A mother recently wrote me about the private school to which she was seeking admission for her children. The school had rejected their applications yet again. She was annoyed enough to write and ask me what recourse she might have. Were there federal or state laws which could be invoked? I pointed out that private schools don't take public funding for exactly those reasons. They want nothing to curb their independence. They don't have to accept anybody. Private schools are legally free to accept whichever applicants they wish to accept.
What Are Your Options?
You have several options in this situation. Basically it boils down to choosing the right private school for your child. That is not easy to do. Since the stakes are simply too high to try to do everything yourself, hire a professional. The consultants who belong to the IECA are experts. They offer a wealth of experience for a very modest fee. While they can't guarantee results, they know their schools and will do everything humanly possible to provide their clients with some solid choices which will match schools with the child.
"Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket!"
Cervantes offers good advice. Unless you are guaranteed that your child will be accepted at St. Braithwaite's-in-the-Valley, don't chance it by applying there exclusively. Apply to at least three or more schools. Make sure one of them is a safe school, in other words, be sure your child can get in to that school.
Here are some suggestions for choosing a school:
- Start the process in April for admission in the fall fourteen months from April.
- Find a consultant with whom you feel comfortable.
- Develop your list of schools to investigate and to visit.
- Remediate any academic issues now so that weak admissions test scores aren't a problem.
- Put your best foot forward at the interview.