Decision guides
Start with the question keeping you up at night.
A good school guide helps you decide, not just collect more facts. Pick the point in the process where your family feels stuck.
Start with the entry point
What does this process actually ask of your child—and of you?
Current calendars matter. So do the less visible decisions: list balance, interviews, school reports, testing, and financial aid. So does how much ownership your child is ready to take.
Kindergarten admissions at NYC private schools
What play visits and parent conversations involve, and how to build a balanced list.
Grade 6Grade 6 admissions at NYC private schools
Where new seats open, and how testing, student writing, and recommendations add up.
Grade 6 · Build the listSchool fit, real entry points, and a commute an eleven-year-old can carry
Which schools suit your child’s pace and independence, and what the daily trip will ask.
Grade 6 · Learning supportTell the useful truth about support and accommodations
How much to share with schools, and when, so they can support your child well.
Grade 6 · Aid and decisionsRead the offer, compare the real cost, and protect the child
How to weigh an offer against its real cost and the public-school timeline.
Grade 9Grade 9 admissions at NYC private schools
This process is student-owned. It is also a four-year family decision.
Public schools · K, 6, and 9NYC public-school admissions, without the folklore
How programs, priorities, and matching work, and what to do with offers and waitlists.
NYC · Public charter schoolsLotteries, waitlists, services, and campus fit
How to apply outside MySchools, and how to judge the actual campus before accepting a seat.
NYC · Specialized high schoolsThe SHSAT and LaGuardia paths for Fall 2027
How SHSAT choices and LaGuardia auditions differ, and how to plan your applications.
NYC · LaGuardia High SchoolThe six-studio audition and the double curriculum
How the six studios differ, and what an audition asks of a student.
NYC · Stuyvesant High SchoolOne test for admissions, and a four-year question of fit
Whether the course choices and workload suit your child, beyond the SHSAT result.
NYC · Bronx ScienceLook past the science reputation to the actual program
What the curriculum, research, and workload mean for a first-year student.
NYC · Brooklyn TechUnderstand the majors system before you choose the school
How major assignment works, and how a school of this size shapes the experience.
NYC · Brooklyn LatinClassical study and the IB Diploma, and whether both suit your child
What Latin, seminar classes, and the Diploma workload ask of a student.
NYC · HSMSE at City CollegeAn accelerated STEM sequence in a small-school setting
How compressed math and concentrations work, and what campus life feels like.
NYC · Staten Island TechEngineering sequence, school size, and the real commute
What robotics and computer-aided design involve, and how course choice works.
NYC · High School of American StudiesAmerican history, a small school, and the Lehman connection
What the required program offers, and how it connects to college access.
NYC · Queens High School for the SciencesA concentrated STEM program, and the practicalities of getting there
What the STEM courses offer, and how the relocation affects access and commute.
Los Angeles · K, 6, and 9Los Angeles private-school admissions for Fall 2027
Where schools share dates, where testing differs, and which entry points to plan for.
Los Angeles · Calendar and processA Fall 2027 calendar, with school-specific deadlines
How to sequence portals, testing, and interviews, and recover if you start late.
Los Angeles · List and commuteBuild a school list your child and family can live with
How to weigh school type, pace, and support against traffic and the daily trip.
Los Angeles · Aid and decisionsRead the aid offer, contract, deposit, and whole-family cost
How aid offers, renewals, and appeals work, including when parents have separate households.
Washington, D.C. · K, 6, and 9Washington-area private-school admissions for Fall 2027
Which entry points matter across DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia, and how to plan the trip.
Washington, D.C. · Calendar and processPlan Fall 2027 applications across DC, Maryland, and Virginia
How the shared applications and school portals fit together, and what to do if you start late.
Washington, D.C. · List and commuteBuild a regional school list around the child’s real week
How school type and support shape a list that works by Metro, bus, or car.
Washington, D.C. · Aid and decisionsCompare aid, full cost, contracts, deposits, and timing
How the main aid applications work, and how to compare offers on full cost.
Bay Area · K, 6, and 9Bay Area private-school admissions for Fall 2027
How four regional markets differ, and why school-specific calendars matter.
Bay Area · Calendar and processPlan Fall 2027 applications across the Bay Area
How shared platforms and direct school portals work together, and how to start late.
Bay Area · List and commuteBuild a shortlist around fit and the actual weekday trip
How school type and support shape the list, and what bridges, buses, and transit ask of a week.
Bay Area · Aid and decisionsCompare aid systems, complete cost, contracts, and timing
How schools count home equity and other assets, and what that means for your offer.
Boston · K, 6, and 9Boston private-school admissions for Fall 2027
How to weigh a city or suburban day school against boarding at each entry year.
Boston · Calendar and processPlan Fall 2027 day-school and boarding applications
How day, junior boarding, five-day, and full-boarding schedules differ.
Boston · List and commuteBuild the shortlist around fit and commute reality
How school type and support fit your child, and how to get them there each day.
Boston · Aid and decisionsCompare full cost, contracts, and timing—not grant percentages
How to compare the full cost of day and boarding offers, not just the grant.
Dallas–Fort Worth · School models comparedFive Dallas schools—and five promises to a family
Greenhill, Hockaday, St. Mark’s, Cistercian, and Jesuit, compared by what each offers a child.
Dallas–Fort Worth · K, 6, and 9Dallas–Fort Worth private-school admissions for Fall 2027
How the local systems differ, and what the drive home after activities looks like.
Dallas–Fort Worth · Calendar and processBuild around the March decision squeeze
How Dallas, Fort Worth, Catholic, and public-choice calendars overlap, and what to do when dates collide.
Dallas–Fort Worth · List and commuteFit the entry grade, school model, support, and drive home
How to match school type and learning support to your child, including when they split time between two homes.
Dallas–Fort Worth · Aid and decisionsPrice the contract, not the grant percentage
How to compare the total cost, payment schedule, and public-school timeline before committing.
Houston · School models comparedEight Houston schools—and eight versions of a good week
Independent, Catholic, international, boarding, and public options, compared by the week they give a child.
Houston · K, 6, and 9Houston private-school admissions for Fall 2027
How entry points and mixed application dates work, with traffic, buses, and weather in mind.
Houston · Calendar and processBuild around the March decision week
How private, Catholic, and public-school decisions overlap, and how to plan for it.
Houston · List and commuteFit the child, entry grade, support, and drive home
How school type and support fit, and what buses, traffic, and storms add to a week.
Houston · Aid and decisionsCompare the family bill, not the tuition line
How to total the real cost of a school, beyond the tuition figure.
Chicago · K, 6, and 9Chicago private-school admissions for Fall 2027
How city and North Shore entry points differ, and where the public-school application, GoCPS, fits in.
Chicago · Calendar and processBuild around the first calendar collision
How public, independent, Catholic, and boarding paths overlap, and what to do when dates conflict.
Chicago · List and commuteFit the child, entry grade, support, and train home
How CTA and Metra routes, school type, and support shape a workable list.
Chicago · Aid and decisionsCompare the complete family obligation and the public-school clock
How to compare contracts and wait pools with GoCPS timing before you commit.
Atlanta · Six schools comparedSix different definitions of a strong education
Westminster, Pace, Woodward, Lovett, Atlanta International, and Atlanta Classical, compared by educational model.
Atlanta · K, 6, and 9Atlanta private-school admissions for Fall 2027
Where the shared calendar applies, and where schools depart from it.
Atlanta · Calendar and processBuild around the April decision window
How shared testing, school deadlines, and public lotteries line up, and what to do about conflicts.
Atlanta · List and commuteFit the child, entry grade, support, and weekday drive
How school type, faith-based models, and specialist support shape a list that works on weekdays.
Atlanta · Aid and decisionsCompare the family bill, not the award
How to total the real cost, and weigh aid programs against contracts and timing.
Seattle · Five schools comparedFive commute and pickup patterns around Puget Sound
Lakeside, UPrep, Bush, Seattle Academy, and Annie Wright, compared by what the weekday route asks of a family.
Seattle · K, 6, and 9Seattle private-school admissions for Fall 2027
Where the shared regional calendar applies, and where schools work outside it.
Seattle · Calendar and processCoordinate five different admissions calendars
How the shared regional calendar and Catholic, public, specialist, and boarding timelines overlap.
Seattle · List and commuteFit the child, bridge, ferry, and late-activity return
How school type and support limits fit, and what bridges, ferries, and late activities do to the ride home.
Seattle · Aid and decisionsCompare the family bill, not the grant
How to total tuition, transport, and boarding costs before comparing aid offers.
Build a thoughtful shortlist
Which differences will your child feel during the school week?
A recognizable name is not an educational model. These comparisons look at how schools organize learning, support, community, and challenge. They also look at the family commute.
Eight schools—and three admissions systems that do not share a playbook
Independent, selective-enrollment public, and Jesuit routes, compared by entry, model, and commute.
Boston schoolsEleven schools—and several different travel and activity patterns
City and suburban day, five-day, and boarding schools, compared by what a week asks of a family.
Washington, DC schoolsFifteen schools—and four admissions systems hiding inside one market
Private, selective DCPS, charter, and boarding options, compared by entry, support, and commute.
Bay Area schoolsTwelve schools—and four different Bay Area childhoods
San Francisco, East Bay, Peninsula, and South Bay schools, compared by geography and school model.
Los Angeles private schoolsThirteen schools—and thirteen versions of daily life
Start with geography, then compare teaching models, support, and cost.
Advanced, gifted, and twice-exceptional learnersSix NYC models for children who need more—or need something different
Speyer, Anderson, NEST+m, Hunter, BASIS Manhattan, and Quad Prep, compared by challenge and support.
Jewish day schoolsRamaz, SAR, and Heschel, compared through family life
How Modern Orthodox and pluralistic models differ, including Hebrew pathways.
International and bilingual schoolsNine NYC international-school models, decoded
Whether language is the medium or a subject, and which diploma pathway follows.
Coeducational schoolsFive NYC coed schools, compared carefully
Dalton, Trinity, Horace Mann, Fieldston, and Riverdale. Without a ranking.
Girls’ schoolsThe Upper East Side girls-school decision
Brearley, Chapin, Spence, Nightingale, and Hewitt, in practice.
Boys’ schoolsInside NYC’s all-boys school choices
Traditions, teaching models, entry points, and culture. Where they diverge.
Educational approachWhat “progressive” means at seven NYC schools
Schools use that label differently. These are the real practices behind it.
Learning differencesNYC specialized and independent schools for learning differences
How teaching and therapy models differ, and what an evaluation report cannot tell you.
Upper West SideUpper West Side private schools, unpacked
Neighborhood convenience does not make these schools interchangeable.
BrooklynFive Brooklyn private schools, compared
Saint Ann’s, Packer, Poly Prep, Berkeley Carroll, and Brooklyn Friends. Through a family-life lens.
Boarding schoolsNew England boarding schools, compared
Academic structure and residential life. Support and travel. Fit.
Boarding admissionsKeep track of boarding-school applications for Fall 2027
How shared and school portals fit together, and what to do about late starts.
Boarding interviews and visitsPrepare for the conversation—and inspect the life
How interview formats differ by school, and what to notice on campus.
Boarding residential lifeInvestigate dorms, weekends, support, and safeguarding
Who looks after students at night, on quiet weekends, and when a student cannot ask for help.
Boarding financial aidWhat boarding school will cost your family
How to budget for travel and other extras, and plan for aid renewal.
Boarding offers and contractsHandle revisits, waitlists, deposits, and the final decision
What to read in the offer, aid letter, and enrollment agreement before you sign.
International boardingPlan visas, guardians, breaks, health care, and travel
From the I-20 form through airport handoffs, medication, and emergency pickup.
Make the family decision
Can this choice work beyond the admissions season?
The offer is only the beginning. Whether a choice lasts depends on cost, transportation, the support your child needs, sibling logistics, and your child’s appetite for the school’s daily model.
What your family may actually pay
True annual cost. Separate households. Renewal, and comparing offers.
Entry strategyUnderstand NYC private-school entry points
Where classes grow. Where openings depend on families leaving. Why timing changes the list.
Kindergarten research toolBuild your NYC Kindergarten school list
A searchable starting point. For identifying possible schools. Not for ranking them.
How we workSee our evidence and editorial standard
How we handle school claims and parent concerns. Uncertainty. Corrections.