I know some public charter schools accept a very small percentage of applicants and part of their admission process includes testing. These schools are considered for ‘gifted students’.
Is the process similar to getting accepted into a private elementary or high school? Or does it depend on the school? Can anyone get in if they pay the tuition?
The private schools in my area require a test (ISEE or SSAT). They also look at your grades from previous schools, recommendation letters, and then conduct an interview.
Charter schools here must have open admissions. If there are too many applicants, they use a lottery system. They give priority to students who live in the district and students with disabilities.
It really depends on the school. Most schools will accept you if you are willing to pay the full tuition.
Alternatively, you could choose to send your child to a local public school and work with your community to properly fund public schools so all kids get a fair chance, not just those from wealthy families.
It depends on the school. My son went to an independent private school for middle school, and they tested all applicants. The tests included a cognitive test, an on-site writing test, and a math test. They don’t accept kids with learning disabilities or any special needs. The school is designed for kids who can keep up with challenging coursework, and it’s a great environment for kids with involved parents who want them to thrive.
It depends on the school. I attended a very selective prep school with an acceptance rate of only 10-15%, meaning most applicants were rejected. They considered SSAT scores, grades, recommendations, and interviews.
At the private school I work at, the process is much simpler. It’s based on whether we have a spot and if you can pay. We also do a shadow day and interviews. We sometimes reject kids if we feel they won’t be a good fit, though. It’s similar to college admissions. Some schools are like Jackson State, where almost everyone gets in, while others, like MIT, are extremely selective.
Many private and charter schools claim great student outcomes, but it’s easy to do well when you can choose your students and remove them if they don’t perform well. It’s not some kind of special achievement.
@irmah
That’s exactly what most schools do.
They take in public students in the lowest grade they teach, hold onto them long enough to collect public funding, and then send the low performers back to public schools. It’s a classic cherry-picking scheme.
It really depends on the school. The most selective private schools carefully evaluate both the student and their family before accepting them, even if the family can pay full tuition. In the SF Bay Area, some private schools have acceptance rates as low as 10-15%.
Many require entrance exams like the ISEE or SSAT, while others have their own tests or may require IQ assessments from a child psychologist.
It depends on the school.
I have one child in a private school with no admission test.
I have another child in a school where they took a placement test for first grade.
Private schools are not required to accept special needs children, and many don’t have the resources to support them. Additionally, special needs students still have to take standardized tests, which can lower the school’s average test scores. That might be why some schools only accept ‘gifted’ kids.
Isn’t that illegal, since they get public funds?
Check out r/applyprivateschools for more info.
It all depends on the school.
I’m not familiar with any public charter schools for gifted students. I track education and gifted policy pretty closely. Please share if you know any. Or PM me if you’re not comfortable sharing. I’m really curious to learn more about them. I can’t imagine who would authorize them. There are some online schools in California that allow a lot of flexibility with grade levels, which works well for gifted students. For example, kids can progress faster in some areas. Some homeschoolers use these vendors for specific subjects. But the selection process is still done through a lottery. California’s education code allows selective admissions for gifted programs, but most districts don’t use it.
@EmilyWilson
Pine View School in Florida is a magnet school, not a charter, sorry. It has both elementary and high school.
(I’ve seen many magnet high schools that require testing, but not many elementary schools. Is that unusual?)