Frequently Asked Questions

An independent educational consultant guides families through the process of identifying the right school for their child: assessing a student’s academic profile, personality, and goals; identifying schools that are a best fit; managing the application timeline; preparing the student for interviews; and advising the family at every decision point along the way. The consultant works exclusively for the family, with no affiliation to any school, and that independence is the foundation of the relationship. The advice you receive is based entirely on what is right for your child. Whatever stage your family is at, whether you are just beginning to think about a nursery program or weighing college options with a high school student, Keating Education is here to help.

The Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) is the professional association that sets the standard for independent educational consulting. Membership is not automatic. Consultants must demonstrate active practice, complete a minimum number of campus visits annually, provide client references, and commit to a code of ethics prohibiting compensation from schools for referrals. When you work with an IECA member, you know the advice you receive is based entirely on what is right for your child.

No reputable consultant will guarantee admission to any school, and you should be wary of anyone who does. What a good consultant provides is a well-considered strategy, a thoroughly prepared student, and a school list that reflects both aspiration and realistic fit. The goal is for your child to be admitted to schools where they will thrive, not simply to secure an offer from a name. If you would like to talk through what a well-considered strategy would look like for your child, book a complimentary consultation.

For families navigating a competitive and unfamiliar process, the value is real. An experienced consultant brings knowledge of schools that no website conveys, relationships with admissions offices built over years, and the ability to read a student’s profile the way an admissions director would. The families who tend to find it most valuable are those who are new to the independent school world, relocating, working against a compressed timeline, or placing a child with specific needs. If any of that describes your family, book a complimentary consultation to talk through your specific situation.

Fees vary depending on the scope and complexity of the engagement. Most independent consultants offer either comprehensive packages that cover the full search and application process or more limited engagements focused on a specific phase. The initial consultation is where the scope of your family’s needs becomes clear, and fee options are discussed directly. Independent consultants are paid directly by the families they serve, not by schools, which is an important distinction: any arrangement in which a consultant receives compensation from a school for placing a student there is a conflict of interest and violates IECA ethical guidelines. The fee you pay is the only fee.

Start with the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) directory and identify a few consultants who work in your area or specialize in your situation. From there, schedule initial consultations with a few; these are generally complimentary conversations with no obligation. Then, much like the process of choosing a best-fit school for your child, choose the consultant who feels like the best fit for your family: someone whose knowledge of schools, connection with your child, and manner of working put you at ease.

The initial consultation is generally a 30-minute conversation, complimentary and without obligation. It is an opportunity to share where your family is in the process and get a clear sense of what working together would involve. There is no pressure and no sales pitch, just a direct, honest conversation about your child and what the right next steps might be. Families typically leave with a clearer picture of the path ahead and a sense of relief. Click here to schedule your preliminary consultation.

The right school is the one that fits your child, not the one with the most recognizable name. Building a strong list starts with understanding your child clearly: academic environment, school culture, class size, teaching philosophy, extracurricular life, and the community a school has built all matter more than name recognition. From there, the right number of schools depends on selectivity, geography, and how clearly defined your priorities are; for most searches, six to eight schools is a sensible range. Too few creates unnecessary risk, and too many dilutes the quality of each application and spreads the student thin across visits and interviews. The goal is a list where every school on it is one the family would be glad to choose.

For entry at the 9th or 10th grade level, families should begin working with a consultant about 18 months before the target entry date. Day school admissions at the lower school level can be managed within a single academic year, though earlier is always better in competitive markets. Families relocating from outside the area should begin as soon as the move is confirmed.

The student essay is one of the few places in the application where the child speaks in their own voice. Admissions officers read thousands of transcripts and test scores. The essay is where a student becomes a person rather than a profile, and admissions officers are reading for character, not accomplishment. The strongest essays are not about the biggest moments. They rest on specificity and voice: a particular detail, a specific experience, a genuine curiosity that reveals something true about who the student is. An essay that sounds like it was written by an adult does the application no favors.

Most independent schools ask parents to submit a parent statement as part of the application. It is an opportunity to describe your child from your perspective and share anything the application materials do not capture; a strong one is warm, specific, and honest, adding dimension rather than summarizing, and conveying real enthusiasm for the particular school.

The interview carries significant weight, particularly at selective schools. It is the moment when the admissions office meets your child as a person rather than as a file. Schools are looking for real curiosity, the ability to hold a conversation, and a sense of who the student is beyond their grades and activities. Preparation matters, not scripted answers, but the confidence that comes from knowing how to present yourself clearly.

The SSAT is the standardized test most commonly required for boarding school admission, with the ISEE being the test preferred by day schools. Both assess verbal, quantitative, and reading skills, and are scored on a scale that compares students against others in the same grade who have taken the test in the past three years, which means the comparison pool is highly competitive. To understand more about both testing options, click here. Test scores are one component of the application, not the deciding factor, but strong preparation matters and most families underestimate the lead time needed. Some schools are test-optional or test-blind.

Independent schools typically fill the majority of their spots at a small number of natural entry points: Pre-K and Kindergarten at the lower school level; Grade 5 or 6 at the middle school level; and Grades 9 and 10 at the upper day and boarding school level. These entry points represent the moments when a school’s incoming class is largest and the most places are available. Applying at a non-standard grade means competing for a smaller number of spots created by attrition.

That depends on the school. Most offer a continuous K-12 path with no re-application required, providing stability through graduation. Others are K-8, with the tradeoff of genuine benefits such as greater exposure to leadership opportunities at a younger age, strong secondary school counseling that builds a relationship with the student from the middle school years and guides students into selective day and boarding schools at the high school level.

Readiness for boarding school is less about academic achievement and more about independence, self-motivation, and innate curiosity. A student who is excited about the prospect, who wants the community, the challenge, and the distance from home. The conversation about readiness is one of the most important a family has, and it is worth having honestly before the applications begin.

Most boarding schools build the majority of their class at 9th grade entry, when the largest number of spots are available, which makes 10th grade entry smaller and more competitive by comparison. Both follow the same application calendar, with applications submitted in the fall and decisions arriving in March. Even so, 10th grade remains a real pathway for students who were not ready at 14, who spent a year at a different school, or whose family circumstances changed. Families targeting 10th grade entry should begin in the spring of 8th grade and build a strategy around the smaller pool of available spots.

Not necessarily. Some schools accept applications mid-year for January or spring entry, and some maintain rolling admission throughout the academic year when spaces become available. Families relocating unexpectedly, or those whose circumstances have changed, often find more options than they expect. The key is moving quickly and working with someone who knows which schools have genuine availability and which are effectively full.

Best fit means the school where your child is most likely to thrive, academically, socially, and personally. It is the intersection of a student’s learning style, temperament, interests, and goals with a school’s culture, values, and educational approach. Best fit is not the most prestigious school a student can get into. It is the school where they will be challenged without being overwhelmed, supported without being coddled, and surrounded by a community that reflects who they are or who they are becoming.

It begins with understanding your child, not just their grades and test scores, but how they learn, what energizes them, how they respond to structure and independence, and what they want their daily life to feel like. That understanding comes from conversations with the student and the family, from reviewing academic history, and from years of visiting schools and knowing what distinguishes one from another at the level that does not appear in a brochure. The list that emerges from this guidance looks different for every student.

Rankings tell you very little about whether a school is right for your child. The more useful questions are: What is the culture of the classroom, competitive or collaborative? How does the school support students who struggle, not just those who excel? What does a typical week look like outside of academics? How do students describe their experience? A school visit, done carefully and with the right questions, reveals things no website or ranking can.

This market is competitive and operates on a specific timeline, which does not always align with admissions cycles elsewhere in the country or overseas. Relocating families often underestimate how different this market is from what they know: the schools, the culture, and the process all differ in ways that are easy to miss from a distance. Beginning the school search before the move is confirmed, or as soon as it is, gives a family the best chance of securing a place that is a good fit rather than simply available.

Families relocating from outside the United States face the added complexity of an unfamiliar system while managing an international move. The most important step is beginning the process early, ideally a full year before the intended start date. A consultant who works regularly with international families understands the particular challenges of transcript evaluation, language assessment, and identifying schools that actively welcome students who are unfamiliar with the American academic environment, if possible.

Public schools in this area are strong, and many families choose them deliberately. The decision between public and private is rarely about quality alone; it involves class size, teaching style, the peer environment, extracurricular depth, and a family’s individual priorities for their child’s education. An independent consultant can help families think through that choice honestly, without a stake in the outcome either way.