Helpful Tips
Private School Information: Bellarmine, Blanchet, Eastside Catholic, Forest Ridge Academy, Holy Names Academy, Kennedy, O’Dea and Seattle Prep. Visit the Catholic High Schools’ webpage at: http://seattlecatholichighschools.com
Also, take a look at the Admissions Date Calendar that we handed out. This will have every important date for applying to a Seattle-Area Catholic High School.
1) Discussion:
Ask your child to share with you which high schools he/she is interested in applying to. Visit school webpages, and if you can, talk to current or former students of the high schools to find out a bit more.
2) Regional Night:
Attend Regional Night to hear presentations from the Catholic high schools. Most of the schools listed above will be at the closest regional night on TBD. Encourage your child to pay close attention to the high school visitors as they present information on each of their schools.
3) High School Visits:
Set up appointments as soon as possible for your child to shadow a high school student at one or two of their top-choice high schools. 8th-grade students may miss one or two days of school to visit high schools; however, we ask that you ensure that these dates are not important class days (exams, projects, presentations, etc.). Consider conference week or other days that we are not in session, but the high schools are. Homeroom teachers should be notified in advance of these visitation dates.
4) Begin Application Process:
Gather applications packets for all high schools to which your child is applying. You can apply online. Some schools only have online applications. Go over each application with your child and review the responses to all essay questions. Teachers can review rough drafts; please allow plenty of time for the teacher to look over the work. Applications are due on January 4th.
5) Forms Turned into Homeroom Teacher:
Please use the hard copy of the forms that we handed out to students:
a) Confidential School Report/Transcript Request
b) Confidential Teacher Evaluation Form
6) Placement Test:
a) Call the school(s) or sign up online to schedule your child’s Placement Exam.
b) Placement tests are used primarily for placement purposes and scholarship awards, not usually for acceptance purposes.
c) Prep and Blanchet offer the HSPT test and they can share test results. Holy Names gives the TerraNova, a different test. Kennedy and O’Dea do not have placement tests. This means some students will need to take two different placement tests or no test at all.
d) In regards to foreign language, we state on the recommendation form that all 8th graders have had an introduction to Spanish, but will recommend that he/she be placed in a beginning high school Spanish course; however, students are given foreign language status based on placement scores.
7) Scholarships and Financial Aid:
We highly recommend that students apply for scholarships. Some schools have additional forms required for financial aid. Please ask the school’s admissions director for this information.
8) Principal Recommendation:
The application includes a section for Mrs. Horton. Additional principal recommendations are not necessary. **Mrs. Horton and your child’s teacher take the time to write thoughtful and honest recommendations that reflect your child’s unique talents, gifts, and strengths.**
Other Private Schools Information: Lakeside, Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences, Seattle Lutheran, The Northwest School, The Center School, Raisbeck Aviation (a public school with an application process).
1) Please follow the suggestions as stated above.
2) Application and Teacher Recommendations: These forms are different from the Catholic high schools. Please obtain these forms and distribute to the child’s homeroom teacher giving adequate time for completion. Due dates may be different.
3) Placement Exams: These dates may be different or nonexistent. Standardized test scores may be accepted instead of a placement test.
Public Schools Information: West Seattle High School, Chief Sealth, Roosevelt, Vashon Island, Garfield, Franklin, etc.
1) Check for open enrollment dates for registration for Seattle Public Schools. Registration sites for the West Seattle area include West Seattle and Chief Sealth. An identification card is required at registration to verify your address, immunization records, etc. Please contact the admissions director or registrar of your choice high school with additional questions.
2) Check with the admissions director regarding open house dates. We will keep you posted of any information that we receive.