Thoughts on school rankings

ThacherParent
Thu, 17 Feb 2011 13:38:18 +0000

There should be a greater emphasis on the emotional and psychological health of a boarding school community when ranking for your child. We’ve had arguments on this site before about the meaning of yield and attrition. It’s my opinion that where the top 20 schools are concerned, these measurements are worthy data points beyond visits and word of mouth.

With caveats of course, if a school has a very high yield (the percentage of admitted kids who choose to matriculate and a very low attrition rate (the percentage of kids lost each year for one reason or another), it seems to me that it’s a school that knows itself well, that admits well, that also manages well the challenges of early independence in a competitive environment.

Among the top 20 schools where material differences become smaller around college outcomes, peer quality, scores etc, the psychological and emotional health of the school community become worthy differentiators. This March, as parents and kids consider their options, look at yield and attrition data before pulling the trigger.