How to Apply to Private High Schools

Last Updated: January 26, 2023 References

If you're in a private middle school currently, there is a fair chance you're thinking of attending a private high school. Most of your friends in your private middle school will likely be attending a private high school. This is even more true for the people who have attended private schools since elementary school. Unlike a public high school, where you don't have to do anything special to get in, private high schools in the U.S. require more effort to be accepted. You'll likely need to submit recommendation letters from some of your teachers, as well as an essay and an excellent report card. This article will explore the application process and help you prepare for applying at a private high school.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Increasing Your Chances of Getting into a Private High School

1
Keep your grades on top. 8th grade is not the time to slack off! You could technically slack off a bit in 5th or 6th grade, but you should start improving it in 7th grade, as high school is nearing. In 8th grade, you'll need a sleek, polished report card. Private high schools will check your qualities and your GPA (grade point average), so now is the time to improve it or keep your grades up. If you have a low GPA, not as many high schools will accept you, reducing the number of choices you have.
- To strengthen your application, focus on your grades in school.
- Study for tests as usual, take excellent notes, pay attention in class, participate by raising your hand, and follow the rules.
- Earn at least an 85% or above on most assignments, projects, and tests. One 70% or C is alright, although you should try to keep your grades up as much as possible.
- If you need help, you should ask for it. If you understand everything, you will know how to answer questions on tests, leading to a nice grade book. If you do not understand a concept, always ask a teacher during class or during office hours.
2
Attend clubs and extra-curriculars. Private high schools in the U.S. don't only care about the amazing grades you get; they also care about your involvement in the school and outside of it. So, getting straight As doesn't guarantee being accepted into a private high school. This means that you should join a few clubs, extracurriculars, or volunteering services. They want to see the interest you have in helping others and doing other activities in your wider community.
- Focus on extracurricular activities.
- Some schools allow 8th graders to mentor younger middle school students (in academics or in clubs). You could help teach/mentor the 7th, 6th, (and sometimes 5th) graders in your middle school for one example of a contribution to your school.
- Of course, if you are already very busy, you do not need to overexert yourself and attend extra clubs and activities.
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3
Make your reputation outstanding. If you arrive 15 to 20 minutes late to classes, cheat on tests, copy answers from another student's assignment, talk frequently or zone out a lot during class, or bully others at school, your reputation will degrade. After many instances of this happening, your middle school likely has a bad record of the things you've done. You may get sent to the principal's office, have a parent-teacher conference about your behavior, or worst of all, be suspended or expelled from the school. If you have a bad record already, do your best to improve it by changing your behavior.
- Do not talk during class (especially if you're the oldest in your school or if you're on the student council, as you want to be a role model), tell offensive "jokes", do random things unrelated to class in class, bully other students, zone out too often, or arrive late at school.
- You can do extra by participating in class often and helping other students out! This makes your recommendation letters stand out from the rest and will increase your chances of attending the private high school of your dreams.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Applying to Private High Schools

1
Ask your older sibling/s for advice. If you have one or more older siblings, chances are that they may have applied to the same high schools as you. This means that they have gone through the same challenges and obstacles of applying to private high schools. Your older sibling may be in high school or even be in their first year of university already, living outside of your home for the first time. Whatever age your older sibling is, ask them for advice about applying to private high schools. Ask them questions about which schools they applied to (you may have overheard the high schools your sibling was applying to when you were in early middle school or elementary school), how they crafted their essays, and how they asked for recommendation letters.
- If your older sibling has gone to college, they may not have that much time to answer your concerns and questions about going to high school. Schedule a call when you can (around the weekends is best) and use that call for your sibling to answer your questions about applying to private high schools.
2
Ask your parents/guardians for advice too. Your parents may have applied to private high schools in their generation too, so you could ask them a couple of questions as well. If your parents have you as their middle or youngest child, they have already gone through the process of their older child/children applying to private high schools, so they are probably experienced in this field.
- They may have applied for private high schools themselves, so you can ask them a few questions and concerns you have.
3
Research private high schools in your area. There are a multitude of private high schools; some are religious, some are single-ed, and others tailor to students' needs differently. You will need to decide on a couple of schools to apply to. Do not just apply to one, as you will not be guaranteed to attend that school if they do not accept your application. This leaves you with no options open (as the deadline for applying to other private high schools may have passed). ^{[1]
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Research source} Find online reviews of the schools your child is applying to on sites like GreatSchools.org to see if the school has an excellent reputation. Think about your values and if the school aligns with them. Some questions you may ask you and your child include:
- Is it a religious high school?
- Are uniforms required?
- How many modes of transportation to and from the school are there? (e.g. by school bus, by car, on foot, on bike)
- How many language AP courses are offered?
- What is the curriculum taught for mathematics?
- What colleges do graduates from this school get accepted to?
- How many clubs are there?
- Does the school offer a variety of sports? (e.g. football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, track-and-field, swimming, competitive dance)
4
Attend open houses and tours of the high schools. The tours usually explain the curriculum, clubs, student life, and other things related to the high schools. You will be shown around the school, while the principal or students explain how the school works. The principal or head of school may give a speech during the open house. If many of your friends are applying to the same schools as you, you might even meet them at the open house. You guys can talk about how the open house went. The staff may give you a folder full of information about that high school, like courses, student life, colleges students get accepted to, and contact information.
- During the open house, grab some food! Some schools may offer the most delicious cookies, whereas some may offer fruit and other drinks. Food is usually offered at open houses of schools.
- If you are accepted to a school you've toured before, it will be harder to get lost on the first day, since you've seen an overall outline of the school.
5
Shadow in the private high schools you are applying to. Shadowing is the process of going to a place temporarily to experience what it is like there. Elementary and middle schools may allow new kids to shadow for a day to see if the school's a right fit. Private high schools offer the same thing. Go to the private schools' websites and check for information on shadow days. You can schedule one on the school's website, or you may have to call the school to request a shadow day. Shadow days usually last for half a day or a little more than that, so you may return during lunch at your middle school or during the last few classes when you come back.
- Make sure to email the teachers whose classes you'll be missing before the shadow day!
- Shadowing lets you actually experience what the teachers and students are like. You can usually take to the students with any questions or concerns about the school. There may be one student taking you to a variety of different classes, or you could be allowed to "roam around" the campus, exploring the different classes, lunchtime environment, and clubs.
6
Obtain recommendation letters from your teachers. Recommendation letters are basically Q&A sheets that explain why you are fit to attend the private high school of your choice. You will need to request your teacher to fill out a recommendation letter for each high school that you apply to. The recommendation letters have questions such as the level of participation in middle school, study skills, cooperation skills, how you contribute to the middle school, and the extracurriculars you attend. There will also be a section on challenges you may face that prevent you from doing your best in middle school (e.g., divorce, a sibling going to college, a death in the family, friendship/relationship issues, bullying, health problems, stress).
- At the very least, private high schools will want you to get recommendation letters from your math and language arts teachers. "Extra" recommendation letters are not needed, so you don't need to ask for one from your science, history, or other subjects' teachers.
7
Take the High School Placement Test, or HSPT. The HSPT is a placement test that is required in most Catholic private high schools. If you are applying to one or more Catholic high schools, you will need to take this test. You are tested on subjects such as mathematics, quantitative skills, reading, and verbal reasoning. There are no other subjects like science, foreign languages, or history/social studies on these tests, so you will not need to prepare for these subjects. The test is taken at one of the private high schools you are applying to, so you should decide which school you're taking the test at. ^{[2]
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- You are not allowed to take the test more than one time, so check your work and read carefully through the questions. Take your time and do not rush. This test is not a competition- it decides whether or not you will be accepted into the Catholic high school, so be circumspect about it.
- You will only need to take the HSPT once. You don't need to take it for every Catholic high school you're applying to. The other high schools you're applying to will receive your grade on the test from the high school you took it at, so you don't have to take the test multiple times.
8
Write private high school application essays. This will be quite similar to a college/university application essay. When you're in 12th grade and will need to write a college application essay, you may find it easier, as you've done this before in 8th/9th grade (and it's just a refresher). People who have attended a public high school (or a public middle or elementary school) may find the application process more stressful, as they have not done extra work to get into a school before. Some schools may ask you many questions and require only a paragraph for each question, whereas others want you to answer 1-2 prompts in more detail. Some schools may want you to write about what draws you to their campus, while others want things more about you. ^{[3]
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- Proofread carefully. Not proofreading your essay may make you seem unprofessional or uninterested in making any effort of applying to a private high school, which decreases your chances of getting into one.
- You may want to ask your language arts teacher for help during office hours if you are unsure of how to write a private high school essay.
- Take the time to personalize your application essay.
9
Turn everything in before the due date. The admissions, recommendation letters, shadow dates, and application essays all have due dates and deadlines that you will need to meet. Recommendation letters and shadow dates are usually due in late October-early December, as the exact date varies from school to school. Admissions are usually due in early January. ^{[4]
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Research source} Make sure to turn in everything and email everything before the due date! After the deadlines, you will not be able to apply for a private high school, so be wary of them.
- Start doing all of this in August-October. This way, you will not need to rush to turn everything in.
10
Attend a private high school interview. Not all, but some private high schools require you to be interviewed. Some only interview the student, but some interview the student and the guardians of the student. These interviews are usually scheduled in January-February (after winter break/vacation). You will arrive at the school, sit in a room, and be asked questions by a student at the school or the head of school. The interview will be formal, so do not arrive at the interview wearing a T-shirt and jeans. The interview takes into consideration what your personality is like and how you will act at the school, so if you are rude during the interview or seem uninterested (continually yawning, stretching, not answering questions, interrupting, or giving short answers to interview questions), the admissions team may not accept you into their school.
- Commonly asked questions include, "What draws you to this school?", "Do you have siblings that attend our school?", "What are your strengths?", "What pastimes do you have?", "What is your favorite subject in school?", and "What is your family like?" ^{[5]
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- Wear semi-formal clothing to the interview. Wear a polo shirt and trousers for a simple look. Another possibility could be wearing a white shirt with a coat jacket and trousers. A more feminine look would be a blouse and a knee-length skirt or even a pastel-colored dress.
- Do not wear overly bright colors, as that is not formal. Avoid overly revealing clothing, clothing with swear words, or otherwise inappropriate and informal clothing.