School life · Los Angeles
Two hours of woo-hoo
She had a stopping time. The cars had other plans.
Harvard-Westlake’s drive-through graduation · 2020Read the story
School life, between the linesBy Admissions Diary
Notes from the School Gates
School stories, admissions adventures, and the things parents talk about on the way home.
New York & beyondHistory · Culture · Parent perspectives
Traditions & rivalries · Connecticut
Please count the runners
A parent could watch every game in Lakeville and still not know who won Taft Day.
Taft Day · November 2019Read the story
Traditions & rivalries · Massachusetts
Groton's zebra goes to committee
The nickname existed. The face did not. Fixing this required five departments and, by one estimate, twenty sets of eyes.
Operation Zebra · 2018Read the story
School portraits · Seattle
Mason has been sent to the office
Lakeside’s Pet Day had a small transportation problem.
Senior Pet Day · May 2022Read the story
School portraits · Boston
Roxbury Latin applauds. You are disqualified.
The Greek was going well. Then there were two boys.
Exelauno Day · March 2023Read the story
School portraits · New York City
Spence knows this one
A choir trip to Italy, with a small detour through Radiohead.
Italy · March 2026Read the story
School stories · California · Utah
The dinosaur will have to wait
The Webb Schools took students into badlands already searched by the experts. Then a teenager spotted something that would require a helicopter to bring home.
Found in 2009 · Brought home in 2010Read the story
Rivalries & rituals · New York City · Boston
Collegiate would like ten more candles
The school was already very old. Its age still needed a little work.
A birthday investigation · 1974–2028Read the story
School portraits · Los Angeles
The Fifty-Minute Pizza Run
Harvard-Westlake prefects set out to treat their classmates to food trucks. They ran straight into a fifty-minute clock, vendor contracts, and a debate over fries.
2022–2023 · School lunchRead the story
School portraits · New York City
At Brearley, twelve flights and a sofa
While older pupils head north for the woods, Brearley’s kindergarteners conquer the big kids’ building.
School life · A kindergarten Mountain DayRead the story
Rivalries & rituals · New England
Your rival wants to share the newspaper
Two rival papers managed a shared issue. The pep rally still needed a breakable door.
November 2025 · School rivalriesRead the story
The admissions files · Beyond New York
She meant to want the rival
He was taken with the place. She still had the rival in mind.
One family’s account · 2015Read the story