High School Guide: Admissions, reviews, and advice

I think that was Anderson Cooper.
That’s why we’re looking at those first three schools as our Plan A—mostly because they’re right around the corner and only take one class per grade. The other three schools are more of a Plan B, though I guess she'll definitely get into them.

mellowskipper said:I think that was Anderson Cooper.
That’s why we’re looking at those first three schools as our Plan A—mostly because they’re right around the corner and only take one class per grade. The other three schools are more of a Plan B, though I guess she'll definitely get into them.

Exactly. You honestly can't just leave something this critical up to chance without keeping a close eye on how things are unfolding. Take Ivana's situation, for example; she's currently footing the bill for four years of private high school. At the end of the day, it's the parents who end up bearing the brunt of these kinds of screw-ups because they have to find a way to bail their kid out. Well, if they actually care about them, anyway. If they don't, they just feed them some nonsense like, "this is your fault, consider it a life lesson," and let them fend for themselves in some three-year vocational program or whatever's left over during the late enrollment period for kids with a 2.5 GPA.

At Central High, the minimum score for general studies is 70 and 72 for STEM, yet the last student enrolled last year needed a 76.43

Luciana was the only one among those who took the entrance exam with 72 points—the cutoff for STEM—but since the actual enrollment required nearly 82, it’s highly unlikely anyone with 72 would have made the cut...
However, since every school held its own separate entrance exam last year, perhaps this year students with at least 73 or 74 will actually stand a chance

Every single year the news outlets scream about how broken the system is, yet nothing ever changes... even Fuchs mentioned somewhere that there is absolutely no talk of using national standardized tests for high school admissions 😵
When are the elections finally happening?!?

@Dennis Alvarez2

Look, this isn't about that "lifelong learning" thing you’re obsessed with—which, by the way, I don't even think you actually read anywhere? I'm not on board with that concept either.
My whole vibe is just letting my kid focus on school without breathing down their neck. I'm not trying to force my own old ambitions or my specific ideas about what high school should look like onto them. That's not how I roll.

I mean, seriously? Sitting down with a seventh grader for extra tutoring just so they can snag an A+? Honestly, I don't know. To me, that feels like way too much pressure.

Perhaps I haven't been "pushing" myself hard enough, given these results. If I had managed just two more points here or a 5 instead of a 4 in Chemistry, my college options would be significantly broader than they are now... A little extra tutoring in Chemistry wouldn't hurt.

Watch out if you have fewer students; starting next year, a new vocational curriculum is expected to roll out, which will drastically limit the ability for anyone in technical schools to enroll in university
If that whole mess kicks off...

Then we might actually see a surge in applicants for prep schools😵

I’m seeing all these kids paying for private tutors just to scrape by, and honestly, it feels like they're just buying their way through. It's one thing if you're struggling to hit a passing grade, but if someone already has a B and they're paying extra just to squeeze out an A? That's just ridiculous. 🤷
Is this whole mess driven by overbearing parents—like my nephew who somehow pulls a 4.0 GPA despite barely trying—or is it just this broken, nightmare enrollment system we have? Or maybe it's a toxic mix of both. 🤷

*Look, I’m generally against the whole tutoring craze. I truly believe the curriculum in elementary school is designed for their age group, and kids should be able to grasp it on their own. If they can manage a C, then a C is what they get.
I don't even know when this tutoring obsession started. Back when I was in school, nobody was paying for extra help in middle school, high school, or heaven forbid, college (though I hear even professors are getting paid for private sessions these days). If you can't handle the workload of a specific high school or university, maybe that's just not the right place for you.

Let me give you an example. When my kid was in second grade, they were pulling straight A's in a specific subject without me even knowing what they were studying or how they were being evaluated. They were even participating in competitions! And through all that, three different teachers had cycled through the classroom.
Then, fast forward to eighth grade. Right in the middle of the first semester—and thank goodness we already banked several A's, which turned out to be crucial for the GPA (that "illusion of numbers" that basically dictates where our kids get into high school)—we get a new teacher. Suddenly, the grades drop to B's and C's. At first, I thought, "Okay, no big deal, they'll do better on the next one." But then it was a B. Then a C. Then another C on the next test. Eventually, I went down to the administration office, looked over the actual tests, and had a long talk with someone, and suddenly everything became crystal clear regarding the type of personality we were dealing with here. Since then, before every single test in that subject, my child spends an hour and a half with a private tutor (read: someone who actually knows how to do their job) who explains every little nuance, every trick question—which this new teacher seems to love setting—and just walks them through the material. Now, all of a sudden, the results are back to perfect scores, like 100/100, whereas back in elementary school, they would have been struggling just to pass. And hey, at least they'll have those extra points.

Honestly, I don't care what anyone else thinks. I am 100% convinced the issue lies with the teacher, and there is absolutely no way I'm just sitting back and saying, "Oh well, that's just life," and letting my kid suffer under a broken system.

redridge13 said:@Dennis Alvarez2

Look, this isn't about that "lifelong learning" thing you’re obsessed with—which, by the way, I don't even think you actually read anywhere? I'm not on board with that concept either.
My whole vibe is just letting my kid focus on school without breathing down their neck. I'm not trying to force my own old ambitions or my specific ideas about what high school should look like onto them. That's not how I roll.

I mean, seriously? Sitting down with a seventh grader for extra tutoring just so they can snag an A+? Honestly, I don't know. To me, that feels like way too much pressure.

And where exactly did you get the notion that my child wouldn't achieve top marks even without my direct intervention? 😁

When we speak of "lifelong learning," we mean a continuous journey of growth that spans from early childhood through retirement; it involves traditional schooling, certainly, but it also extends beyond the standard classroom to include self-study, collaborative learning, and the constant exchange of skills and experiences, all designed to bolster one's education, core competencies, confidence, and overall presence in the world.

That being said, you clearly hold some pretty strong stereotypes regarding both me and my child—suggesting that her success is somehow dependent on my involvement, or implying she wouldn't even pass without paid tutoring—while simultaneously judging my parenting style as being overly ambitious. I have to admit, though, that your critique of my methods was a bit more restrained this time around, and your indignation toward my perspective seems to have lost its edge. Time and future discussions will ultimately reveal whether my intuition on this matter holds true. 👍 😁

In any case, I truly wish for you and your child to continue on this successful academic path, and I offer my full support in seeing your current progress carry forward into the future. 🙂

Regarding this one:
Look, let me cut to the chase before I ramble on too long—our kid’s success isn't actually thanks to the school system, and honestly, that’s the real issue here. It’s mostly down to the hours I spend working with them and all the private tutoring sessions I feel are absolutely essential.
Why bother with tutors if the school was doing its job?

In my book, "lifelong learning" definitely doesn't mean "sitting at the kitchen table with Mom from first grade all the way through college." It’s pretty obvious we all have wildly different takes on what education looks like and how much parents should be stepping in to carry the load🙂.

Good luck to you too!

It’s always fascinating reading how parents view grades and academic achievement... it makes me wonder, were your parents actually this hands-on when you were growing up?

In my case, I had a very specific goal for my high school years. Since my first language wasn't quite where it needed to be for the track I wanted, we went all in. We paid for private language schools, hired tutors, and organized structured testing over five years just so I could actually compete for the school I was aiming for—even though, funnily enough, I ended up enrolling in a different one entirely, but that’s a whole other story.

Does that count as "overbearing involvement," or is it just providing a child with the necessary support to chase their dreams? I mean, did anyone else sit there and teach themselves a language in three years so they could outperform 90% of their peers who spent five years studying it, or was that something I achieved because I had the resources and support to make it a reality?

And looking back, when my child pulls in a string of top marks and honors, is that because they truly mastered the material, or is it a result of my "excessive interference"? Should they have been getting Cs and Ds just because that's what the standard curriculum was designed to produce?

redridge13 said:I’m seeing all these kids paying for private tutors just to scrape by, and honestly, it feels like they're just buying their way through. It's one thing if you're struggling to hit a passing grade, but if someone already has a B and they're paying extra just to squeeze out an A? That's just ridiculous. 🤷
Is this whole mess driven by overbearing parents—like my nephew who somehow pulls a 4.0 GPA despite barely trying—or is it just this broken, nightmare enrollment system we have? Or maybe it's a toxic mix of both. 🤷

*Look, I’m generally against the whole tutoring craze. I truly believe the curriculum in elementary school is designed for their age group, and kids should be able to grasp it on their own. If they can manage a C, then a C is what they get.
I don't even know when this tutoring obsession started. Back when I was in school, nobody was paying for extra help in middle school, high school, or heaven forbid, college (though I hear even professors are getting paid for private sessions these days). If you can't handle the workload of a specific high school or university, maybe that's just not the right place for you.

It seems we are on opposite sides of this issue. Educational standards have shifted, competition has intensified, the job market has become cutthroat, and people have become much more sensitive about education, recognizing its value in boosting personal quality, competitiveness, and self-confidence. People want to be recognized as successful, high-quality professionals, and they want to secure the best possible material existence for themselves and their children. They try to give their kids the strongest possible head start in life. A top-tier education is certainly a prerequisite for that, though obviously not the only one.

True, tutoring wasn't a thing in my day either; back then, it was strictly for kids failing classes or those who were truly struggling. I would say the attitude toward tutoring has changed significantly over the last decade, or even earlier if you look at the trends in Washington, D.C. I first heard about high-achieving students heading to tutors as a trend through family and friends. Later, it spread everywhere, though that's just my experience and not a formal study. Unfortunately, it's terrible that a portion of children will be left without this extra support simply because their families can't afford it. Our reality is that you can't always rely solely on the public school system, because in certain schools there are serious issues with certain subjects. So, I'd say the days of tutoring just to pass are long gone; ambitions for both children and parents have grown, with the goal being for kids to know more and do better, or to make up for what wasn't covered well in class. Ultimately, if your child achieves high success independently, is organized, and works hard, learning from their own mistakes, why wouldn't you as a parent want to further motivate and empower an already advanced child? Why are you so certain that the school they attend is sufficient for them to reach their full potential? I always believe there is room for growth. I hope my question doesn't come across as judging you as a parent, in the same way you judged me. 😁
So, I would say your perspective is somewhat anachronistic for today's world, or perhaps you're just lagging behind modern trends. Tutoring provides individuality, tailoring lessons to a child's specific needs, strengths, weaknesses, and ambitions; it builds upon existing knowledge and empowers the student. The only real problem is that it remains inaccessible to many because it's too expensive. Finally, your line of thinking—that "if you can't handle the curriculum, maybe it's not the right school for you"—is quite rigid and, frankly, demotivating. I think we should look more closely at what the actual problem is and see if it can be solved, addressing a weakness that might only be temporary, rather than immediately deciding "you don't belong here." Again, I believe in the power of education and hard work for every single child.

redridge13 said:Regarding this one:
Look, let me cut to the chase before I ramble on too long—our kid’s success isn't actually thanks to the school system, and honestly, that’s the real issue here. It’s mostly down to the hours I spend working with them and all the private tutoring sessions I feel are absolutely essential.
Why bother with tutors if the school was doing its job?

In my book, "lifelong learning" definitely doesn't mean "sitting at the kitchen table with Mom from first grade all the way through college." It’s pretty obvious we all have wildly different takes on what education looks like and how much parents should be stepping in to carry the load🙂.

Good luck to you too!

It’s always fascinating reading how parents view grades and academic achievement... it makes me wonder, were your parents actually this hands-on when you were growing up?

It seems you’re still clinging to a rather outdated way of looking at things. To suggest that you have been learning from your mother since the first grade feels unnecessarily condescending, especially when you refuse to stop insulting other parents and their children even after being called out on it. You seem unable to accept that every family has its own unique approach to raising and educating their kids, choosing instead to pass judgment on everyone else. Honestly, whenever an argument about education begins with someone saying, "Well, back when I was growing up," I find myself losing interest in the conversation entirely.

Kate Jackson4 said:At Central High, the minimum score for general studies is 70 and 72 for STEM, yet the last student enrolled last year needed a 76.43

Luciana was the only one among those who took the entrance exam with 72 points—the cutoff for STEM—but since the actual enrollment required nearly 82, it’s highly unlikely anyone with 72 would have made the cut...
However, since every school held its own separate entrance exam last year, perhaps this year students with at least 73 or 74 will actually stand a chance

Every single year the news outlets scream about how broken the system is, yet nothing ever changes... even Fuchs mentioned somewhere that there is absolutely no talk of using national standardized tests for high school admissions 😵
When are the elections finally happening?!?

Wouldn't that end up messing with our new vocational curriculum? Or maybe I'm just overthinking things—but I guess there’s a real chance it could throw everything off balance.

I guess I should probably weigh in here—though I’m not entirely sure if my perspective even matters at this point. It feels like everyone is talking over one another, and frankly, it’s getting a bit exhausting to follow. I mean, maybe I'm just being overly cautious, but there seems to be a certain... lack of clarity in how these things are being handled. It’s funny, actually—it reminds me of that time I was stuck in traffic outside of Chicago—just endless, circling, going nowhere while everyone around you thinks they know a shortcut that doesn't exist. That’s kind of how this conversation feels. We’re all just circling the drain of indecision. Anyway, I don't want to ramble too much—not that I ever seem to be able to help myself when I get started—but I think we need to look closer at the actual data instead of just reacting to the latest headline. Or maybe I'm wrong. It's hard to say for sure without more context, I suppose. kaže:
I guess I’m still thinking about those tutoring sessions for kids who are struggling—you know, where they aren't exactly hitting the mark—so the whole point of the instruction is just to scrape together a passing grade. It’s like, if someone manages to pull a 2 or a 3 out of thin air from some subject, fine. But then you have these people who already have a 4, yet they’re actually paying for extra coaching just to squeeze out a 5... it's a bit much, I suppose. 🤷
Is it because of parental ambition—you know, my kid pulling straight A's—or is it just this absolutely broken admissions system? Or maybe it’s both. I guess we could argue it's a bit of both. 🤷

I don't really support these kinds of mandates—I mean, I guess my take is that the curriculum in our elementary schools is already tailored to their age group... kids should be able to tackle it on their own, to whatever extent they can. If they can only manage a level 3, then maybe a level 3 is just where they need to be.
I honestly can't even remember when this whole obsession with private tutoring started—it feels like it came out of nowhere. Back when I was in school, we didn't have this culture of paying for extra help in elementary or high school, let alone college (though I hear even the professors at places like MIT are charging for one-on-one sessions these days, which is just... well, whatever). If you aren't able to wrap your head around the required curriculum, maybe—and I’m just saying this—maybe that specific high school or university isn't actually the right fit for you.

Back in 7th grade, my little girl had a vague idea of how things worked, but by 8th grade, she totally realized that most kids—some even focusing on three different subjects—are basically being coached. A good number of parents jump in to tutor them too, provided they actually have the knowledge and the patience to deal with it. Honestly, it’s rare when they’re just aiming for average grades, but it happens a lot when you're trying to polish those straight A's. And I suppose the reasons for this are pretty much what Kate Jackson4 and Michelle Nelson4 have been pointing out. There's a minimal amount of hysterical parents who already know their kids are headed straight for the Ivy League or MIT. Then you have the rest of them who are doing it just because the system is so fundamentally broken; they claim they don't care if their kids end up with B's or C's in high school, as long as they have more options when it comes to college applications. So, they go through the motions of intense prep courses during senior year to beef up those core subjects.
I suppose there are definitely some kids out there who are just completely self-sufficient—you know, the types who hit these incredible milestones all on their own without any parental hand-holding or constant direction. It’s a bit rare, I guess, but they exist.

Michelle Nelson4 said:That was actually two years ago, and it wasn't even an entrance exam—it was just based on their GPA. Her son had a 4.8 GPA, which sounds decent on paper, but he ended up getting rejected from all six high schools he applied to. It’s funny, really; at fourteen, you don't exactly realize that a 4.8 isn't quite cutting it when you're aiming for those specific competitive academies.

It’s just more proof that we shouldn't leave these kinds of life-altering decisions entirely up to a child.

The whole system is fundamentally broken.

I think we all know exactly what I’m talking about here. If you have just two B's on your transcript during seventh and eighth grade, you won't even get a foot in the door for an entrance interview at most of the top-tier prep schools.

I mean, look, how many high schools are even in Washington, D.C.? There must be at least twenty or so—so yeah, there was definitely a double-digit number of options he could have landed in. But, honestly... they weren't exactly those elite, Ivy League-prep kind of schools Mom had pictured in her head. So, naturally, she ends up paying the premium just to make sure he actually gets that "high society" experience.

Michelle Nelson4, what you’re talking about is just basic support for your kid.

If you were actually mapping out their entire life path for them, then yeah, we'd be talking about overbearing ambition here. 🙂

I think I made my point pretty clear regarding where the line is drawn when it comes to parents "interfering" with schoolwork—if a kid expresses an interest in something and asks for help, you back them up and make it happen whenever possible.
But honestly? Everything else—me stepping in to make decisions *for* the kid, or grinding away preparing extra workbooks and study guides they didn't even ask for (which, let's be real, kids that age are more than capable of finding their own interests)
is way too much in my book.

Sarah Hall53 said:I mean, look, how many high schools are even in Washington, D.C.? There must be at least twenty or so—so yeah, there was definitely a double-digit number of options he could have landed in. But, honestly... they weren't exactly those elite, Ivy League-prep kind of schools Mom had pictured in her head. So, naturally, she ends up paying the premium just to make sure he actually gets that "high society" experience.

The mom? I’d bet anything she let the kid make his own choices because of that whole "don't interfere with their autonomy" mantra, and now he's just taking advantage of it.
If Mom had actually stepped in earlier, he probably would have ended up at a school where he actually met the requirements.

Come on, since you're clearly the resident expert on D.C. high schools, why don't you tell us which of those fancy, "posh" six academies without entrance exams in 2021 are impossible to get into with a 4.8 GPA?

We all know they couldn't have been Prep Academy or Lincoln, because those places already required entrance exams by then.☕

I really have to say something here—there is a massive amount of teachers on this thread being absolutely heartless toward someone else's child. I honestly can't tell if it's just a professional burnout thing or what...

You honestly think some kid in 8th grade couldn't just hop onto a site like CollegeBoard, plug his grades into a GPA calculator, and see exactly where he stands with his top school choices?
I mean, he could easily slot two reach schools on his list—places where he's right on the edge—and then fill out the rest with safer bets where he’s almost guaranteed to get in.

Look, I’ll be the first to admit that this whole enrollment system is a mess, but it actually works fine in most cities... except for here in Los Angeles.
Living here is just a total circus.
On the bright side, at least we have a massive selection of private high schools to choose from if the public ones fail us.

edit: Just looking at some stats for a top-tier prep school nearby—with a 4.8 GPA, he should have been golden.
Yearly Points | Minimum | Average | Maximum
2022 | 73.86 | 75.8 | 80

Here’s how I always frame the argument:

If there is just one kid in a class who can actually navigate this broken system and pull top grades without private tutors, constant parental hand-holding, or any extra help—just pure independence—then the system isn't impossible. It just means some people need to actually put in the work, find better study habits, or simply accept that nothing happens without effort.

As for high school? If you aren't independent, you're headed straight for disaster.

But fine, I'll admit it: those were the clients who kept me in business. Once moms realized they could just pay for a tutor to fix their kid's grades, the money started flowing. By Friday, I was usually tipsy and high on their dime. Honestly, I treated myself to plenty of luxuries back then because money was tight. Let them think what they want.

Does that sound condescending? I couldn't care less if it does; it’s just the truth. Real intelligence is about being resourceful when things get messy. Any smart kid spends the first month scanning the teachers, figuring out their personalities, and learning how to play the game. And if a teacher is terrible? Well, everything you need is in the textbook. If someone can't even finish high school by reading the books and managing their own learning, they have zero chance at a university. Period.

CNN just released last year's data, not the current numbers.
I honestly can't decide if it's truly vital for a kid to grasp how much those cutoff lines shift, or if they're just dealing with typical teenage mood swings—that unshakable belief that being a straight-A student somehow guarantees they'll find a way into their top choice during summer admissions, even if the math doesn't quite add up yet.

Take our local high school, for instance. They haven't actually sat the students down to explain any of this; instead, everyone is just left to figure it out on their own. It’s wild trying to navigate a forest of half-baked information online. I wouldn't bet my life on the idea that the administration actually has everything fully figured out...

@redridge13, don't sleep on these kids

I was reading this thread about how kids as young as fifth or sixth grade are already deep in the weeds, debating which high schools to aim for and what the tuition looks like.
My little one actually started asking me about local high school options back in fifth grade because her friend’s older sister was going through the enrollment process at the time.

If you check the data on sites like GreatSchools, the stats might be from last year, but they give you a solid look at the trends for every school in the district—you can basically track the trajectory over the last five or six years if you dig.

Looking at that whole situation with the family over in Chicago, I’d say both the parents and the kid totally misjudged the situation.
And well, you know how it goes... once things go south, it’s all over the news.

I don't want to get too bogged down in debating everyone, but if parents start obsessing over grades starting in 5th grade and forcing kids to study just for the sake of a number (or even calling teachers to nag about them), aren't we just creating the exact situation we have now? We end up with a bunch of kids who have 🤔
maximum points on paper, but
actually lack a solid foundation of knowledge.

Regarding the link I shared (before the discussion veered off track), that was essentially a bit of self-promotion about why she’s choosing a private high school. Her other option would be moving back to her home state, which she mentioned on her profile, but that isn't happening because everyone needs to live in 😬 New York City.
It was a similar story two years ago when a journalist wrote about her own child. She was going to enroll her regardless; she just ended up getting a lot of attention for it. Though, from my experience working with college students, not all private schools are bad—some are actually excellent.

The experiment of looking at cumulative GPA over all four years, calculated to two decimal places, started about a decade ago (as noted at the start of this thread, the author predicted these outcomes quite well 😢).
Back then, it might have made sense to look at more than just 7th and 8th grade, but year after year, we see how flawed relying on total GPA is. Kids miss out because of a tiny 0.03 difference, which could easily come down to whether they took a specific elective like PE, a second foreign language, or computer science. It might make more sense to look at math specifically for STEM tracks over all four years, or a continuous foreign language for humanities tracks... you could even include computer science from 5th and 6th grade since it's mandatory.

When they stopped giving extra credit for second languages and music programs, it put that entire generation of students at a huge disadvantage because those points used to be the deciding factor for enrollment.
Before that change, even with a total of 60 points, kids could get into STEM programs with Cs in social studies or Bs in PE because they had straight As in their core subjects.
Back then, you didn't see these tiny decimal differences or the impact of 5th and 6th-grade grades.
(Actually, during the rush to get into certain schools, there was an increase in students qualifying through hardship credits or special circumstances because there were simply too many kids with perfect scores.)

Interestingly, throughout this whole period, tutoring and parental help haven't gone away; if anything, this obsession with boosting grades has intensified. Extra credit points weren't brought back because if you give points for things like music or a second language, it becomes a matter of what a parent can afford, which discriminates against some families. This kind of "help," however, doesn't depend on parental wealth and doesn't create such an uneven playing field. 🤔 🥱

I honestly don't know how else to fix this, other than through entrance exams. For instance, at a specialized academy in Chicago, you can see that lately, kids with Cs in English in 8th grade are getting in because they can make up for it on the exam, which is great!

An entrance exam should account for at least 30% of the score (if you ask me, it should be 60%). It should focus on the specific subjects that the school deems important for its curriculum. To avoid the chaos of parents having to drive to dozens of different locations, the exam should be standardized for all STEM schools. And everyone who wants to take it should be able to, regardless of their current point total. Right now, with only 10 points available, a student with 72 points should be doing their best and hoping that the kids with 80 points don't show up to the exam. Or, if they do, that they don't earn more than one extra point. (Though if they have the same number of points, I assume the higher exam score wins.)

I also think schools should have the autonomy to award extra points for other criteria if they believe it will make enrollment easier while still ensuring they select the highest quality students.