The EDUFAX Educational FAQ

1. Is there a list of prep schools from which the Ivy League schools pull many of their applicants ?
2. Where can I find a list of Independent / Private / Boarding Secondary Schools in the US ?
3. We are considering send our son to a private school. What do we need to consider as far as the school's accreditation ?
4. Is there a ranking of boarding schools ?
5. How can I get a list of Catholic boarding schools ?
6. What are the academic rankings of the private prep high schools in the USA ?
7. Private School Squeeze - Competition to get in is increasingly tough
8. Is there financial assistance for children attending private school ?
9. A psychologist has recommended that our teenage daughter enroll in an all-girls boarding school. She is almost fifteen years old. All the colorful brochures look fantastic. How do we narrow the list ?
10. I am looking for a boarding school where I can work on academics and perfect my golf game, hoping to qualify for a college team.
11. My 7 year old son is a genius. The public school cannot meet his educational needs. How can I find assistance for private school, curriculum development, educational materials, etc. ?
12. Our son is attending public school and has been diagnosed as LD since first grade. We feel he is not receiving the assistance he needs and are looking into enrolling him into the Hyde School, in Bath, Maine. How can we get the public school system to pay for the tuition ?
13. My son is having problems in public school and we are considering transferring him to a private boarding school where he can receive individualized attention. We are also considering having him repeat his 10th grade year at the private school. Would the repeat year be detrimental to his college application ?
14. My SSAT=96% (Verbal=96%), straight A's, WISC>150. I am first on cross country team and a great skier. I won the National Geographic geography bee at the school level. I play the French Horn and Clarinet. I have been rejected by Groton and St. Paul's. Is it because I need financial aid? Is it because I am of Eastern European descent? What is the profile of students accepted to such schools ?
15. My son is gifted in visual arts and is very creative. He has been battling depression for the last 3 years and his grades are marginal (Bs, Cs, and a few Fs). His I.Q.=135. His doctors and counselors agree he is very talented and that the public school system is not answering his needs. Are there boarding schools that concentrate on art and humanities that may be able to motivate him and would accept him in spite of his academics ?
16. I live in California. I did not take school seriously and now I understand how stupid of me that was. I have a terribly low GPA (2.7), so I know I have killed my chances of going to college. What can I do to enter a college in the future? I know there are college prep schools, but I am having a hard time choosing one. What can I do ?
17. I won a full four year scholarship to Choate Rosemary Hall (called the Icahn Scholars Program) and I am wondering if leaving home and going to a totally new place is worth doing. My public school district is the best in my state and numerous schools in my district have won Blue Ribbon Recognition. I have been told that I would receive the same education and the same difficulty in either school. What would you suggest to do? Is it worth going to an eastern prep boarding school ?
18. My brother is 16 years old and is a student at an excellent private school. He has always excelled in arts and sciences. Recently he has fallen in with a "bad crowd" and is experimenting with drugs and alcohol. His psychologist has recommended a boarding school geared toward his special needs. Can you recommend such a school? He will need the ongoing services of a psychologist.
19. Is there financial assistance for children attending private school ?
20. What are the academic rankings of the private prep high schools in the USA ?
21. My daughter wishes to attend Notre Dame University. She is in 6th grade, currently attending a private Catholic school. I was told that colleges rank high schools. My feeling is that the public high school in our locality has many more academic programs to offer than the private school. My feeling is my daughter may have a better chance to excel at the smaller private school rather than get lost in the crowd at the larger public school. However, if the offerings are better at the larger public school, I am not sure where to send her for high school. What is your advice ?
22. I just found out that the private Christian high school my daughter is attending is not accredited. She has aspirations of (and the grades and talent to accomplish) a degree in microbiology/genetics but we need scholarships, grants, etc., to pay for such an education. I found out today that if she transfers to the local public school she may only qualify for a special (partial?) diploma because our local high school does not recognize some of her classes as transfer credit. (It seems that even to be considered for the partial diploma, she would have to score over 1300 on her SAT's.) I am in such a quandary. I do not want to limit her college choices. What do I do? It was suggested that I apply for my homeschool affidavit and have her apply to colleges as a homeschooler. Is this feasible? She is getting a great education and is taking what would be equal to AP classes. She's a 4.0 student and is also a student glider pilot. What should I do ?
23. My daughter is thinking of transferring from the Ethel Walker School, CT, to the Millbrook School in Millbrook, NY. I have no way of knowing if Millbrook has a better academic reputation than Ethel Walker. Can you help? I know that it is not something that can be precisely measured but are there any test score comparisons that give some insight ?
24. I am interested in the academic rankings of high schools in Connecticut. Are private and public schools listed separately ?
25. My son is failing all of his classes because of not going to school and cutting classes. He is very smart but is unmotivated. Are there boarding schools that may be able to motivate him and will accept him in spite of his poor academics ?