School Profile Archives - 91ÁÔĆć /blog/category/school-profile/ Prep for Success Thu, 26 Mar 2026 07:40:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://assets.testinnovators.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/favicon-85x85.png School Profile Archives - 91ÁÔĆć /blog/category/school-profile/ 32 32 School Profile: Eastside Catholic School /blog/school-profile-eastside-catholic-school/ Mon, 05 Jan 2026 01:46:00 +0000 /?p=3161 Eastside Catholic is known for its strong community--many students view EC as their home away from home. The school offers grade-level retreats and a school-wide Mentor Program, award winning performing arts and athletic programs, and more than 30 AP, honors and collegiate level courses in the high school. With administrative approval, middle school students can take advanced courses in the high school.

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We spoke with Karen Hatch, the current Marketing & Communications Director atĚý Eastside Catholic School, about what makes EC special.Ěý

ł˘´Çł¦˛ąłŮľ±´Ç˛Ô:ĚýSammamish, Washington

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Grades Served:Ěý6 through 12

Student Body: Approximately 850 students total with ~70 per grade in the middle school and ~170 per grade in the high school.

What makes your school unique?

Eastside Catholic is known for our strong community—many students view EC as their home away from home. Our school offers grade-level retreats and a school-wide Mentor Program, award winning performing arts and athletic programs, and more than 30 AP, honors and collegiate level courses in the high school. With administrative approval, middle school students can take advanced courses in the high school. We care about the whole student—social and emotional, not just academics—while encouraging and supporting each student academically.

What makes your students unique?

Almost all of our students develop a great balance between our three Touchstones: Academic Excellence, Relationships, and Servant Leadership. Our students are appreciative and thank teachers at the end of class. Students learn to be strong collaborators and do so in and out of the classroom. Our students are also active volunteers in our neighboring communities.

What makes your faculty and staff unique?

Our faculty continuously work above and beyond the regular school day, including optional evening events, lunch meetings, acting as club advisers, meeting with students before and after school, and more. They are dedicated to EC and our mission and strive to encourage academic excellence, nurture relationships, and inspire a life of leadership and service to others. Currently, nine teachers are Nationally Board Certified, and 68% of EC’s faculty members hold advanced degrees.

What should students keep in mind when applying to your school?

During the application process, we work hard to develop an accurate picture of each potential student through academic evaluation, interviews, and written applications to assess what is best for them as a student and as a person and to ensure that they will succeed at Eastside Catholic. We encourage all students to visit EC and experience what it’s like to be a Crusader for a Day!

Which program or recent change are you most excited about at your school?

We are especially proud of the expansion of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) resources for middle school and high school, a new school-wide Mentor Program curriculum for all grades, and the Amplify Middle School Science curriculum. We are also excited about the addition of new programs to support school community cohesiveness through all-school activities like our parent-student sponsored “Spring Fling,” Field Day, and EC Way Awards.

Describe an impactful program that your school runs.

Eastside Catholic is home to the Options Program which provides individualized academic and life skills development for high school students with diagnosed intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.

Describe what a class at your school looks like.

Students are greeted at the door and class begins with prayer. Each minute provides students the opportunity to learn and grow as young adults. Teaching styles and methods are varied throughout each lesson to accommodate multiple learning styles and maximize each student’s academic success and help them fulfill their true potential.

Originally published on November 7, 2018. Updated on January 4, 2026.

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]]> SSAT Featured School #1: Pingree /blog/ssat-featured-school-1-pingree/ Tue, 23 Dec 2025 04:18:00 +0000 /?p=4031 Nestled among the farms and forests of northeastern Massachusetts, Pingree began as a school for girls in 1961. The school gets its name from the Pingree family, who generously donated its fifty acre homestead to house a school. The 9th through 12th grade high school has been growing ever since, welcoming boys in 1971 and expanding its facilities to meet the needs of a diversifying student body.

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In our Featured School Series, we’ll be profiling some of the schools that use the SSAT as part of their admissions package. Throughout these profiles, we hope to demonstrate the enormous diversity of competitive schools in the U.S., Canada, and abroad.

The first school we chose to examine is Pingree School in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. Let’s take a look!

Pingree:

Nestled among the farms and forests of northeastern Massachusetts, Pingree began as a school for girls in 1961. The school gets its name from the Pingree family, who generously donated their fifty acre homestead to house a school. The ninth through twelfth grade high school has been growing ever since, expanding to all genders in 1971 and expanding its facilities to meet the needs of a diversifying student body. Today, Pingree enrolls nearly 350 high schoolers at its spacious day-school campus.

Fast Facts:

  • Pingree draws most of its student population from western Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.
  • Due to its distance from central Boston, Pingree isn’t quite as competitive as some other top private day schools. That being said, Pingree draws many applicants with its idyllic rural setting and quality academic and athletic programs.
  • Students applying to Pingree can take the SSAT or ISEE. To have the best chance at acceptance, applicants should aim for the 70th percentile or above on these standardized tests.

Check out

Get started with your test prep today!

Originally published on July 22, 2015. Updated on December 22, 2025.Ěý

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]]> School Profile: St. Bernard’s School /blog/school-profile-st-bernards/ Tue, 23 Dec 2025 03:12:00 +0000 /?p=3201 We talked with Kaley Bell, Secondary School Advisor at St. Bernard's School, about what sets the school apart.

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We talked with Kaley Bell, Secondary School Advisor at St. Bernard’s School, about what sets the school apart.Ěý

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Location: New York, New York

Website:

Grades Served: K-9

Student Body: Roughly 375 students; about 40 students per grade in K-8 and 4 students in 9th grade

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What makes your school unique?

St. Bernard’s offers academic rigor, strength in the humanities, and opportunities for students to discover public speaking and performance. Additionally, every student takes Latin.

What makes your students unique?

Their general knowledge and the breadth of their knowledge and interests.

What makes your faculty and staff unique?

Like our students, our faculty have a diversity of specialties and passions. Many faculty members have had other careers besides teaching; everyone has a wide range and depth of knowledge, interesting hobbies, and skills

What should students keep in mind when applying to your school?

Students at St. Bernard’s must be able to handle academic rigor, juggling two languages and two English classes. They also must be comfortable publicly speaking in front of an audience of over 100 several times a year.

Which program or recent change are you most excited about at your school?

The Good Heart Program, currently in its pilot phase, began as a response to educational research on character development and social-emotional learning, especially in boys’ schools, and after conversations with other New York City independent schools. We strive to emphasize the four values that best represent our school and community: perseverance, honesty, community, and consideration for others. Each grade level has time during the week dedicated to the Good Heart Program, whether in homeroom, advisory, or our Good Guy and Social Justice classes. St. Bernard’s boys have always gone out into the world comfortable with rigorous academics; this program gives a name and a concrete curriculum to the social-emotional values we uphold.

Describe an impactful program that your school runs.

Our Shakespeare play is the longest-running performance of Shakespeare in the United States, and our boys are proud to be part of that tradition. St. Bernard’s boys have been participating in a Shakespeare play each December since 1910. Every boy must participate, whether acting, designing sets, or stage managing. The play is kept a secret until the spring of seventh grade, when an unveiling occurs during assembly. The boys then read the play in their English class, and auditions occur a few months later in the fall of eighth grade. The only performance occurs the week before winter break at Miller Theater at Columbia University, after weeks of memorizing lines and long hours spent rehearsing (on top of secondary school applications, fall sports, and homework). The celebration of the Shakespeare production is a crucial part of the school’s cultural and poetic tradition.

Originally published on January 14, 2019. Updated on December 22, 2025.Ěý

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]]> School Profile: Dexter Southfield /blog/dexter-southfield-school-profile/ Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:22:00 +0000 /?p=3372 We talked with Scott Duddy, Director of Admissions & Enrollment Management at Dexter Southfield, about what sets his school apart.

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We talked with Scott Duddy, Director of Admissions & Enrollment Management at Dexter Southfield, about what sets his school apart.

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Location: Brookline, Massachusetts

Website:

Grades Served: Pre-K through 12

Student Body: Around 1,100 students throughout all 14 grade levels; class sizes are larger in grades 9-12Ěý

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What makes your school unique?

Dexter Southfield, guided by the motto “Our Best Today, Better Tomorrow,” encourages creativity, innovation, and the pursuit of excellence. We prepare students for the future, which they shape. Dexter Southfield is committed to instilling confidence, nurturing individual talents, and building an ethical foundation for life for each and every student. Our 36-acre campus is located on the Brookline-Boston line,Ěý close to Boston’s best museums, libraries, hospitals, colleges, and universities—all of which serve as an extension of our classrooms. With active support from their teachers, students challenge themselves, experiment, and pursue their passions. Dexter Southfield graduates are poised, prepared, and versatile—ready for success in college and life beyond.

What makes your students unique?

At Dexter Southfield, students gain both breadth and depth by engaging in a full range of subjects and activities, by finding their passions, and by growing their unique talents in areas they love. Throughout all grades, the program is structured to introduce students to a wealth of new experiences, to build skills in all areas, and to develop a can-do attitude. From the start, everyone does everything, and as students progress, they choose paths according to the directions they want to chart for themselves, continually applying their knowledge and skills as new opportunities arise. As a result, they deeply explore areas that interest them, and they have the enthusiasm, the confidence, and the expertise to try new things for the rest of their lives.

What makes your faculty and staff unique?

Dexter Southfield encourages expansiveness, creativity, and innovation to prepare students for a future that they will shape. The School’s programs help students build a strong foundation of essential knowledge and skills while they develop versatility and habits of mind. Here, they learn to ask important questions, draw their own conclusions, and solve problems that matter. With active support from their teachers, students love to experiment and see things through—so they can succeed in the ever-growing fields of college and careers.

What should students keep in mind when applying to your school?

One of the first things visitors notice about Dexter Southfield is our warmth. We pride ourselves on being a caring and sincere campus, welcoming students and families of all backgrounds and paying attention to individual needs when students arrive and as they grow. The strength of our community is upheld in a variety of ways: assemblies, shared meals, school meetings, our unique single-sex program, our buses, and our commitment to diversity. We feel like a family, and we are eager to welcome new members.

Which program or recent change are you most excited about at your school?

Athletics Arena and Kraft Fieldhouse: The newly constructed arena includes an ice rink, new spectator seating, an off-season turf surface, a warming room, and team meeting space. The seasonally-flexible fieldhouse hosts a varsity-level basketball court, tennis courts, volleyball courts, a flexible gymnasium space, collapsible spectator seating, locker rooms, and state-of-the-art strength and conditioning and training facilities. Additional athletic facilities include an indoor swimming pool, baseball and softball fields, and three turf fields–two outdoor and one indoor. Dexter Southfield also has a Rowing Center, located on the Charles River just four miles away in Dedham.

Describe an impactful program that your school runs.

From the Playscape—where exploratory play, science, and engineering are fully integrated—to neuroendocrinology, independent study, and off-campus experiences involving programming at Harvard Medical School and NASA research, STEM programs are supported at every grade level. We deliver on our promise of excellence in academics, the arts, athletics, and character with smooth, productive programming that sets our students up to be at their best.

Originally published on October 29, 2018. Updated on December 22, 2025.Ěý

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]]> School Profile: Proctor Academy /blog/school-profile-proctor-academy/ Sat, 29 Nov 2025 04:10:00 +0000 /?p=3244 We talked with Scott Allenby of Proctor Academy about what families love about Proctor and what makes the school unique.

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We talked with Scott Allenby, Chief Strategy and Communications Officer atĚý Proctor Academy, about what families love about Proctor. Read what he had to say below!

ł˘´Çł¦˛ąłŮľ±´Ç˛Ô:ĚýAndover, New Hampshire

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Grades Served:Ěý9 through 12

Student Body:ĚýRoughly 100 students per graduating class.

What makes your school unique?

Proctor Academy offers five term-long, culturally immersive off-campus programs around the globe including a ten week voyage aboard a historic schooner down the eastern seaboard. Proctor also has the nation’s premier integrated academic support program, Learning Skills, which directlyĚý serves a third of the student body, but impacts every single student and teacher in a positive way. Prioritizing an informal learning environment where students address teachers by their first name, many of the barriers to learning are removed and students are able to engage deeply with real-world opportunities.Ěý

What makes your students unique?

Proctor’s students become incredibly self-aware advocates for their own learning.Ěý

What makes your faculty and staff unique?

Proctor’s faculty and staff live, work, and play at Proctor alongside our students. We are in this educational journey together–from the moment students arrive on campus and go out into the White Mountains for five days as part of Wilderness Orientation to the day they walk across the stage at graduation. From classroom teachers to advisors to dorm parents to coaches to housekeeping staff, dining service workers, and our maintenance team, every individual who chooses to work at Proctor does so because they care about the students and this school community.Ěý

What should students keep in mind when applying to your school?

Proctor will change your life if you are willing to let it. With more than 80% of students choosing to study off-campus at some point during their Proctor experience, the expectation at Proctor is to step outside your comfort zone. If you are willing to do so, you’ll be amazed at how you will grow. Only apply to Proctor if you are excited to change.Ěý

Which program or recent change are you most excited about at your school?

Proctor recently added a summer immersion learning program in southwestern China where students live with host families and immerse themselves deeply in Chinese culture. This program continues to evolve our commitment to off-campus learning experiences and is one of three summer programs the school now offers; Proctor in Guatemala and Proctor on the Rosebud Reservation (South Dakota) are the others.Ěý

Describe an impactful program that your school runs.

Since 1972, Mountain Classroom has stood as a cornerstone of Proctor Academy’s commitment to experiential learning. During the winter and spring terms, ten students and two experienced instructors embark on a ten week exploration of the American West, gaining first-hand experience from local activists and guest speakers. Combining outdoor education and academic inquiry, Mountain Classroom students examine the complex and intricate connections between nature and culture. It is the ultimate road trip with ten of your peers who will become your best friends. Check out our to see this program and countless others in action.Ěý

Describe what a class at your school looks like.

There is no such thing as a typical class at Proctor–every day is unique. One block you will be studying fauna and flora in Proctor’s 2,500 acre woodlot and the next you will be building a metal sculpture in the black smithing forge. You will travel the globe and get to know our small town community. You will challenge yourself with advanced placement classes and will take art classes. Class at Proctor looks a lot like life should–never dull and always changing.

If you’re interested in learning more about Proctor Academy’s application process, you can check out their page !

Originally published on November 28, 2018. Updated on November 28, 2025.

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