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Secondary School Process - 7th Grade

Where to Start

Before you begin to seriously discuss school choices with your child, you need to come together as parents and decide how much influence over this decision you intend to give your child. Will you allow your child to make the final decision, or will you reserve that for yourselves? If this is the case, please make that clear to your child up front. Similarly, if independent schools are not a possibility, you need to make that clear to your child from the beginning. Some suggestions to get the process started:

  1. Have a conversation with your child and determine a general list of his/her interests and abilities.
  2. Be realistic regarding your child’s level of commitment and talent in the following areas: academics, sports, fine arts, community service, and social skills. Also consider the following criteria when considering a secondary school: size, single sex vs. coed, day vs. boarding, location & distance from your home, transportation options, and the school’s mission and educational philosophy.
  3. You are now ready to match a school to your child’s profile. There are several good sources of information with which to begin:
    • Admission Open Houses/Information Sessions. This is a crucial step and source of information, and I recommend that you begin immediately. You can learn a lot from a virtual open house or information session. If you cannot attend an open house, parents may usually visit a school by appointment at some point during the year. Aside from open houses, most schools request that students visit during the official admissions season which begins in September/October. Schools will let you know how they plan to handle visits next year.
    • The Secondary School Fair is usually held at Montgomery School each spring. Representatives from over 30 schools are in attendance to talk to you about their schools. Many bring students with them. This year, we plan to host a few virtual panels. Plan to join these sessions with your child.
    • Secondary school websites: plan to visit the school’s website before attending a school event. Your child should research the sites carefully prior to any school visit or interview.
    • Brochures from boarding and day schools are available in the library.
    • If you are interested in boarding schools, the following link will be of assistance: http://www.boardingschools.com/
    • The National Association of Independent Schools website has a lot of valuable information for parents.
    • Independent consultants are also available.
  4. As the 7th grade School year comes to a close, please set up an appointment with Mr. Rajarigam to discuss the process specifically for your child. It would be very helpful to bring the following with you to this meeting:
    • A list of all schools your family may be interested in exploring at this point in the process (this list may change over time).
    • Prior to the meeting, complete and share with Mr. Rajarigam the parent and student questionnaires .
    • A list of any questions you have about the secondary school process.
  5. Once you have created a list, you will need to research and consider each school carefully.

With your short list in hand, you should visit schools beginning in the fall of 8th grade. After visiting, you can decide which schools to apply to. This is the time to check the schools’ references. Contact friends that attend those schools and ask them what they like and dislike.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It will be necessary to visit schools during regular school days in the fall. This is a part of the process and we understand this; we will work with you to make up anything that was missed. There is no penalty for missing days for secondary school visits.