or arts programs, or other remarkable resources.
- Their student-teacher ratios are low.
- Their faculty usually have advanced academic degrees and strong professional reputations.

About 10 percent of students attend private schools nationwide.
- 草榴社区 school admissions tend to be selective and in many cases competitive.
- To help distinguish applicants who meet admission standards, private schools use standardized testing.
- The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) and Secondary School Admissions Exam (SSAT) are the most commonly used admissions tests for private, independent, and boarding schools.
- The High School Placement Test (HSPT) is often used by Catholic schools for entrance into grade 9.
The ISEE and SSAT are long multiple-choice tests lasting 2-3 hours and potentially covering above-grade-level content.
- For the 4th grader applying to a private middle school, this might be the first time they have undergone two hours of solid testing with only one or two short breaks.
- The best starting point is always to have your student take a full-length diagnostic test.
- It鈥檚 important to know where your child is starting from so that you can help them get to where they need to be.
This video offers an overview of the ISEE private school standardized admissions test.
ISEE & SSAT: Similarities and Differences
Which
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