We’re always confounded when parents — often the parents of public high school students — claim that the fancy, schmancy Ivy League schools really only want students from private schools. You know the schools…Andover, Exeter, Choate, Harvard-Westlake, etc. That assertion, of course, is false. Like all of America’s highly selective universities, Ivy League colleges admit students from public schools just as they do from private schools. 

Are these public schools that the Ivy League favors typically among the more well-resourced and high-performing public schools out there? Sure, but don’t forget that elite college admissions officers prize first-generation and low-income college students, who tend to come from schools in disadvantaged communities. The bottom line is that there’s no such thing as a school from which Ivy League admissions officers won’t take kids. Even if it hasn’t happened yet at your school, you could be the student who breaks the mold!

The Ivies Admit More Public School Students Than Private School Students

Of the 2,521 students admitted to Brown University’s Class of 2028, 58.1% hail from public schools, 32.4% from private schools, and 9.4% from parochial schools. Among the overall admits to Princeton University’s Class of 2028, 64.2% hail from public schools. By our advanced arithmetic, this means that only 35.8% don’t hail from public schools. Fancy that math? And it’s not like Brown and Princeton are the exceptions here. Each and every Ivy League school admits more students from public high schools than private ones.

But why? Wouldn’t admissions officers at Harvard University and Yale University rather fill their campuses with students who are used to the academic rigor of a private institution and come from families that can afford to pay full-price tuition? Not even close. Admissions officers are duty-bound to curate highly diverse incoming classes, whether employed by UPenn or Penn State. Public school-reared students contribute to campus diversity and round out the student experience with their unique perspectives and backgrounds. A campus full of private school students would just end up being an echo chamber of legacies, recruited athletes, and development cases. Who wants that? Not admissions officers, that’s for sure!

There Are Strong Public High Schools Just As There Are Weak Private High Schools

The Ivy League schools have come a long way since the age in which they’d essentially only admit students from feeder schools, like the Andovers and Exeters of the world. Now, don’t get us wrong. The Ivies still love their students from fancy schmancy boarding schools. But to suggest that the Ivies don’t really want public school students flies in the face of reality. Are there weak public schools that rarely send students to Ivy League universities? Of course! However, strong public schools regularly send as many — or more — students to Ivies as some of the best private schools. So the suggestion that the Ivies don’t want public schoolers? Well, that’s bologna likely uttered from the mouth of a parent whose public school-educated child didn’t make the cut for the Ivies.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with Choosing the Most Competitive High School for Elite College Admissions

Parents of middle-school students, here’s some good news. You don’t have to break the bank to set your child on a path towards the Ivy League. In fact, our team of former elite college admissions officers often recommend the local public high school to our clients. The expensive facilities and high price tags of private schools don’t always guarantee a rigorous curriculum or robust extracurricular opportunities. And they certainly don’t guarantee admission to the Ivy League. So, take a deep breath and know that affordable, quality education is within reach.

If you would like to know the hidden-gem high schools in your area that will optimize your child’s odds of admission to the school of their dreams, fill out our complimentary consultation form and we’ll be in touch about Ivy Coach’s services.