Most Prestigious Private HS In US Suffers Elite College Matriculation Decline, Parents/Admins Reeling

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Phillips Academy Andover, the most elite prep school in America only got 4 kids into Harvard in 2025. In the class of 2023 12 kids got into Harvard. Similar trends are at other top schools with only 6 getting into Yale in 2025 and 12 getting in 2023. Only 4 matriculated to Penn in 2025 compared to 7 in 2023. Only 13 got into UChicago, compared to 21 getting into UChicago in 2023. The trend holds across most elite schools such as Northwestern, Duke, etc.

There seems to be serious anti-elite trends in college admissions. They clearly see these kids as "privileged" and are holding it against them. In this new era, you might just be better off sending your kid to public school.

https://d2e3a5v56wj8r4.cloudfront.net/files/CCO_Profile_2024-2025.pdf

https://d2e3a5v56wj8r4.cloudfront.net/files/SchoolProfile2023-2024.pdf

First, the matriculation list in the 2024-25 profile is for the Class of 2024: decisions for the Class of 2025 aren't due until 11.59pm on the first of May.
Second, you've done what I always tell my undergraduate students not to do: you've cherry picked your data. For example, the Class of 2023 sent 8 students to Columbia and 6 to Cornell, respectively; the Class of 2024 sent 10 and 14. Additionally, 2 students from the Class of 2023 went to Cal, while 5 from the Class of 2024 chose Berkeley; 5 from the Class of 2024 went to UCLA, up from 2 in the Class of 2023. The Class of 2024 also sent 2 students to Harvey Mudd; 4 (up from 2) to Duke; and 8 (up from 7) to Northwestern. You would argue that these increases correlate to fewer Harvard acceptances. But I can think of a possible, arguably more compelling reason: According to USNWR, all of these schools have higher ranked engineering programs than Harvard which is not particularly known for its engineering curriculum: anyone with a die hard interest in attending the most competitive engineering programs in the U.S. would choose any of these institutions, especially Cal, over Harvard. Additionally, 2 students from the Class of 2024 (but none from the Class of 2023) matriculated at Oxford, a university that is arguably more elite than any in the U.S. and that indisputably is more transparent about its admissions practices which are primarily based upon intellectual heft (not a lot of Jared Kushners here).
Third, you assert that the difference between matriculation numbers reflects a "serious anti-elite trends in college admissions." But the difference mostly reflects the fact that the Class of 2023 graduated 12 more students than did the Class of 2024. According to my figures, 45.2% of the Class of 2023 and 43.5% of the Class of 2024 collectively matriculated at Amherst, Barnard, Bowdoin,
Brown, Cal Tech, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Harvey Mudd, Johns Hopkins,
MIT, Middlebury, Northwestern, Olin, Pomona, Princeton, Rice, Stanford, Swarthmore, Univ. of California, UCLA, Univ. of Chicago,
Univ. of Oxford (UK), Univ. of Pennsylvania, Wellesley, Wesleyan, Williams and Yale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Phillips Academy Andover, the most elite prep school in America only got 4 kids into Harvard in 2025. In the class of 2023 12 kids got into Harvard. Similar trends are at other top schools with only 6 getting into Yale in 2025 and 12 getting in 2023. Only 4 matriculated to Penn in 2025 compared to 7 in 2023. Only 13 got into UChicago, compared to 21 getting into UChicago in 2023. The trend holds across most elite schools such as Northwestern, Duke, etc.

There seems to be serious anti-elite trends in college admissions. They clearly see these kids as "privileged" and are holding it against them. In this new era, you might just be better off sending your kid to public school.

https://d2e3a5v56wj8r4.cloudfront.net/files/CCO_Profile_2024-2025.pdf

https://d2e3a5v56wj8r4.cloudfront.net/files/SchoolProfile2023-2024.pdf

First, the matriculation list in the 2024-25 profile is for the Class of 2024: decisions for the Class of 2025 aren't due until 11.59pm on the first of May.
Second, you've done what I always tell my undergraduate students not to do: you've cherry picked your data. For example, the Class of 2023 sent 8 students to Columbia and 6 to Cornell, respectively; the Class of 2024 sent 10 and 14. Additionally, 2 students from the Class of 2023 went to Cal, while 5 from the Class of 2024 chose Berkeley; 5 from the Class of 2024 went to UCLA, up from 2 in the Class of 2023. The Class of 2024 also sent 2 students to Harvey Mudd; 4 (up from 2) to Duke; and 8 (up from 7) to Northwestern. You would argue that these increases correlate to fewer Harvard acceptances. But I can think of a possible, arguably more compelling reason: According to USNWR, all of these schools have higher ranked engineering programs than Harvard which is not particularly known for its engineering curriculum: anyone with a die hard interest in attending the most competitive engineering programs in the U.S. would choose any of these institutions, especially Cal, over Harvard. Additionally, 2 students from the Class of 2024 (but none from the Class of 2023) matriculated at Oxford, a university that is arguably more elite than any in the U.S. and that indisputably is more transparent about its admissions practices which are primarily based upon intellectual heft (not a lot of Jared Kushners here).
Third, you assert that the difference between matriculation numbers reflects a "serious anti-elite trends in college admissions." But the difference mostly reflects the fact that the Class of 2023 graduated 12 more students than did the Class of 2024. According to my figures, 45.2% of the Class of 2023 and 43.5% of the Class of 2024 collectively matriculated at Amherst, Barnard, Bowdoin,
Brown, Cal Tech, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Harvey Mudd, Johns Hopkins,
MIT, Middlebury, Northwestern, Olin, Pomona, Princeton, Rice, Stanford, Swarthmore, Univ. of California, UCLA, Univ. of Chicago,
Univ. of Oxford (UK), Univ. of Pennsylvania, Wellesley, Wesleyan, Williams and Yale.

Good and well supported post....thank you. TBH, the OP lost my attention on this thread when they made the unsubstantiated comment about admission officers "reeling".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I send my kid to private because it’s the best fit for DC now, not for any supposed boost into elite colleges. Those admissions are always a crapshoot even for the tippy top students from any school.

nah do not believe you

+1. My colleague’s kid attends St. Albans and she told me they are going to check any box (including race) to help him get into an Ivy. Whether they admit it openly or not, getting into an Ivy is the primary goal for most non-legacy parents. Legacies know they’ll get in either way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Legacies know they’ll get in either way.

If this were actually true, the percentage of legacy students would be much higher at schools. But they're fairly low. I wonder why that is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I send my kid to private because it’s the best fit for DC now, not for any supposed boost into elite colleges. Those admissions are always a crapshoot even for the tippy top students from any school.

nah do not believe you

+1. My colleague’s kid attends St. Albans and she told me they are going to check any box (including race) to help him get into an Ivy. Whether they admit it openly or not, getting into an Ivy is the primary goal for most non-legacy parents. Legacies know they’ll get in either way.

What a dumb remark. Because your colleague (n=1) is Ivy-focused, it must be the goal of all non-legacy parents? For non-legacies they’d need to be in the top 3 or so at STA and have stellar ECs. Even then it’s a crapshoot whether they get in. Most STA parents know that. If they don’t then they’re in denial. Their son could get a perfect SAT/ACT, a 4.0 unweighted average, and still be rejected. It’s happened.

Checking any box including race? Oy. Assume that a kid checking a box deceptively will have his offer rescinded. If it’s discovered while they’re at the school could invalidate any credits earned and boot them out with a disciplinary mark on their record that will make it impossible for them to be admitted to any other decent school. Diplomas can be revoked for fraud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most kids who are at Andover aren't there because they are specifically targeting Harvard or its peer schools.

Right, that’s why so many of them end up at Arkansas Tech and University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While it makes a great narrative and college outcomes are often part of the decision, I don't think that most parents are sending their kids to privates for the primary purpose of getting into ivies. Personally, I don't care if my kid goes to a "top whatever" college and I have been thrilled with his private school experience regardless of where he ends up.

Then you are not bright

Privates for the most part do not educate they indoctrinate into a religion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most kids who are at Andover aren't there because they are specifically targeting Harvard or its peer schools.

Right, that’s why so many of them end up at Arkansas Tech and University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.

No Andover does no5 send kids to Arkansas

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Phillips Academy Andover, the most elite prep school in America only got 4 kids into Harvard in 2025. In the class of 2023 12 kids got into Harvard. Similar trends are at other top schools with only 6 getting into Yale in 2025 and 12 getting in 2023. Only 4 matriculated to Penn in 2025 compared to 7 in 2023. Only 13 got into UChicago, compared to 21 getting into UChicago in 2023. The trend holds across most elite schools such as Northwestern, Duke, etc.

There seems to be serious anti-elite trends in college admissions. They clearly see these kids as "privileged" and are holding it against them. In this new era, you might just be better off sending your kid to public school.

https://d2e3a5v56wj8r4.cloudfront.net/files/CCO_Profile_2024-2025.pdf

https://d2e3a5v56wj8r4.cloudfront.net/files/SchoolProfile2023-2024.pdf

First, the matriculation list in the 2024-25 profile is for the Class of 2024: decisions for the Class of 2025 aren't due until 11.59pm on the first of May.
Second, you've done what I always tell my undergraduate students not to do: you've cherry picked your data. For example, the Class of 2023 sent 8 students to Columbia and 6 to Cornell, respectively; the Class of 2024 sent 10 and 14. Additionally, 2 students from the Class of 2023 went to Cal, while 5 from the Class of 2024 chose Berkeley; 5 from the Class of 2024 went to UCLA, up from 2 in the Class of 2023. The Class of 2024 also sent 2 students to Harvey Mudd; 4 (up from 2) to Duke; and 8 (up from 7) to Northwestern. You would argue that these increases correlate to fewer Harvard acceptances. But I can think of a possible, arguably more compelling reason: According to USNWR, all of these schools have higher ranked engineering programs than Harvard which is not particularly known for its engineering curriculum: anyone with a die hard interest in attending the most competitive engineering programs in the U.S. would choose any of these institutions, especially Cal, over Harvard. Additionally, 2 students from the Class of 2024 (but none from the Class of 2023) matriculated at Oxford, a university that is arguably more elite than any in the U.S. and that indisputably is more transparent about its admissions practices which are primarily based upon intellectual heft (not a lot of Jared Kushners here).
Third, you assert that the difference between matriculation numbers reflects a "serious anti-elite trends in college admissions." But the difference mostly reflects the fact that the Class of 2023 graduated 12 more students than did the Class of 2024. According to my figures, 45.2% of the Class of 2023 and 43.5% of the Class of 2024 collectively matriculated at Amherst, Barnard, Bowdoin,
Brown, Cal Tech, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Harvey Mudd, Johns Hopkins,
MIT, Middlebury, Northwestern, Olin, Pomona, Princeton, Rice, Stanford, Swarthmore, Univ. of California, UCLA, Univ. of Chicago,
Univ. of Oxford (UK), Univ. of Pennsylvania, Wellesley, Wesleyan, Williams and Yale.

Great points. And the links are matriculation, not admissions? In the OP, the poster said they admitted fewer - NO! This is matriculation!! Do they not know the difference? WTF.

As far as I'm aware, no school publishes their raw admissions (though, ofc as a parent, you can see it occasionally).

From what I've been seeing at private schools across the country, this - generally - has been an EXCEPTIONAL year. Many think its bc of the funding crisis at many colleges - they want full-pay students, from engaged families, who will not withdraw/pull out due to a parent's job loss or something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While it makes a great narrative and college outcomes are often part of the decision, I don't think that most parents are sending their kids to privates for the primary purpose of getting into ivies. Personally, I don't care if my kid goes to a "top whatever" college and I have been thrilled with his private school experience regardless of where he ends up.

Then you are not bright

Privates for the most part do not educate they indoctrinate into a religion

You definitely seem like a serious person with well-founded opinions that should be respected.

[Anonymous]

Well if their barely able to pay them they should go to public school in which they already paid for with either taxes. We all know rich people dont pay their fair share and it's important that kids dont hang around with fascists in training.