Private School Review Blog

How Much Unstructured Time Does Your Child Have? - Learn why unstructured time matters during a private school day, how recess, lunch, free periods, and transitions affect students, and what parents should evaluate before enrolling. (Updated Oct. 6, 2026)
What Happens When Bullying Continues Outside School? - Learn how private schools may respond when bullying continues through social media, texts, gaming, and off-campus activities, and what parents should document, report, and expect. (Updated Oct. 6, 2026)
How Private Schools Handle Food Allergies - Learn how private schools manage food allergies, from emergency plans and epinephrine access to cafeteria procedures, staff training, field trips, and the questions parents should verify before enrolling their child. (Updated Oct. 6, 2026)

Quick Facts (26-27)

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5 Signs You Are On The Right Track
It is easy to get side-tracked when you embark on a major project like searching for a private school for your child. Here are five indications that you are doing it correctly.

Here is another way of looking at the private school search process. This checklist highlights the main tasks in what is, for most of us, an eighteen to twenty-month-long project. While circumstances will occasionally require you to do everything in a rush at the last minute, we will review progress from the point of view of the more customary time frame. Work transfers or some other event requiring you to move to a new city never happen conveniently, do they? When you have to find a private school quickly, you will have to telescope the full-length search into a few months. That is doable, and I discuss how to handle that situation in Is It Too Late To Apply?. In the meantime, let's review the five signs that you are on the right track in your private school search process.

You have scanned dozens of private school websites.

In step one, you look at as many private school websites as possible. Start with the powerful search engine right here on Private School Review. We have over 27,000 schools in our database. As a result, you should be able to find plenty of material. The only filters which you might want to use at this early stage are the following: kind of school, i.e., religious, military, and special needs; and the grades offered. Before you start searching, determine the kind of school which you want for your child. If you are looking for

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A Guide To Schools Within 10 Miles Of Philadelphia

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A Guide To Schools Within 10 Miles Of Philadelphia
Philadelphia is home to some of the oldest K-12 schools in the nation.

Philadelphia is home to some of the oldest K-12 schools in the nation. Located strategically on the east coast on the main transportation routes between New York City and Washington, DC, Philadelphia itself offers a wealth of commercial and cultural activities for families. And if the city doesn't have what you are looking for, Delaware, New Jersey, and Maryland are just minutes away. The following school profiles spotlight private K-12 schools within 10 miles of Philadelphia. Of the 73 schools shown in the search results, I included schools which offer instruction up to Grade 12 and have a student population of over 200 in most cases.

Private schools within 10 miles of Philadelphia

International Christian High School, Philadelphia, PA

  • Miles from Philadelphia: 6
  • Founded in 1968
  • Number of students: 123
  • Grades 9-12, day. Coeducational
  • Religious Affiliation: Christian
  • Student-teacher ratio: 11:1

The course catalog lists 5 AP courses. For complete details regarding curriculum, sports, extracurricular activities, costs, and other information, see the International Christian High School profile.

The Haverford School, Haverford, PA

  • Miles from Philadelphia: 8.6
  • Founded in 1884
  • Number of students: 981
  • Grades PK-12, day. Boys
  • Religious Affiliation: Non-sectarian
  • Student-teacher ratio: 9:1

For complete details regarding curriculum, sports, extracurricular activities, costs, and other information, see The Haverford School profile.

Friends Select School, Philadelphia, PA

  • Miles from Philadelphia: 0.3
  • Founded in 1689
  • Number of students: 971
  • Grades PK-12, day. Coeducational
  • Religious Affiliation: Quaker
  • Student-teacher ratio: 10:1

For complete details regarding curriculum, sports,

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A Guide to the Cleveland Council of Independent Schools

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A Guide to the Cleveland Council of Independent Schools
The Cleveland Council of Independent Schools is an organization which currently has thirteen member schools in the greater Cleveland area.

The Cleveland Council of Independent Schools currently has thirteen member schools in the Greater Cleveland metropolitan area. On the list below are schools which offer a variety of programs including college prep, Montessori, and special needs. The CCIS website is informative and useful. It also has an employment section worth bookmarking if you are looking for a teaching or administrative position in one of their member schools.

Andrews Osborne Academy, Willoughby, OH

Founded in 1910
Number of students: 336
Grades PK-12, day. Grades 7-12, boarding. Coeducational
Religious Affiliation: Nonsectarian

Andrews Osborne Academy is situated on a 330 acre campus about 20 miles east of Cleveland just outside the charming suburban city of Willoughby. The school offers a 6:1 student-teacher ratio. The course catalog lists 104 academic courses and 11 AP courses. For complete details regarding curriculum, sports, extracurricular activities, costs, and other information, see the Andrews Osborne Academy profile.

Birchwood School, Cleveland, OH

Founded in 1984
Number of students: 202
Grades PK-8, day. Coeducational
Religious Affiliation: Nonsectarian

Birchwood School is located in Cleveland convenient to I-90, I-480 and I-71. The school offers gifted education as well as a comprehensive series of signature programs such as Speech Fest and Woodmath. For complete details regarding curriculum, sports, extracurricular activities, costs, and other information, see the Birchwood School profile.

Gilmour Academy, Gates Mills, OH

Founded in 1946
Number of students: 653
Grades PK-12, day. Coeducational
Religious

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5 Private School Visit Mistakes

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5 Private School Visit Mistakes
When you visit schools, please don't make the following common mistakes. A little thought and preparation will help you make the best impression possible.

Visiting schools on your shortlist is one of the most important parts of finding the right private school for your child. You cannot and must not skip this part of the process. Why? Well, the videos on YouTube and the glossy catalogs are excellent introductions to the schools which you have identified as possible matches for your requirements. They give you an overview of the school and its programs. Unfortunately, the schools have positioned those videos and photos to show the best features of their schools. Think Architectural Digest. Have you ever seen any clutter in an AD photoshoot? Of course not. Everybody puts their best foot forward. Same thing with schools.

The school visit allows you to look at things that are not in the photos or mentioned in the catalog. The same rationale applies to you when you visit schools. Up to that point, you and your child are simply names on a list and a file folder. Your visiting gives the schools the opportunity to see who you are and to gauge your child's preparedness for the academic work ahead. So, when you visit schools, please don't make the following common mistakes. A little thought and preparation will help you make the best impression possible.

Being late

Being 10 minutes early for your appointment is sensible. That way you will have time to park and compose yourself and your child before entering the admissions office. Admissions staffers are busy professionals who keep

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The Velcro Parent

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The Velcro Parent
Learn how to avoid becoming a Velcro parent in 2026 by balancing involvement with independence, supporting your child at every grade level while building confidence, resilience, and lifelong decision-making skills.

Velcro is a hook-and-loop fastener that sticks things together. It also has become a popular term for describing a certain kind of overprotective parent. The other term used to describe such parents is helicopter parent. The term drone is also used. I was curious about the phenomenon as I don't recall that Nancy or I were that over-protective with our children. My research indicates that hovering came into vogue with the advent of smartphones. Today, smartphones, school communication apps, and text messaging make it easier than ever for parents to stay constantly connected with their children. While these tools can strengthen communication, they also make it easier to become too involved. That is not good for your child, and her school will not appreciate your Velcro tendencies. There has to be a balance between hands-on involvement and a hands-off approach. Private School Review discusses this partnership between schools and families in Parent Engagement in Private Schools in 2026. So, let's approach the issue from that perspective. We will look at how this applies to each grade level as your children progress through their schools.

Pre-school

I was one of those lucky fathers who drove my daughters to their pre-schools. In those days, back in the 70s, I was on the staff of a large Episcopal church on Long Island. Our house was about 2 miles from my eldest daughter's preschool. The preschool was located in the Sunday School classroom wing of the church. The school had just

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Recent Articles

How Much Unstructured Time Does Your Child Have?
How Much Unstructured Time Does Your Child Have?
Learn why unstructured time matters during a private school day, how recess, lunch, free periods, and transitions affect students, and what parents should evaluate before enrolling.
What Happens When Bullying Continues Outside School?
What Happens When Bullying Continues Outside School?
Learn how private schools may respond when bullying continues through social media, texts, gaming, and off-campus activities, and what parents should document, report, and expect.
How Private Schools Handle Food Allergies
How Private Schools Handle Food Allergies
Learn how private schools manage food allergies, from emergency plans and epinephrine access to cafeteria procedures, staff training, field trips, and the questions parents should verify before enrolling their child.