Many parents ask us if for “college admissions purposes” it’s better to attend a well-known private school versus a public school. The key words here are, “for college admissions purposes.” Parenting is definitely not a “one size fits all” and as parents ourselves, we encourage others to figure out which is the best school situation for each child. And, parents should not make any decisions based purely on college admissions odds –this is the wrong way to address a crucial choice that involves far more variables than simply college admissions.

One valid reason to send your student to private school is if you want him or her to have smaller classes, specific classes, sports or specialty offerings not offered at your public school, a particular social environment, etc. This isn’t to say there aren’t public schools out there that offer these qualities.

Comfort Level is Key

Most importantly, students will perform better – and be happier – at a school where they feel most comfortable. If a student truly loves Andover, is a natural scholar, is ready for an academic challenge and the family can pay for and believes the expense is warranted, then Andover is the right choice. And, note that Andover and other private schools have scholarship opportunities available. If the local public school has great teachers, neighborhood friends, a full lineup of AP courses, and a safe environment, then it may be worth more to a student than any of the famous prep schools.

It’s not a good idea to send a student to private school in the vain hope of bettering college admissions odds. That was “back in the day” when a Headmaster would call the President of a top college and they would negotiate where Johnny might attend college. You can almost hear the gray haired Head saying, “Johnny is definitely a Harvard man like his father and grandfather before him.” Not so anymore, we can assure you.

Admissions Officers Do Their Homework

Admissions officers are not impressed by just a big name private high school. They’ve done their research. The admissions officer covering a specific high school knows the rigor of courses being offered. Have you taken advantage of that line up? They also have to report accepted student stats and don’t necessarily want to lower their data even for a student who attended a tough private school. Being high impact INSIDE the classroom is key no matter what school you attend. And, being high impact OUTSIDE of the classroom will help set you apart. Remember — colleges consider what students bring to them and accept high school students not high schools.

 

Public vs. Private Schools

In many cases, comparing public schools to private schools is like comparing apples to oranges, YET the acceptance rates for both at top colleges is almost identical.

So yes, most of the Ivies admit roughly 25% of their populations from private schools and roughly 60-70% 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 typically equal. Further, it is important to note that colleges do not give any additional credit to applicants from private or prep schools, even though their academic work is often more challenging than that of their peers in public school. Even a student who is ranked first in a top public school will not be accepted to top colleges if he or she has low scores on the SAT or ACT and Subject Tests. And, admissions officers will expect higher Subject Test scores from private school students as they have smaller classes and the assumption is, more attention from teachers.

Competition Plays a Role

Another thing to consider is the competition — at top private schools like Andover, Exeter, Choate, Groton, Deerfield and Harvard-Westlake, only the top students get into the very top colleges. And, colleges will take many recruited athletes, underrepresented students, or other “hooked” kids who are below this level but that’s for another post. It’s actually HARDER to be in the top 5-10% of the class at a place where almost everyone is super qualified versus a big public school where the competition might not be as fierce.

It might seem that it is always better to go to a public school as there are more students than private schools, less competition in terms of rank, a better chance to be on top if you’re a diligent student… But, the other factor to keep in mind is that if the school is not very good, the odds are students will not have the correspondingly high standardized test scores or rigor of coursework that they need to get into top colleges, whatever their rank may be. They may need to self-study outside of the classroom, taking AP courses online and dual enrolling at local community colleges. Yet, at elite private schools where the competition to be in the top 10 percent of the senior class is tough, it may actually hurt one’s chances of being accepted into a very selective school.

And, there are super competitive public schools such as Boston Latin and New York’s Stuyvesant where admission depends on the result of competitive tests that students take in elementary or middle school. These schools in particular brag often about the number of students they “send” to Harvard. The newspaper at Harvard, The Harvard Crimson, lists the 7 or 8 high schools that are most represented in their freshman class. For instance for the Class of 2017 they wrote:

In total, one out of every 20 Harvard freshmen attended one of the seven high schools most represented in the class of 2017—Boston Latin, Phillips Academy in Andover, Stuyvesant High School, Noble and Greenough School, Phillips Exeter Academy, Trinity School in New York City, and Lexington High School.

A mix of public and private, but all are competitive high schools, meaning rigorous classes, motivated students, parents who may have VIP status, and legacies.

Bragging Rights

Colleges like to brag. Bragging about the percentage of admitted students from the top 10%, the percentage of valedictorians and salutatorians they accept, about how diverse their college is; these are all up for grabs in terms of bragging rights. It’s their thing. It’s what they do. And it’s what keeps the applications flowing in year after year from both public and private schools. Not only that, but it’s strategic and helps with their US News and World Report rankings.

For Dartmouth’s admitted Class of 2020, 63% came from public schools (up from 60.8% last year) versus 25.4% from private schools (11.6% came from parochial schools); 94.6% ranked in the top ten percent of their graduating class (of the high schools that ranked) and 37.1% were their class valedictorian.

So, assuming that colleges are looking at two students with equally impressive standardized test scores but one is ranked number one in a big urban high school where he or she has had to work outside of the school to deepen an academic interest and the other is in the top 10 percent of the class at a private school with little to set them apart, statistics show they will favor the public school candidate. Again, a lot more goes into decisions, this is just pulling out some data.

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There are plenty of private schools that have high acceptance rates at top tier colleges. These students will be a collection of recruited athletes, underrepresented minorities, children of VIPs, legacies, and true scholars. While there are also hooked students at public schools, the VIPs and legacy tags are more plentiful in expensive prep schools. We urge parents who are trying to decide public vs private for their student to read the school’s profile that lists acceptance rates to colleges. Educate yourself on the data, where do students get in? Ask to see scattergrams from this year’s class (from Naviance).

Private School Statistics

Here are some 2015 stats from private schools with high acceptance rates to the Ivies:

• The College Preparatory School, Oakland, CA, 29%
• Philips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH, 29%
• Harvard-Westlake School, Los Angeles, CA, ~30%
• Chapin, New York, NY, ~30%
• The Dalton School, New York, NY, ~31%
• The Winsor School, Boston, MA, ~31%
• Roxbury Latin School, West Roxbury, MA ~36%
• Horace Mann School, The Bronx, NY, ~36%

Attending a private school versus a public school is not the only factor that determines college admissions results.

We work with students from the most elite of private schools to the most public of public schools. If students have top grades and test scores, are high impact and work to deepen their academic interests –where their high school transcript originates is a moot point.

Real intellectual power and love of learning knows no bounds, and these attributes cross school choice, ethnic, economic, social, and political lines.