What Are Our Chances?

Do you know what your chances are of winning the Power Ball or Mega Millions lottery? About 300 million to 1! Not great odds. Yet someone wins every time. And if you don’t buy a ticket - well, your odds are ABSOLUTELY ZERO! And that is also the odds of your child getting into any particular school if you DO NOT APPLY! The ONLY guaranteed spot your child has is one in your zoned public school!

So, when people ask us what are their chances of getting into a school, there is really no way to answer that question. There are a few schools that are much more sought after than others, and those are likely to get more applications than other schools on any given year, which lowers everyone’s “odds” of getting offered a spot. There are some years when more babies are born than others, and if your child is one of those babies born in a “baby boom” year, that can lower their odds, too. There are years when private schools are in vogue, and years when everyone is clamoring to get into the best public schools.

So the fair answer is that we REALLY DON’T KNOW any child’s chance at getting into a particular school. We just know that if you don’t apply, it is still ABSOLUTELY ZERO. So we encourage parents to apply to any school that they think might fit their child’s needs and abilities. Beyond the usually nominal application fee, there is no great expense to apply to a fair number of private schools and Magnet public schools. There is the time it takes to peruse school websites, plan and attend tours and open houses, complete applications, complete any required testing, and participate in any required parent/family interviews and student observations or shadow days. And that is likely the main reason to limit the number of applications to a workable number for your schedule and your child’s availability and tolerance.

We tend to use the “rule of thumb” advice to apply to at least 5 to 7 schools. This number can be lower, if your zoned school is one which you feel will be the RIGHT school for your child. There are many neighborhood public schools that are fabulous options, and there are quite a few that are not. We encourage every parent seeking private school placement to also check out their zoned public school. It could be the only option, but it might also be the RIGHT one.

Choosing which private schools and/or Magnet schools to apply to should not just be a “crapshoot” or a spin of the roulette wheel. That decision should come after doing a good amount of research and determining which schools feel right for your child. When you’ve done everything in your control to seek out the right school, it really doesn’t matter what the chances are!