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Private vs. Public High School

1001594418Many parents ask us if, for college admissions purposes, it’s
better to attend a well known private school versus a public
school. The key to this question is, “for college admissions
purposes.” The truth is, parents should not make any decisions
based purely on college admissions odds – that’s the wrong
way to address a crucial choice that involves far more variables
than simply college admissions. One valid reason to send your son
or daughter to private school is if you want him or her to have
smaller classes, specific classes not offered at your particular
public school, a different social environment, athletic
opportunities not found at your local school, etc. The worst
reason to send a student is in the vain hope of bettering college
admissions odds. Most of the Ivies admit roughly 25% of their
populations from private schools and roughly 65-70% from public
(the rest from parochial or home-schooled), but that merely
reflects the fact that more kids from public school apply —
again, the acceptance rates are usually about equal.

Even a student who is No. 1 in a top public school will not be
accepted to top colleges if he or she has low scores on the SAT
and SAT Subject Tests. Another thing to consider is the
competition: at top private schools like Andover and Exeter, only
the top students get into the very top colleges. It’s actually
harder to be in the top 5-10% of the class at a place where
almost everyone is qualified versus a big public school with some
“dead weight.” In short, you should make this decision based on
the options, comfort level, course offerings, sports and
specialty offerings for your child rather than trying to outwit
college admissions officers who will not be impressed just by a
big name private school.

Most importantly, students will perform better — and be
happier — at a school where they feel most comfortable. If a
student truly loves Andover, and the family believes that the
expense is warranted, then Andover is the right choice.  If the
local public school has great teachers, neighborhood friends, a
full line up of AP courses, and a safe environment, then it may
be worth more to a student than any of the famous prep schools.

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