Independent Schools

These schools are generally smaller than either public or Parochial schools. Independent schools offer honors and college preparatory classes. All of the schools charge tuition, but the amount of money a family can expect to spend at an independent school depends on the specific school. Most schools do offer financial aid based on applicants’ financial needs. Some schools also offer merit-based scholarships, which reward students’ commitment to academics.

Schools to Consider (not an exhaustive list):

• Bennett Day School Website

• Chicago Waldorf School Website

• Francis W. Parker School Website

• Latin School of Chicago Website

• Morgan Park Academy Website

• Wolcott College Prep Website

• University of Chicago Laboratory School Website

How to Apply:

Each school sets its own application process. Typically, this includes an application and taking an entrance exam (the Independent Schools Entrance Exam – ISEE, or the Secondary Schools Admission Test - SSAT). Some schools require essays, interviews, shadowing a student at the school or attending an information session, and/or recommendations from teachers or administrators. Because the schools are small and are generally well-regarded, there is often a lot of competition for a spot.

Eligibility Requirements:

Anyone can apply for any independent school.

Required Testing:

The ISEE has five sections: multiple choice questions in Verbal Reasoning (which tests vocabulary and knowledge of synonyms), Quantitative Reasoning (math word problems), Reading Comprehension, and Mathematics Achievement, and an essay. Students have 2 hours and 40 minutes to complete the exam.

The SSAT has six sections: a writing prompt (a traditional essay or a piece of creative writing), two Quantitative portions (one with a calculator and one without), Reading Comprehension, Verbal (synonyms and analogies), and an unscored Experimental section to help the test writers build future tests.

Selection Process:

Independent schools look at the whole student when considering applicants for admission, rather than just 7^th grade grades and test scores. This means that students who turn it around in 8^th grade still have a chance to be admitted. It also means that students who are not the strongest academically but have other strengths may be considered, depending on the type of student body the school wants to create. However, the Big 3 (Latin, Lab, and Parker) will be much more likely to be looking for students with excellent academics throughout middle school.