Regarding elite college admissions, not all high schools are created equal. That’s just a fact. We must dispel this misconception to stop students and families from continuing to believe that where you go to high school will not affect your college admissions prospects. And we’re not just talking about the public/private distinction! The best high schools in the nation have rigorous curriculums, plenty of Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes, and good reputations with America’s elite colleges. Some schools have one without the other. Many schools have neither! It’s not simply a matter of private versus public. It’s a bit more complicated than that.

Some High Schools Are Better Than Others in Elite College Admissions

The fact of the matter is that many high schools with incredibly bright and promising students don’t send their graduates to Ivy League or other highly selective schools. If your school only offers a handful of AP courses, it falls into this category. If only 50% of a high school’s graduates attend four-year schools, that’s another excellent indicator that the school isn’t all that competitive. If the mean SAT score of a high school graduate hovers around 1,000, the proof is in the pudding. 

Sometimes, high schools will tout their Ivy League and elite college acceptances without giving students and parents the bigger picture. Suppose a high school offers students a list of all the schools students have been accepted to over the last five years, including only three Ivy League schools. In that case, that’s yet another indication the school isn’t all that competitive (also keep in mind that this list could mask the fact that one student earned admission to all three of those Ivies). These characteristics are spread across both public and private schools and, as we’ll discuss, sometimes the public schools reign supreme.

Public School vs. Private School in College Admissions

Public and private high schools each come with their benefits and detriments. Public schools will almost always beat private schools out regarding cost (unless you’re a low-income student applying to a private school with a robust financial aid program). Public schools are also more likely to be within reasonable commuting distance of your home. Your local public school also might provide the same rigorous curriculum as the local private school, including the same AP or IB classes. Public school teachers are usually paid more than private school teachers, so it’s not necessarily true that they won’t be as motivated. Don’t count out a school because it has no price tag. Evaluate each public school case by case before pulling the trigger on a private school education.

Private high schools often surpass public schools in terms of student-to-teacher ratios, class sizes, the quality of the facilities, and the institutional relationship to elite college admissions offices across the country. Your local private school is more likely to contain students who push your child to apply themselves through a shared culture of rigor. However, the downside of this shared culture is that it can sometimes foster an unnecessary atmosphere of cutthroat competition. It’s not just private schools that are like this (we’re looking at you, TJHSST!), but it’s a much more common occurrence in this environment.

Public Schools: A Rising Force in Ivy League Admissions

The Ivy League of 2024 is not the Ivy League of the 1950s. Sure, a disproportionate number of students are still drawn from the nation’s elite prep and boarding schools like Andover and Choate, but public school graduates outnumber their private school counterparts on most Ivy League campuses. For example, 60% of Princeton’s Class of 2027 attended a public high school. The same proportion goes for Yale’s Class of 2027. While many of these students come from underrepresented public schools without Ivy League rapports, many more are from the nation’s top public Ivy League feeder schools, which have just as cushy relationships with Ivy League admissions offices as their private school counterparts.

That’s why we at Ivy Coach often advise our clients to enroll their children in the local public school over an expensive private school. We maintain a list of hidden gem schools reserved exclusively for our package clients that are highly competitive in elite college admissions without breaking the bank.

In 2024, A High School Rigorous Curriculum Is Not Just Found in the Classroom

For students in less competitive high schools, it’s crucial to seek out additional educational opportunities to enhance their curriculum. This could involve conducting research at a local university, digitally enrolling in advanced courses, sitting for exams offered at other schools, or participating in accredited supplementary learning programs. 

Your high school won’t work against you if you take advantage of these extra opportunities. Admissions officers love to admit cohorts of those who have gone above and beyond that which was available to them at their high schools.

How Ivy Coach Can Assist In Choosing The Most Competitive High School

Ivy Coach’s team of former elite college admissions officers is well-versed in the global secondary school landscape. You might think you have the ideal high school picked out for your academically ambitious middle schooler. Before you make this crucial decision, you should sign up for a complimentary consultation with Ivy Coach to learn about our college counseling services. After all, we’ll help you weigh the hidden factors that impact a student’s future admissibility.