<p>Has anybody ever asked their counseling office for the school profile? Is it helpful? Does it exist at every school and is it always called a profile?</p>
<p>It’s always called Profile. My D’s school posts its school profile on the school website. If your child’s school does not provide the document via their website, I would contact your student’s assigned college counselor and request a hard copy for your records.</p>
<p>I’ve asked. Ours is pretty basic. Gives the list of AP classes offered, the grading scale, some info about the school like size and diversity figures, and the percentage moving in to college. Nothing exciting. I was a little disappointed since it wasn’t online and I had to request it- hoped it had great information. Not so much. But, everyone should get a copy as well as your child’s transcript when this year ends. Also the common app asks for class size. If you don’t know, get that figure too- it can’t vary much from now to September. Sometimes you find August visits to do, and in some cases you can meet with an admissions person. That is worthwhile, and having these gives them more to work with when advising your child.</p>
<p>You should always ask for a copy of the HSs Profile to assure that it reflects the current curriculum and other information about the school. It’s sent with transcripts and is used by colleges to compare the applicant’s grades and course rigor with what the HS offers. Often Profiles are incorrect or out of date. They may list courses that are no longer offered or vice versa.</p>
<p>Many high schools have their school profile on line on their websites. It is usually updated from year to year with information on the most recent graduating class.</p>
<p>I asked. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I was surprised by how “pretty” it was. It’s a tri-fold, full-color brochure that looks more like an advertisement. It includes:</p>
<p>-General info on the district, the school, and enrollment numbers
-Percentage of students who go on to post-secondary instruction
-Average SAT and ACT scores
-Number of National Merit Scholarship winners from the previous year
-Amount of scholarship money awarded to students last year
-Graduation requirements
-Grading Scale
-List of Pre-AP and AP classes offered
-List of colleges & universities where last year’s seniors attend</p>
<p>I don’t know that it was actually “helpful”, but it was interesting to look at.</p>
<p>No, not all schools have them. From my 10 yr cc addiction, I’d say very, very few schools do not. Unfortunately, mine is one of them 
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<p>Fought the battle with S1; gave up after my head got smashed against a brick wall enough times. I made my own school district from info readily available on county and DOE websites. Too bad this was too much effort for the school…</p>
<p>If you’re interested in seeing what kind of things are on a profile, here’s an example.</p>
<p><a href=“http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/schools/whitmanhs/about/WWHS%202011-12%20Profile.pdf[/url]”>http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/schools/whitmanhs/about/WWHS%202011-12%20Profile.pdf</a></p>
<p>Note: this is not S’s school, or the school I work at. I just googled a school that I’d heard of.</p>
<p>Thanks- I really appreciate all the feedback. Is there anything I’m supposed to be looking for on the school profile? A particular way it should be read?</p>
<p>The school profile is intended for colleges and certification organizations to use, to get an understanding of what your high school is like (i.e., student demographics, academic rigor, etc).</p>
<p>Some (many?) schools would be happy to let a parent volunteer overhaul or create an effective school profile. It’s a win-win for everyone: a good profile can help with admissions results overall, serves as a good introduction to the school for prospective parents, and is a handy reference for the principal or school board to tout any of the school’s strengths. If you’re the parent doing the revamp, you can make sure to include or stress anything that would make your kid’s record shine in context. For example, if the school’s ranking is done using unweighted GPA and your kid is far down the rankings but with a solid slate of APs and honors classes, you can make sure that the grading/ranking section mentions the ranking scheme, and that the AP/honors courses section mentions the (small) number of enrolled students. :)</p>