Admissions Overview

Selecting boarding schools that fit your needs and requirements takes much time and effort. Once you have made your shortlist of schools, then you need to focus on the admissions process. The admissions process consists of testing, recommendations, the interview, financial aid, and ensuring your child's admssions file is complete. Use this admissions checklist to keep you and your child on track. There are plenty of forms to fill out and a standardized admissions test to prepare for.

Testing

I have put admissions testing at the top of my checklist simply because it needs as much advance preparation as your child can give it. While standardized admissions tests are just one of several tools that the admissions professionals at each school will use to assess your child, they remain an essential part of the assessment process. Most schools use the SSAT and ISEE. But there are other tests out there as well.

Once you have narrowed your choice of boarding schools to three to five, review the admissions requirements for each school carefully. Hopefully, all the schools on your list will use the same test. That will simplify matters enormously for both you and your child.

If, on the other hand, you end up with two or possibly three different tests, you will have to schedule, register, and pay for them. Scheduling these admissions tests works best when you start as far in advance as possible. The SSAT opens its registration on August 1

I remember the anxiety very well, as though it were yesterday Senator Elliston Rahming had hired me to be the Deputy Director of a new private school he was starting from scratch in The Bahamas. And I do mean from scratch. The budget for our first year would come entirely from tuition income. Period. Moreover, I was charged with making sure the seats were filled by the time we opened for business in September 1995. Now, remember that back in the 90s the Internet was in its infancy. There was no social media to trumpet the opening of our new school. We only had the local press and word of mouth. Against that backdrop, let me pose some questions to heads of boarding schools, owners of boarding schools, and anybody interested in filling seats at their school.

1. My school's enrollment ilph Cochrs declining. I can't afford a marketing professional. What should I do?

Saying that you can't afford a marketing professional is like saying you can't afford insurance. It's a must-have. I understand that you are thinking that marketing is a major expense. Don't think of it that way. Think of marketing as a profit center. When the marketing professional does her job, you will see results. If your budget is really tight, I suggest that you interview a recent college marketing graduate. Your giving her a job where she can prove how good she is will benefit both of you. Her accomplishments will shine in her

This article has been updated to reflect 2026 data and recent developments.

What do boarding schools look for as they review your child's application for admission? Everything. Well, not literally everything, but close. The more items on a school’s admissions checklist you can confidently address, the stronger your child’s application will be.

Admissions decisions are rarely based on a single factor. Instead, committees evaluate each applicant holistically, weighing academics, character, extracurricular involvement, and institutional priorities. With boarding school admissions becoming increasingly competitive in recent years, understanding what matters most in 2026 is essential for families navigating the process.

While schools like Phillips Exeter Academy and Phillips Academy Andover remain highly selective, with acceptance rates still hovering below 20 percent, families now have access to hundreds of excellent boarding schools offering diverse programs and environments. The key is finding the right match, not just the most prestigious name.

Academic Excellence Still Leads the Process

Academic performance remains the cornerstone of any boarding school application. Schools want students who can thrive in a rigorous, discussion-based environment where classes are typically small, often 10 to 15 students.

Admissions officers carefully evaluate:

• Transcripts across multiple years
• Course rigor and progression
• Teacher recommendations
• Standardized test scores (SSAT, ISEE, or increasingly test-optional submissions)

In 2026, many boarding schools will continue to adopt flexible testing policies. According to recent guidance from organizations like the Enrollment Management Association, more schools are allowing test-optional applications, placing greater emphasis on transcripts and teacher evaluations.

Teacher recommendations are especially influential. They provide

Although independent schools are not required and receive no government funding to accommodate and provide related services to students with specialized educational needs, many excellent independent schools routinely and enthusiastically enroll children who require these accommodations. When considering your child’s education, do not count out private schools, anticipating they will be uncooperative or dismissive of your child’s needs.

Not all students with an identified disability or disabilities require high levels of intervention in the academic setting. In fact, many students can persevere and experience success despite the learning obstacles presented by their disability or disabilities.

Parents should always remember that they are their student’s #1 advocates, replaced in this role only by their students as they begin to learn and understand their exceptionalities and educational needs. Parents should not feel as though an independent school education is something they cannot pursue for their child simply because of a disability.

Standardized Testing: Its Importance and Value in Admission

The demands of the admission process for independent schooling can vary greatly from school to school. Still, it is safe to assume your student must sit for at least one form of standardized testing as part of any school’s application process. In recent years, standardized testing has come under scrutiny. With increased emphasis on the weight it carries when measuring student academic achievement and in academic decision-making, educators and parents alike have questioned the need and value of such high-stakes testing. While it is my professional opinion that no

You will find two kinds of admissions in use at American boarding schools: admissions with a fixed deadline and rolling admissions. Let's take a look at rolling admissions and how it compares with admissions with a fixed deadline.

What is rolling admissions?

Rolling admissions refers to a school's practice of accepting applications within an admissions application window and acting on those applications within a couple of weeks or months as opposed to waiting until a fixed deadline to act upon those applications.

How does rolling admissions work?

Let's assume the rolling admissions window opens on September 1. You could submit your completed application on September 2 and expect to have a decision back from the school within a time frame from two weeks to two months. At a school with a fixed deadline for admissions you could submit your application on September 2 but not hear whether your child had been accepted or not until sometime in March, assuming the fairly common January 31 deadline.

Professor Allen Grove explains the various kinds of admissions in great detail. This is a longish but very thorough video which is well worth bookmarking for later viewing.

Many schools with rolling admissions have a priority deadline. You would be wise to submit your application well in advance of that deadline. Once all the places are filled, applications from candidates who would otherwise have been accepted will go on a