High School Placement News Continued…
Now that our high school information night has taken place, it’s on to Phase Two of the high school application process…
Phase two involves researching and visiting schools. Our parents and students are in the midst of this phase now. We are fortunate in the San Diego area to have many excellent options for high school. Visiting the school(s) is a very important part of the process. A school might have a fabulous reputation and look great on paper or on its website, but not feel right when you are actually on campus. Whether or not a school is a fit depends upon many elements which vary in importance for each student and family: academic program; cost of tuition; financial aid; location/commute; community; diversity; philosophy/mission; extra curriculars; athletics; arts; reputation; test scores – just to name a few.
Phase three: the application process and all that goes along with it. This phase is just beginning for our families and includes: completing the choice application for public schools; completing online or paper applications for independent schools; asking teachers and administrators for letters of recommendation; scheduling interviews - we work with the students individually on interview skills; signing up for and practicing for placement tests as necessary.
Phase Four: Receiving the news about acceptance. The dates vary depending on the school, but decisions are usually received by March 15. Our students fare extremely well in this area, because they are academically prepared and talented, and also because they are interesting candidates, coming from a bilingual education background. Each year, almost all of our students receive offers of admission at their first choice schools. There is no guarantee, of course, as many factors outside of an applicant’s control affect the outcome reached by each school or district. That said, while public schools use a lottery for the choice applications, the independent schools are definitely interested in looking at candidates from SDFAS.
Phase five: Making the decision. Our students often receive multiple offers of admission so re-visits and spending a day in class at the school is sometimes needed to reach a final decision. Once a decision is reached, the family notifies the high school and requests a final transcript to be sent to that school from SDFAS. SDFAS also sends a “9th grade suggested placement form” to the school of choice to help ensure that our students are enrolled in the correct levels in their academic classes when they begin 9th grade. Some schools will administer placement tests after enrollment.
If you have questions regarding the high school process please contact Erin Stoller, High School Placement Counselor, at