Exploring the High School Placement Process

One of my favorite things at All Saints’ is when our recent graduates come back to visit our faculty and staff. They always have stories of their advanced classes, the new clubs and sports they have joined, and they tell us how much they miss us, often with big hugs. 

Around this time each year, Mrs. Miller and I begin discussions with eighth-grade students about the high school application process. We work closely with our students and their families to find the right high school fit for our graduates. During these conversations, students are usually a bit nervous, but I always tell them they will be back here smiling in a year, missing us, but happy about where they landed.

I love these meetings because in each of them I get to reflect on each student’s All Saints’ story, how much they have grown, and who they have become. In those moments, I’m also thinking about who they will be in the future—five years from now, ten years from now, and even when they return to All Saints’ with pre-k students of their own, as many of our alumni do.

Every eighth-grade student takes Ready to Launch, a course designed to help them navigate what’s next. They build organizational habits, practice independence, talk through social dynamics, and learn the ins and outs of the high school application process. We also invite alumni to come back and speak with them, which is always a favorite. There’s nothing quite like hearing, “You’ve got this,” from someone who was sitting in the same seat just a year or two ago.

We encourage our students to explore what each school has to offer, and often encourage them to look at at least two schools because it’s great practice for the college search to come. The high school selection process is an opportunity for deep reflection: What kind of learner am I? What environment helps me thrive? What do I value in a school community? Seeing different campuses helps those answers take shape.

Last week, we hosted our High School Fair with more than 25 schools—local public and private options, plus boarding schools from across the country. Over the next few weeks, admission representatives from PCDS, Brophy, and Xavier will also visit campus to meet with students. These are wonderful opportunities for our students to connect with admissions representatives, learn more about the application process, and ask questions directly.

After students visit campuses, take entrance exams, and submit applications, Mrs. Miller and I have one of the best jobs in the world: we get to meet with high school admissions directors and brag about our kids. We hear time and again that All Saints’ graduates are leaders in and out of the classroom, taking on advanced coursework, spearheading service clubs, and competing on the field.

Nothing energizes us more than the stories that follow: freshmen placed in sophomore-level (and beyond) classes, students thriving in accelerated study programs, and—perhaps most meaningful—those who worked especially hard here at All Saints’ finding big success in high school. That’s the heart of our mission: to give every student the foundation to flourish at the next level.

We’re proud to see our alumni excelling at schools like Cate, Exeter, Baylor, Brophy, Xavier, PCDS, Arcadia, Sunnyslope, and many more.

At the end of this process, we care that each graduate feels prepared, successful, and happy in their next step. We’re grateful for our partnerships with local high schools, and we love hearing that our alumni are in the front row, hand raised, leading with confidence and character.