Start Here

Dear Prescott Middle School Students,

It’s here – time for you to think about life after Prescott! This website was created to inform and support you throughout your high school search. My goal is to expose you to a variety of high schools, answer your questions about the possibly overwhelming process, and aid you in finding a high school that will best meet your academic and extracurricular needs. Let’s get started!

Sign up for GoCPS Updates

A lot of things have changed over the past year, including eligibility requirements, required testing, and more. Subscribe to updates from GoCPS to keep you in the know (scroll to the bottom of the page).

Now, you're ready to explore high schools!

You Have Choices

You may feel like you only have a few options for high school, based on schools you know, schools that family and friends currently attend or did attend, schools that are close to you, etc. However, there are several types of high schools that you may be eligible to apply for:

• Selective Enrollment High Schools

• Parochial (Catholic) High Schools

• Independent High Schools

• Boarding Schools

• Charter High Schools

• Performing Arts High Schools

• Military High Schools

• Programs Within District High Schools (IB, Magnet, CTE)

Do Your Research

Whichever schools you choose to apply to, make sure they are schools you actually want to attend. Check out the school’s website, talk to students who attend(ed) that school, go on shadow days, and visit the schools during open houses. When you visit the school, try to imagine yourself as a student there – does it feel like a place you want to be for the next four years?

High School Bound, CPS School Profile Pages, and GoCPS Searches can all help when researching public schools. For private schools, you'll need to go to individual school's websites to learn more.

Apply to a Number of Schools

The more schools you apply to, the more options you’ll have! You want to apply to a mix of schools:

• Target schools - schools you should be able to get into

• “Just in Case” schools - you have to go somewhere!

• Reach schools - schools that you’ll hopefully get into, but you have some competition 

Remember: being admitted to a school does not mean that you have to attend.

Stay Organized

Use a planner and/or the calendar app on your phone to keep track of important dates and deadlines, as almost every school is different! Manage your time well in order to finish admissions as well as scholarship applications on time. If a school or scholarship requires recommendations, remember that teachers need time to complete them, so ask early! You should give recommenders at least two weeks to complete letters.

Tuition Should Never Prevent You from Applying to Any School

Nearly all independent and Catholic high schools have financial aid programs that schools encourage you to apply for. There are also a number of external scholarship programs that you may be eligible for, and if so, you should apply for those too.

Most Importantly, This is Hard Work

You will spend a lot of time on school websites, visiting schools, writing essays, submitting applications, and attending interviews. This is all on top of your regular eighth grade course load. However, given the impact it can have on your future, you need to dedicate the time to completing everything, doing it on time, and doing it well.