High School Placement: Process and Outcomes

In February and March, amidst the move to distance learning, high school placement results came in and I am so proud of our 8th grade students. Members of the class of 2020 were accepted to an array of competitive NYC high schools, including Jewish day schools, independent schools, selective public schools, and performing arts audition schools. See the list of high schools that offered acceptances to Schechter Manhattan students below.

 

For all middle school students in New York City – home to the widest possible selection of Jewish, private, and public schools – the high school placement process is an important one. At Schechter Manhattan we take a comprehensive, systematic approach to the high school advisement and placement process, which takes place over a 16-month period beginning in the spring of seventh grade. Guided by Robin Aronow and Carol Cutler, our experienced High School Placement staff, each middle school student and family follows a personal path toward defining their needs, goals, and values. As they move through the high school selection and application process, our team offers support and guidance to each student, each family, and the class as a whole.

 

While the process can feel daunting at times, we approach it as an opportunity for growth and learning. Students develop skills, such as writing essays and preparing for interviews. They think deeply about who they are as young people and Jews and what they aspire to for their futures. They support each other as members of a caring community.  In the end of the process we have seen that our students not only find the right high school match but also find themselves better prepared to succeed in high school and in life.

 

Even as the Class of 2020 has just come to the end of the process, the Class of 2021 has already begun.  In late March, the 7th grade students and parents met with Robin and Carol (over Zoom in our time of distancing) to learn about the process and begin identifying the types of schools they want to consider.

 

The Class of 2020 has only a couple of more months before graduating, which is bittersweet for me. I am so excited for all they have ahead of them, and also sad that soon they will leave Schechter Manhattan. Mazal Tov to the students of the Class of 2020.

 

Class of 2020 High School Acceptances

Abraham Joshua Heschel School
Baruch College Campus High School
Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Frank McCourt High School
Frank Sinatra School of the Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Leffell School
NYC Lab School for Collaborative StudiesPoly Prep
Trevor Day School
Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology