Enrollment Management

A Parent’s Guide to Private School Entrance Exams

There are many reasons why a private, independent, or boarding school could be an excellent option for your child.

• Private schools typically offer thrilling academic challenges, extensive STEM or arts programs, or other remarkable resources.
• Their student-teacher ratios are low.
• Their faculty usually have advanced academic degrees and strong professional reputations.

About 10 percent of students attend private schools nationwide.

• Private school admissions tend to be selective and in many cases competitive.
• To help distinguish applicants who meet admission standards, private schools use standardized testing.
• The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) and Secondary School Admissions Exam (SSAT) are the most commonly used admissions tests for private, independent, and boarding schools.
• The High School Placement Test (HSPT) is often used by Catholic schools for entrance into grade 9.

The ISEE and SSAT are long multiple-choice tests lasting 2-3 hours and potentially covering above-grade-level content.

• For the 4^th grader applying to a private middle school, this might be the first time they have undergone two hours of solid testing with only one or two short breaks.
• The best starting point is always to have your student take a full-length diagnostic test.
• It’s important to know where your child is starting from so that you can help them get to where they need to be.

This video offers an overview of the ISEE private school standardized admissions test.

Editor's note:

I asked Attorney Sara Goldsmith Schwartz, whose "practice is focused on the critical issues facing school administrators and leadership," to answer my questions and provide some general guidance regarding best practices for enrollment agreements. This article is intended for the information of owners, administrators, and trustees of small to medium size private schools. ~ Rob Kennedy

The relationship between parents, students, and the school is determined by contract law. Can you tell us what that means?

The relationship between parents, students, and the school is based on a lot of documents, including the student/parent handbook, the code of conduct, the enrollment agreement, and more. The enrollment agreement, however, is the only legal contract, and it memorializes the relationship between the parents, students, and the school, binding the parties to the terms and conditions laid out in the agreement. The agreement assists schools in collecting tuition and fees in cases of non-payment and in assessing late fees in cases of late payment. However, a comprehensive agreement addresses far more than tuition and fees.

This short clip explains why contracts are important legal documents.

How can a professionally written enrollment agreement prevent litigation in the future?

A properly drafted enrollment agreement is a cornerstone of a school’s risk management strategy. For instance, it can help deter parents from bringing claims against the school, as well as help the school prevail on such claims.

An enrollment agreement