My son is applying to two high schools, both happen to be boarding schools outside of Philadelphia. His SSATS were lower than expected (strong math only), but he’s a true 4.0 student that plays sports, candidate for NJHS, EC, mission trips with church, etc. He’s overcome a significant LD diagnosed in 4th grade and still has an IEP in place now, but tutoring has trained him how to work thru the dyslexic tendencies when encountered.
Both BS schools coaches met with him on our visits (even though we didn’t request but were thrilled to see). We aren’t sure how much the SSAT’s will play into overall decision vs. the rest of his application. We have many rec’s from teachers outside of the requirement and he’s real excited about the possibility of leaving public school and being around students that are more serious about academics.
They’re going to be far more interested in his proven track record - grades, rec’s, etc.
The SSAT tests something… but don’t overthink the number. Especially since admissions knows he’s from a public school - I’m assuming one where few wander onto the prep school route.
That is correct. Current high school has 2,800 students, easy to get lost. My daughter is a sophomore and refused to look at private school while in the 8th grade. Then fast forward to a text I got last week “Dad, I saw my first drug deal in Chemistry class”. Cash for pills.
I know it happens everywhere, but the fact I’m getting from her a text during class tells me a whole other story.
In general getting in as a day student is harder vs boarder. Reason is that most schools like to have geographic diversity. Not all schools are like this (Pennington and Hun) come to mind.
Would you be willing to name the school you’re considering?
My sympathies.
Back when my kid was in public school, one of my kid’s classmates was removed from 7th grade Field Day for MIP and being under the influence. Vaping in class was common. Shudder to think what goes on at the high school.
My kid raised the idea of going to private school after comparing notes at sleep away camp - and realizing how far behind she was compared to her peers even though she was a top student at home.
Just an FYI: there can be drugs and drinking going on at boarding schools as well.
sure, Hill and Perkiomen
Have you looked at Pennington? It might be a good fit. I might also take a look at George. I am not sure about Lawrenceville and Peddie, but if you are looking at Hill probably worth a look. Success at the last two have more to do with organizational and time management skills, and itt will really depend on the specific situation/DL challenges.
I second the recommendation for Pennington. They have a learning center that focuses on kids with disabilities. The learning center uses a variety of behavioral techniques to improve kid’s dependencies on their IEP. Hun has a similar program, but not as extensive and interwoven with the general curriculum unlike Pennington.
Day student admissions can be tougher but definitely not impossible. As with boarding applications it can be a bit of a luck thing in terms of having whatever intangible quality that appeals to the admissions committee that particular cycle. Casting a wider net will really improve the odds of ending up with at least a few yeses. Having lower SSAT scores isn’t ideal but it’s probably the best weak point to have. Grades, recommendations, essays, interviews, and ECs all tend to be more impactful. One nice thing about being local is you aren’t limited to one or two brief visits. Don’t be afraid to ask about attending some sporting events or upcoming plays/music performances. It will help demonstrate interest but also can give you & your son more info on school culture.
I definitely second the recommendation to look at George School. Solebury is another to check out; I’ve heard great things about their ability to provide learning services at a variety of levels. I don’t think of them as a big competitor athletics-wise so it will depend on how important that aspect is to your son, but very much worth looking at.
From Lawrenceville’s newspaper (note: this is from 2018, so it’s definitely outdated now in terms of absolute values, but the relative values are probably fine).
Does Lawrenceville require students to board at least one year? I know some require it so there are actually more “local” students than “day” students if that makes sense.
Thanks for sharing. My son was Lville grad (class of 18) and I had never seen this. Dispels a lot of notions that I previously heard. For example during orientation we heard that the acceptance rate was lower for day students vs boarders.
Would you mind sharing the date this was published on the Lawrentian?
No, Lawrenceville does not have a boarding requirement. There are many students who are day students for entire 4 years. In fact about 25% of the entire class are day students.
I’d estimate it’s closer to ~30%, at least within my grade (my House is 12 day students out of 42).
Anyways, this was from the April 20, 2018 issue of The Lawrence. Here’s the full screenshot of the article:
I was also shocked about the day student vs. boarder acceptance rate. I’m planning to try to get the newspaper to run a similar story this Spring after we get back from break; I’ll post said article (with stats) once it’s (hopefully) out.
We were told by someone in a position to know that day school admission percentage was approximately twice as high as boarding. Approximately 20% day/10% boarding. If you think about it, the pool of students within daily driving distance is tiny compared to the much larger national/international pool. Beds are quite limited.
Normally I’d think that to be true, but Lawrenceville is located in an incredibly densely populated area filled with competitive school districts (West Windsor and Princeton are right next door), so it could go either way.
I think how challenging admissions is for day students likely varies dramatically from school to school. Location (other boarding schools nearby competing for the same students, area population density, quality of local public schools and day schools), the proportion of day students the school is willing to have, and day students’ role in school culture probably all have a big role. There are schools where the % of slots that will go to day students who aren’t fac-brats, legacies, or recruitable athletes is in the low single digits and schools where it’s half of the student body. Schools near major urban areas are drawing from different day-student applicant pools than more remote ones. And so on.
Anyways, the question about a boarding requirement brings up a good point about Hill school - they do require all students to board for at least a year (usually senior/6th form). Some students and parents really like this as a sort of transition year before college, and by that point most day students are so well integrated and comfortable in the school that it doesn’t feel like a huge leap the way going off as a new student boarder freshman year. But it’s definitely something to be aware of. Hill also has a more conservative, traditional culture than average.
If I remember right, Hill no longer has Saturday morning classes but I believe Peddie and Lawrenceville do. That’s common at boarding schools so definitely something to check about anywhere he’s considering, especially if the commute will be long.
To answer your question, it depends on the school. There are schools where it is much much easier to get in as a day student because they are in remote areas with a limited pool and accepting local kids is one of the easier ways to foster good community relationships.
For others, where there is a strong local applicant pool and appetite for private school and a fixed number of seats for day students, it could be harder. Ten years ago, the folks in admissions at Lawrenceville would tell you that you could improve your odds by applying as a boarder. (We heard what @sgopal2 did.) I’m not entirely surprised that this has changed as local demographics have started to shift as well, both changing the size of the pool as well as some of the factors that made LPS less attractive.
Someone looking at Hill and Perkiomen as day options probably cannot consider most of those others suggested here as day options. Boarding, of course! Westtown might be a local option depending on where you are coming from.
At this point, you’ve thrown your hat in the ring for those two. I don’t know how different admissions are for day and boarding at them. At any school, they aren’t going to take unqualified kids from either pool to fill the class.
If he doesn’t get in as a day student, you can always inquire as to whether switching to boarding would give him a place. At most schools, though, the cost differential between the two can be significant.
If Hill and Perkiomen are your local boarding schools, we are neighbors 
I have 2 kids who graduated from Perkiomen after attending as day students. They absolutely blossomed there and are now both attending college on named scholarships.
Perkiomen isn’t talked about a lot on this forum which is a shame. They hired a new head of school back when my oldest was in middle school, and his influence has breathed new life into that campus. Since he arrived, the institutes were created, the sports programs have been strengthened, and the areas they pull students from has greatly expanded. I’m a huge fan!
Thank you. My son really enjoyed both schools, and for completely different reasons.
We’ll see what happens on 3/10/22, but we hope he has choices.