Do private school admissions favor kids coming from private?

[Anonymous]

We're applying for middle school from a public school. I'm wondering if we have less of a chance because private school admissions offices talk with each other. I'm just trying to set my expectations. I've heard there are fewer spots this year than normal years, and I'm wondering if we even have a shot if we're competing against private school kids.

[Anonymous]

Yes, they absolutely favor kids coming from private. What schools are you applying to? I think you'll be able to find a spot in private if you apply widely. Your kid will then have a leg up for HS admissions.

[Anonymous]

think it depends on the grade. If you are applying for a grade where graduates of privates are applying and their schools are advocating for them, I think they may have a leg up. For other grades, applicants from privates are leaving because of some issue or dissatisfaction and while they may have good teacher recs, they don’t have the outplacement person contacting the admissions office advocating for them. Middle school seems like a good time to apply because most schools do expand at that point and there aren’t many privates that end at 5th or 6th.

[Anonymous]

Yes, if it's from a selective private. That private has already done the "vetting".

DH used to work for a mid-size software company in Seattle and they said "We let Microsoft do our hiring." They'd hire people who worked at Microsoft, because they knew MS puts them through a really rigorous interview process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: think it depends on the grade. If you are applying for a grade where graduates of privates are applying and their schools are advocating for them, I think they may have a leg up. For other grades, applicants from privates are leaving because of some issue or dissatisfaction and while they may have good teacher recs, they don’t have the outplacement person contacting the admissions office advocating for them. Middle school seems like a good time to apply because most schools do expand at that point and there aren’t many privates that end at 5th or 6th.

PP here to add that I only mean applying from local privates above. If moving to the area from a private school, I think that would still give you a leg up.

[Anonymous]

For 9th grade applications? absolutely.
Earlier? maybe in as much as they know the quality (or lack there of) of the private school applicants and the validity of their recommendations, etc. Public is more of a wild card in that the accepting private school doesn't know the quality of the publics, their teachers, etc

[Anonymous]

Depends on the private school. Some are likely more amenable to taking from public than others. For example, my DC, coming from public, got into Sidwell but not GDS. I’ve read on this board that Sidwell is more willing than GDS to take kids coming from public schools - I have no idea if that’s based in fact, but it was our individual experience as well.

[Anonymous]

Lots of kids come in from public for middle school. Yes the admissions offices talk and the recs are coming from a more known source, but don’t count yourself out. Unless the school ends after elementary, private school families switching out of one school for another have to explain the reason for the switch which is trickier than the more obvious explanations about switching from public. Private schools want families willing to stay for the duration of the school.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Yes, this is what I assumed. The best I can do is hope that the schools at least try to diversify their admitted students a bit. I think my kid is a strong applicant but without a hook all we can do is keep our fingers crossed I suppose. Thanks everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yes, this is what I assumed. The best I can do is hope that the schools at least try to diversify their admitted students a bit. I think my kid is a strong applicant but without a hook all we can do is keep our fingers crossed I suppose. Thanks everyone.

You want a hook? Write about how much you (or especially DH, if applicable) gets involved in school activities at your current school. They like really involved parents, especially the fathers. More involvement in school can mean more likely to make donations.

Most people don't mention this in applications, so if you do and it's defensible, it can be worth it. My DH was one of the organizers of father's event at our school each year.

[Anonymous]

Of course it helps. It tells the school that you have the ability to pay.

[Anonymous]

It's not just about the ability to pay. It's also that private schools respect that families already in private schools are more familiar with private school culture and more likely to accept if offered a spot in the class.

[Anonymous]

One of the primary reasons private schools favor private school applicants is that they frequently have ongoing relationships and long histories with these schools.

They know and trust what the sending schools tells them about the student. And some of this information is formal and some of it is informal.

As a result, the receiving private school has more confidence in the quality of students they are receiving and that there aren't any hidden issues with the candidate or the parents or even a sibling that might be applying in the future.