A YE A R O F C HALLE NG E, R ES I LI ENCE, A ND JOY
Students Find Secondary School Matches
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Despite Challenges
Adding to the challenge was a flood of pandemichis year, like every year, Shore famiinspired secondary school applications from the lies turned to the Secondary School increased number of families in the public school Counseling Office as they faced the task system who became interested in independent schools of finding an appropriate fit for their for the first time. “Most schools reported a 40% increase child’s next school. Unlike every other in applications over the previous year,” reports van year, however, Shore families faced Otterloo. Part of the extraordinary rise was due to doing so in the midst of a pandemic. “Almost everyanother factor unique to this year: the SSAT became thing about this secondary school admissions season optional at nearly every school, after the Enrollment was different,” says Director of Secondary School Management Association, the organization that Counseling Sander van Otterloo. administers the SSAT, tried to move its testing online Fortunately, at least one thing remained the but faced difficulty with the rollout. The optional same this year: Shore’s success in finding great test meant that many schools, particularly secondary school matches for its graduates. the most selective, received an additional Still, the list of new hurdles brought boost in applications from students about by the pandemic was long. For whose test scores normally would have starters, families could not visit been a barrier to entry. campuses to see schools in action, As if that weren’t enough, and in-person interviews were off admissions decisions made by the table, as well. Even counseling secondary schools at the very start sessions with van Otterloo and of the pandemic in the spring of 2020 Head of School Clair Ward had to be brought unintended consequences for conducted virtually. “These factors uncerthis year’s applicants. Given the uncer compounded the difficulty of what can tainties around the early phases of COVID-19 be already a fraught financial and emotional Phillips Academy in the United States, many independent decision,” says van Otterloo.
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SHORE BU LLET IN FA LL 2021
