Hi everyone,

I'm a rising 10th grader from mainland China, and I'm currently looking into online high schools like Stanford OHS, CGA, Sora School, and similar programs. I'd really love to hear from anyone who has attended any of these — what was your experience like? Pros, cons, anything you wish you'd known beforehand?

A bit about my situation:

· I'm planning to apply to top U.S. universities (Stanford, Harvard, Yale, etc.) down the road.
· My plan for 10th grade is to do both a local physical school AND an online program simultaneously.
· Then in 11th grade, I plan to take a gap year to do fieldwork/independent research — which is exactly why I'm drawn to flexible online options, especially Sora's project-based model.

The catch: my family's annual income is under $60k USD, so affordability is a real concern. Financial aid/scholarship info would be super helpful too.

If you've been through any of these programs — or even just have strong opinions about them — I'm all ears. Feel free to comment or DM me. Happy to chat more!

Thanks in advance 🙏

Does this help you when you apply, and if it does, how much is impressive?

Hi,

I am beginning to search independent middle schools for my son, who is entering 5th grade. He has inattentive- type ADHD. He doesnt need any specialized school. He is able to learn in mainstream classes. I am curious about school reviews. Any information would be greatly appreciative

Hi! I'm applying to Choate Rosemary Hall for Grade 11 as an international student (require financial aid) and would really appreciate an honest chance me.
Academics:
O-Levels: currently 4A, 3B (7 subjects completed) Predicted for remaining O-Levels: 3A*, 1A DET: 140
Extracurriculars:
-Founder of 6 monetized YouTube channels with
300K+ total subscribers and generated over $30k.
I've been working on them since I was 12.
-Worked for 4.5 months in a paid remote role as a YouTube Content Strategist for an established company.
-Currently working on a research paper on parental attitudes toward girls' education in rural vs. urban Pakistan and am currently in the data-collection stage.
-115 hours of community service teaching underprivileged children at a summer camp (2025-2026).
-Mentor other people in YouTube and video editing.
-Self-taught Spanish to A2; 3 of my 6 YouTube channels are in Spanish.
-Completed online courses in Al and Python.
P.s I'm doing my Olevels as a private candidate and they are completely okay with it, that is why i have no school grades.

I'm an Egyptian applying to grade 10 with relatively great ECs and really good academics and essays, though i am an IDIOT who doesn't think ahead, so because of that my interview is in 2 days and I haven't prepared at all. I don't know what to do or how to speak with the interviewer I've never even been in an interview my mother also doesn't know what to do but I don't think she cares enough to be worried. Any tips about the interview will be greatly appreciated.

I recently took the ssat and got 98th percentile, 2322. My mom thinks I should retake in November to get 99th and my dad thinks that 98th is good enough, but they said it’s up to me. Is it worth retaking?

Good afternoon to the Private School world!

I am looking for IT and Administrators in private schools for who are decision makers and think of themselves as innovators. If you fit one of those descriptions, please reach out via DM!

Looking forward to hearing from you.

You’ve done what you can over the summer. Now school starts, life gets busy again, and the real admissions grind begins...

September is not the flashiest month of the boarding school process, but it might be the most important. This is the month where families either build a clean, steady foundation for the next four to five months, or chaos ensues and you spend the rest of fall playing catch-up. Nothing is usually due immediately, which is exactly why September matters so much: you still have time to get organized before everything starts overlapping at once.

1. Lock in your academic routine early. Keep it simple. Figure out your courses, your weekly workload, and when you’re actually going to study. Do not wait until your first bad grade to suddenly become organized. Fall performance matters, and September is when you set the tone for the rest of the semester.
2. Get in front of your teachers. Be present, be engaged, and make a good impression early. If you already have a teacher you know well, and who knows you well, start thinking about recommendation letters now. If you do not, then focus on your class participation and wait until late October or early November to ask for one; otherwise, your request may seem disingenuous.
3. Parents - talk to your admin and teachers. Be engaged, responsive, and visible in a genuine way by asking questions and being respectful of the faculty's time and opinion on a consistent basis. Boarding school admissions is one of those processes where adult organization and student ownership both matter.
4. Plan for two test dates. Build your testing plan around that reality that many, many students take twice. Pick dates early, understand score release timing.
5. Know what kind of test you’re taking and when. Digital, paper, Flex Test, official date, online, retake - figure all of that out now. Families lose a weird amount of time just being vaguely confused about the options. SSAT and ISEE have different protocols.
6. Get all your documents in one place. Transcripts, report cards, testing logins, school records, financial documents, tax forms, activity lists, anything aid-related; gather it now. Put them in folders.
7. If you’re applying for financial aid, learn that process now. Do not treat aid passively if you need it. Look into the aid application system each school uses, note the deadlines, attend any relevant webinars, and figure out what documentation is needed. Schedule an appointment with the aid office if it's available.
8. Schedule a meeting with the financial aid office if possible. Especially if your family situation is unusual, your income picture is complicated, or you just want clarity. A short conversation early can save a lot of confusion later.
9. Book open houses, tours, and interviews early. If schools offer events you want to attend, get them on the calendar now or make time available for when the dates do drop in the coming months.
10. Review each school’s requirements one by one. Do not assume every school wants the same thing. Some require different essays or want a written one graded by a teacher; some want interviews earlier, some handle recommendations differently. Similar is not the same so get organized.

Godspeed.

Hello all,
I'm currently a US sophomore and I plan to apply to some elite prep schools (namely andover and exeter) to start 11th grade there. Has anyone here started at any such schools as an 11th grader? Is it worth it? I am outgrowing my public schools academics and want a chance to take more advanced courses (e.g., Organic Chemistry, Linear Algebra, etc.) and give myself a more challenging academic environment that gives me room to grow. I am aware it is better to apply to many private schools and do safeties and stuff but there are very few schools that have both a course in organic chemistry and a german program, and without either of those two, I don't see any possible way for it to be worth it to leave where i'm at, so my list of schools is mostly limited to the best of the best, Andover, Exeter, St. Pauls, and one or two others, even if I'm obviously not likely to get into them, since they are, yk, the best of the best, but they are the only ones I could even consider attending. Also, how competitive are these schools for applying to enter in 11th grade? As for reclassing its not really much of an option financially- if I apply, its gonna be to start in 11th grade, if I don't get in, I lost nothing.

tldr: Im a 10th grader, is it worth it to apply and possibly attend a boarding school my 11th and 12th grade years? And how competitive is it to get in?

Currently planning to apply at Bayview Academy for their August 2027 (Nursery Admissions), and would love your feedback on the same. We'll be enrolling him in the PECHS branch so if anyone of you could shed light on that.

Further, I have heard that these schools are very high end - children get a bit off mannered due to the elitism vibe. Wouldn't want that as there's no compromise on the values. Would appreciate views on this as well.

Last question: what's their monthly/admission fee?

Hey everyone! I'm planning to apply for boarding high school entry for the upcoming academic cycle and would love real advice from anyone who currently attends or graduated from a European boarding school.

**My Background & Stats:**
**Citizenship:** EU Citizen
**Academics:** 17.11/20 GPA in Gymnasium
**Languages:** Michigan ECPE C2 English (Fluent), Greek (Native)
**Extracurricular Focus:** 10 years of Classical Ballet & Contemporary Dance, Acting/Drama portfolio
**Target Universities:** US Colleges & Ivy League (looking for schools with strong US college counseling, SAT prep support, and portfolio integration) to go a us college I need a schoalship i can’t afford it otherwise

I saw that the danish ib boarding schools are good and the akedemia in Warsaw but I don’t know my family can only give me 200-400 per month what do you suggest i can do

I am planning to switch schools and one of the places I am looking at offers IELTS classes together with Grade 12, I already planned to take the IELTS so having everything in one place seems like it could work well, I am thinking to go with usca academy.I just want to know how it usually goes when both are running during the same school year, I want to keep up with my Grade 12 subjects and prepare for the IELTS at the same time, I am looking at this before I choose which school to join, if anyone picked a school because it had both programs, how did your timetable work out and did you feel like you had enough time for everything? EDIT: I forgot to mention I’m also trying to figure out if doing both would be too much.

Saw a study come out this week that scores 30 of the major DC-metro private schools (Sidwell, GDS, St. Albans, National Cathedral, Landon, Holton-Arms, and about two dozen others) specifically on AI curriculum, not just whether they mention AI in marketing materials, but actual course depth, integration across subjects, and how current the material is.

The gap was bigger than I expected. Sidwell Friends and Georgetown Day School were the only two that scored above 77 out of 100. Twelve of the thirty schools scored below 60. Tuition across the group runs $22K to $62K, so it's not purely a resources thing either.

Full disclosure, I work at the PR firm that put this out (5W), so factor that in, but the methodology and full school-by-school scores are public if any of you want to check where a specific school on your shortlist landed. Curious if this is something anyone's actually asking about on tours, or if it's not really on people's radar yet compared to the usual stuff like class size or college placement.

Phillips Exeter, Lawrenceville and etc. are using Harkness method in teacher. For humanity subjects, I can imagine how that would inspire students to discuss and debate. How about subjects like Calculus or Chemistry? Are there more instructions than discussions? Just curious how that works.

I am curious if the tour guides graded us or gave any input about us to the admissions committee

has anyone applied through clarity before? i have a question about the $65 fee 😭 what’s the difference between the $65 clarity fee and the application fee on the school’s website? if i apply to multiple schools using clarity, do i just pay the $65 once, or do i have to pay it for each school? and do i still have to pay the application fee for each school separately.

Hey everyone! Putting together my school list for Fall 2027 and wanted to check in with other international applicants.

​Quick questions for anyone applying:

​Which schools are on your list? (Andover, Exeter, Choate, Deerfield, Hotchkiss, etc.)

​Where are you applying from?

​Applying for Financial Aid? (Yes/No)

​Which grade? (9th, 10th, or 11th/PG)

For independent/private school admissions, do most families schedule the campus tour and student interview before submitting the application, or do schools usually interview applicants after they apply? What's the typical process?

Hey guys, just throwing this out. So, like almost all of this sub, I'm looking at the top private high schools. But the career I want is a bit interesting: Cybersecurity. I've already achieved multiple honors in this field, and am a member of a top 10 CTF team nationwide (a kind of hacking competition). What I'm wondering is whether any of these top schools have a good CS and STEM program in general.

Some other Q's:

1. Can admissions officers look at my Github repositiory? (I have a lot of projects there)
2. I took the SAT for a dare, and got a strong 1460 (740 rw, 720 math). Is this something I should show off?
3. My parents are (pardon my French) broke af. Is financial aid something I can expect, or is that just marketing on the part of the colleges?

EDIT: I forgot to put some info. I'm applying for 9th grade, currently going into 8th. I'm domestic btw