Sep 30, 2026 · @Mary Miele
Every fall, families across New York sit down with a growing list of high schools and ask the same question: Should this school go on our list?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve worked with a family and the parent says to me, “My child is at a school I never would have thought of if we hadn’t worked together.” That happens because of how we answer this question. We use a tried-and-true methodology that has supported many of our families, and it starts with understanding your child.
The methodology is a scope of work with three steps. We get to know your child, we write their School Criteria, and then we look at each school against the School Criteria.
Our process at a glance: three steps to your school list
“Where do we apply?” starts with knowing what you’re looking for
Rankings, open houses and word of mouth tell you a lot about a school. They can’t tell you whether that school is right for your child or your family.
A school belongs on your child’s list when it gives your child what they need to learn well, when it matches your family’s values and your interest in investment, and when your child’s application file is competitive for admission. To know that, you need one document: a written set of criteria to hold every school up against. We call it the School Criteria.
The School Criteria is the foundation, and it’s the most important work in the admissions process. It anchors your school list, your application build and, in the end, your child’s fit at the school they attend.
The School Criteria anchor your list, your application build and your child’s future fit
Step 1: We get to know your child
Before we recommend a single school, we build a full picture of your child. This is the Assessment part of our method, and it has seven pieces:
- A student interview. We talk with your child about how they learn, what they love, what’s hard for them and what they hope for next.
- An academic assessment. We take your child through Academics in Action, our education assessment, to see how they engage with learning and where they are academically.
- A parent & professional interview. You know your child best. We listen to your values, your hopes and what success looks like for your family. We’re also happy to speak with a teacher or another adult who knows your child well.
- A mock admissions test. If your child hasn’t taken one yet, they take a mock ISEE, SSAT or SHSAT, depending on the schools, so we know where they stand before the real test.
- A review of records. We look at report cards, teacher comments, testing history and any evaluations.
- Hypothesized recommendations. From everything we’ve gathered, we start forming recommendations about where your child is most likely to do well.
- A look at the full application file. We see where your child is with the whole file, because that’s what they’re being judged by.
Step 2: We write your child’s School Criteria
This is the Strategy part of our work. The School Criteria lays out the ingredients your child needs in a school to learn well. It comes straight from the assessment, not from rankings or reputation, and every school decision is measured against it.
The criteria are grounded in our Whole Child Paradigm, so they cover life skills and social, emotional and physical development as well as academics. Depending on the student, they might answer questions like these:
- How much structure and academic support does your child need to do their best work?
- What class size and teaching style bring out their strongest thinking?
- Which programs, subjects or activities will keep them engaged and growing?
- What kind of community will help them feel known and confident?
- What learning supports or accommodations, if any, should the school offer?
- What practical factors, like commute and schedule, matter for your family?
- What type of community values fit with your family’s values?
We do the same thing in the college process.
Step 3: We look at each school against the criteria
Then we go to the schools. Using our knowledge of schools across New York City and beyond, we lay out how each school meets your child’s criteria and where it falls short. With that in front of you, you can decide whether a school belongs on your list or not.
Often a family finds a school at this stage that they never would have thought of on their own.
Example fit map: one child’s criteria against three sample schools
In this example, the school with the biggest name meets only part of what the child needs, while a school the family hadn’t considered meets nearly all of it.
At the end you have a tiered school list and fit map showing how each school meets your child’s criteria.
An investment in making the right investment
This is a scope of work, and it does take time. It is an investment, but it’s an investment in making the right investment, so it’s done right.
Once the list is set, we move into Implementation: the application map, essays, interviews and every milestone in between. Our team stays alongside your family the whole way.
Ready to build your child’s list?
Schedule an intake consultation with our team. We’ll listen, learn about your child and your family, and match you with the right consultant to begin.
Getting in takes strategy. Excelling takes support. We provide both.
Vision, realized.