Secondary Schools

Additionally, some graduates choose to board at schools within a two-hour radius, others travel farther away, and still others opt for local public schools. The process of identifying the appropriate next step is one that the school takes seriously and to which we devote considerable time.  

In seventh grade, students may take a practice SSAT, the test required by most independent secondary schools. Seventh graders are also invited to attend NFS’s annual secondary school fair to meet representatives from nearby day and boarding schools. Parents are invited to schedule time with the Head of Upper and Lower Schools to discuss their child’s individual needs at any point.

The process intensifies during the fall of eighth grade. The Head of Upper and Lower Schools holds an information session for eighth-grade parents at the beginning of the year, identifying the steps in the application process and the roles and responsibilities of the school and of families. To make students comfortable for the personal interview that is generally part of the admissions process, the Head of Upper and Lower Schools schedules mock interviews with each eighth grader. Students are also invited to attend a mini-prep session on test-taking strategies for the SSAT, which should be taken sometime during the fall. Families are again invited to attend the secondary school fair, and English and math teachers are given release time in order to bring full attention to the process of writing student recommendations. The Head of Upper and Lower Schools also prepares a student profile for each eighth grader to accompany the official transcript.

George School and Newtown Friends School Friends Track Application - Available to Newtown Friends School students, George School offers a Friends Track Application.  This streamlined application process does not require a student to take the SSAT, provides an abbreviated admission application, and notifies students of the admission decision two months prior to all other George School applicants.  Newtown Friends School and George School are pleased to offer this option to students as a commitment to our long-standing relationship.