high school admissions process school district of philadelphia, charter, & independent schools
TRANSCRIPT
High School Admissions ProcessSchool District of Philadelphia,
Charter, & Independent Schools
the more the options, the better
Look into as many choices as possible- What does that mean? PUBLIC, CHARTER, INDEPENDENT, ALTERNATIVE
Take initiative to explore as many schools as possible
Talk to your children throughout the process
The School District of Philadelphia
Special Admissions
Citywide Admissions
Neighborhood Schools
Special Admissions
To be considered a qualified candidate:
1. PSSA scores : High Proficient - Advanced - High Advanced
2.Good attendance3.Good behavior (i.e. lack of discipline
problems/suspensions)4. Grades of “A ’s” and “B’s” in core subjects (Math,
Science, Social Science, Reading/Language Arts)
** transcripts are also sent to each Special Admissions schools
**may request writing sample with the application and interview process?
Citywide AdmissionsTo be considered a qualified candidate:
1.Participate in an on-site interview at most of these schools to be eligible for lottery selection for admission
2.Have grades of “A, B, or C”3.Have good attendance and good behavior (less
than 10 absences or 5 latenesses)
**Submit a written essay
Neighborhood Schools
Open admissions to any student that lives in that school’s neighborhood (“feeder pattern.”)
Students who are not in the school’s feeder pattern but would still like to attend a neighborhood school outside of his/her neighborhood needs to apply.
NOTE: admittance of non-feeder pattern students
is based upon space after all students within the feeder pattern are admitted and lottery selection.
A Note to Parents “Students with disabilities and English
Language Learners are encouraged to apply to special admission and citywide admission high schools. Admission criteria may be waived for those students who, given accommodations, may be successful in requested schools, as determined by the appropriate school teams.”
Adapted from The School District of Philadelphia Secondary Education Guide.
High School Voluntary Transfer Application Form
Specifics about the Application
Biographical information: **Most Accessible phone numbers and mailing addresses
Make up to 5 appropriate choices, in ranked order Transcripts to be filled out for all Citywide/Special
Admissions schools Sign and return by due date : Applications may be
turned in early, but they will all be processed at the same time. ONLY ONE application per student!
As a Charter School student, these must be sent directly to the Office of Student Placement by the final due date (WCS has own due date so we can review and hand deliver)
More Specifics
• High school admission directories, forms and transcripts will be provided when they are available.
• Students will review high school process during Guidance : including the application, decision making, and essay writing/interview skills
GENERAL TIMELINE September-October: Directories, WCS Fall HS
Matters Night, SDP HS Expo, Research schools September-March: HS visits-tours, shadows
(families call schools directly) BY end of OCTOBER: applications DUE (to
WCS then to Office of Student Placement) November-January: HS interviews, auditions January-March: Decision making on applicants March-summer: Notifications for all
acceptances/declines/waitlist
WCS 2013 Graduates HIGH SCHOOLS LIST
(can be found on WCS website)Popular SPECIAL ADMISSIONS:Academy at Palumbo, Central, Girls HS,
Parkway CC, Parkway NW, Saul, Science Leadership Academy, CAPA
Popular CITY WIDE: Dobbins, Swenson, Constitution
Top –Rated SDP Schools
Special Admission: Carver, Girard Palumbo, Central, Bodine, CAPA, Franklin, HS for Girls, SLA, Benjamin Rush
City-wide: Motivation HS
* From GreatPhillySchools.org
Charter Schools Admission Criteria : *Not part of School District of Philadelphia
Admissions process*Must contact schools directly to obtain
information about academic, specialty, career and technical program offerings, to learn about admissions/applications
These schools admit students based upon lottery, so even though an application may be submitted early, that doesn’t guarantee admittance, however, apply early!
WCS 2012 Graduates CHARTER Schools
Popular CHARTER Schools: Delaware Valley, Boys Latin, CHAD,
Freire, Imhotep, New Media, SanKofa Freedom Academy, Multicultural, String Theory
Top-Rated Charter Schools
Freire, Mastery, New Foundations, Preparatory, Boy’s Latin, MCSCS, Multi-Cultural, Philadelphia Academy
* From GreatPhillySchools.org
Independent/Private Schools
Admission Criteria : *Must contact schools directly to obtain information
about academic, specialty, career and technical program offerings; and to learn about admissions/applications
SSAT:The Secondary School Admissions Test?? More information available upon request.
WCS 2012 Graduates INDEPENDENT
SCHOOLs
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS:Mercy Vocational, The George School, Cristo Rey, St. Andrews, Academy of New Church
Alternative Programs
Cyber high schoolsOnline schools
Resources Philadelphia School District website
www.phila.k12.pa.us/parents Guides HS process for parents, including school directory.
Great Philly Schools- greatphillyschools.org Excellent online resource to find the best Philly schools.
The Notebook - www.thenotebook.org An independent voice for Philadelphia public schools.
A Better Chance- www.abetterchance.org College Preparatory Schools Program.
FOR REVIEWWHO REMEMBERS…
What are the THREE different types of School District of Philadelphia high schools?
SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA
SPECIAL ADMISSIONS
CITY WIDE ADMISSIONS
NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL
CHARTER/INDEPENDENT
SCHOOLSWHO REMEMBERS…
HOW DO YOU APPLY TO A CHARTER / INDEPENDENT SCHOOL?
CHARTER / INDEPENDENT
SCHOOLSCALL EACH SCHOOL DIRECTLY AND
FILL OUT THEIR APPLICATION
APPLY TO AS MANY AS YOU WANT!!
QUESTIONS??
Questions to Ask Ourselves Is my child a qualified candidate for the schools of our choice? What if s/he really wants to go to a particular school but is not qualified?
What do I say/do?
Does my child benefit from a smaller setting or a larger setting? Is a public school, private, or charter school best for my child? What are all of my options?
What electives/extra-curricular activities are available? What will be the travel time? Is my child an early riser? Will s/he want to
go to and get out of school earlier? Where will my child’s learning needs best be met?
Are there scholarships available? If so, where? How do I make sure we don’t miss any deadlines? Who can I talk to/When can I talk about specific questions/concerns
about my child?
BE PROACTIVE!!
Hope for the best, and act on it!Is there anything extra we can be doing
at this time?Research, research, researchOptions, options, options
contact information
Erin Crowley, School Counselor
267.338.1020, extension 151