I agree with all the suggestions above. But if at all possible, once the list is shortened near the end of junior year, I would strongly suggest, if possible, a trip. If you’re on the East Coast then you’re in good shape. We live right outside DC and during spring break we were able to go all the way to Maine and back and 4 days, seeing 8 or 9 schools. It is still one of my fondest memories. But it was also helpful because there were just some towns that as soon as my child drove into them, she said, “oh no”. There was one where she said immediately, “this town looks sketchy” (teen speak for weird or whatever). Her dad, who had been the silent driver most of the trip said, “I don’t know what sketchy means, but I don’t like the feel of this town either”. It was quickly bolstered by our stop in a Subway Sandwich Shop for a quick bite. We have been all over the country, but the hostile stares we got were very disconcerting. While we did go visit the school, which she actually liked, I felt she would be trapped on campus with no where to go even to get toiletries or a quick bite off campus. So it became a No.
I tell this story often because like some have said, schools are more than names and what is listed about them in books and lists. It has to “fit” your kid. Its like moving into a terrible neighborhood cause you happen to like a particular house. Some will be trailblazers and do that, most won’t.