Five Tips to Streamline Your School Search
Navigating the private school admission maze.
September 2023
Applying to New York City private schools can seem like a huge undertaking. You may not know where to begin your research or whether these schools are financially within reach for your family. Here are five tips to help demystify the process:
There are many free resources available online that can help you learn about your options. The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) has a searchable directory of schools, and the Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY), a regional consortium, maintains a directory of member schools. The Parents League offers advisory services along with excellent opportunities for learning about private schools in New York.
School review websites such as Niche can be helpful. If a school offers a platform such as PeerPal, you can reach out directly to a parent or alumni with your questions. If not, you can also ask a school to connect you with a current family or recent graduate.
Many schools host spring open houses and/or tours. This is a great opportunity to have an initial visit before application season in the fall. If you’ve missed spring events, fall open houses are generally available to families without submitted applications, but it may not always be possible for families to secure appointments before deciding whether or not to apply to a school. If you have special circumstances (e.g. you are applying from out-of-state), reach out to the school. You never know what the admission team may be able to do to accommodate you for a visit.
Most families apply to between five to eight schools. Families who require tuition assistance (more on that below) might consider applying to more schools. Choose the number of schools your family can manage to visit and apply to. Download this application checklist to help you keep track of the process.
For many families, the low student-teacher ratios and high quality education experience drive their decision to spend money on private education. Ask the school what is covered in tuition costs (e.g. lunch, uniforms, books, trips, etc.). Many schools also offer payment plans that can be easier on your budget.
You may also qualify for tuition assistance. Ask about what costs will be covered when you receive your financial aid award. Just like the school application itself, I recommend a spreadsheet that will help you keep a list of deadlines and documents that you’ll need to submit as a part of a financial aid application. If your family has special circumstances that aren’t reflected in your income and tax documents, add a letter to your application explaining your situation to the financial aid committee. When comparing financial aid packages (you'll typically receive these with letters of acceptance) ensure that you are comparing apples to apples.
Throughout the application process, you are getting to evaluate a private school in the same way that the schools are getting to know you and your family. Rest assured that our schools want you to have a good experience with us every step of the way in the admissions process.
Parents often wonder how best to prepare their child for the interview or assessments. Ask the school if there are dress code expectations for applicant visits. If your child is not feeling well, reach out to the school to reschedule the appointment. Help your older child learn a little about the school they’re visiting so they can prepare some questions ahead of time and use the interview time productively. Let admission officers know if there’s anything they should be aware of prior to visit (e.g. perhaps your child needs elevator access for mobility reasons). We want your child to shine as much as you do!
There are three decisions you may receive— admitted, waitlisted, or declined admission (kindergarten applicants may be recommended to wait a year). If your child is admitted to a school you know you will not choose, decline that offer quickly so that the school can admit another student for whom that school may be a first choice. ISAAGNY member schools agree to a set of best practices and notification dates so you'll hear of many schools' decisions on the same day.
You will also have the opportunity to revisit at schools where your child is admitted. While it can be tempting to make these visits the deciding factor, remember that you’ve spent six to seven months getting to know the school, so don’t base your decision solely on the final two hours your child spends with them. If the revisit surfaces additional questions, a good way to gain clarification may be to speak with a current family, specialist teacher, department chair, or athletic director.
If your child is waitlisted at a school you want to pursue, simply let the school know you will remain on the wait list. You do not need to call or email every other day to see if the wait list has moved. If you have some practical questions on how a wait list works at a particular school, ask, but remember that moving a child off of a waiting list is often a complex decision based on many factors.
Allow yourself room to be surprised! A school that you weren’t very interested in at the beginning of the process may become one of your top choices by the end. You will also discover something new about your child along the way. These are the unintended, but potentially highly rewarding outcomes of applying to independent schools.
If Browning is one of the schools to which you’ll be applying, we can’t wait to meet and get to know you and your son(s). Begin your application journey with Browning today.
