School Finder and Comparison Tool
To help parents navigate the high school admissions process, the website has a school finder as well as a school comparison tool that will allow parents to identify a set of schools that meet your child's and family's needs as well as compare these schools' characteristics (e.g., school type, cost, test scores, graduation rates). To learn more about this service, please click on the School Finder Tab above.
Handouts
Moreover, the website has handouts that help parents prepare for the school tour, child and parent interviews and entrance exams.
Please click on the following links to download the handouts:
- High school tour handout
- Writing a compelling essay for the application
- Reference letter handout
- Admissions decisions handout
- Admissions officers' pet peeves
- The ISEE and SSAT Private High School Entrance Exam Handout
- The TACHS, COOP and HSPT Catholic High School Entrance Exam Handout
- Financial aid and scholarships handout
We also provide more personal services to help parents navigate the high school admissions process, including eduprofile, workshops and individual consulting. The remaining section describes each of these services in greater detail. To learn how to purchase these services, please click on the Our Services tab.
Eduprofile
We have created a survey that will help us determine your child’s educational profile as well as your family’s educational goals and practical concerns. More specifically, the survey asks you about your child’s basic learning capacity, skill development, special interests, learning styles, motivation to learn, social temperament and disabilities. In addition, the questionnaire asks parents questions regarding the importance of various educational characteristics (e.g., what content is emphasized, teaching methods, and school community) as well as any practical considerations that are important, including the school’s type, location, educational approach, schedule, and cost. Once we have reviewed the survey, we will send you information about your child’s educational profile as well as a list of schools that we think will meet your child’s and family’s needs.
Workshops
We offer two 2-hour high school workshops:
- Navigating the New York City high school admissions process
- Preparing children for the entrance exams
The high school admissions process workshop provides parents with tips regarding 1) how to identify the private and public high schools that meet your families’ needs, 2) the logistics of the admissions process, 3) touring schools, 4) preparing your child for interviews, 5) writing a compelling essay, and 6) juggling acceptances and wait-list offers.
The second workshop, preparing students for the high school entrance exams, explains the rationale behind the admissions tests required by many high schools. Parents will also learn how to prepare their children for the exams as well as how to ensure that they are as comfortable as possible on the date of the test.
Individual Consulting Services
We provide individual consulting services to parents who would like help navigating the public and private high school admissions process. More specifically, we can help parents with any one or all of the following steps:
Step 1) Develop your child's and family's educational profile
Step 2) Identify the high schools that meet your child’s and family’s needs
Step 3) Understand the logistics of the admissions process
Step 4) Prepare for the school tours as well as the interviews
Step 5) Complete the applications and write a compelling essay
Step 6) Select the best school for your child and family
To learn more about our workshops, individual consulting services or EduProfile, please click on the Our Services tab.