Thank you to our friends in the admissions office of
Saint Ursula Academy for this excellent overview!
Options!
We are very fortunate to live in a region like Cincinnati that offers a myriad of options to consider when it comes to your child’s secondary education! Families have choices between public, private, co-ed, and single gendered schools, just to name a few. With the many options offered, it’s no wonder families can feel overwhelmed and miss important dates and deadlines.
Many families have already attended Open Houses at various schools to gain more insight into their options. However, it’s not too late to visit other options or revisit a school during the busy Open House season beginning in the fall. Many schools will be offering virtual information sessions as well.
Archdiocesan Options
When it comes to Cincinnati Archdiocesan High Schools, the application process begins in the fall of your child’s eighth-grade year. There are four primary deadlines to keep in mind for these High Schools: Application, Financial Aid, Decision Letter Mailing Date, and Enrollment Day. One of these deadlines is the same for all Archdiocesan schools; the Decision Mailing date. The date for mailing decisions to the Class of 2025 is January 13, 2021. School websites serve as a great resource and should be visited frequently. You will see that along with your child’s application, high schools also require grade school records. This enhances the comprehensive admission process and offers more insight and perspective into the student’s academic prowess, patterns, and/or trends. Some schools may also require or consider recommendation letters from teachers.
Application
To help ease the stress of the hectic 8th-grade year, you may even want to submit applications as soon as they are available on High School websites. Some applications require an essay submission. Be sure to make note of any special application deadlines that may exist for specific programs and services. For example, Saint Ursula Academy offers a highly sought after Educational Services Program for students with identified learning disabilities. The ES Program application deadline is November 6, 2020, while the standard Class of 2025 Application deadline is November 20, 2020. It’s important to be aware of these deadlines. While it is possible to still gain admission post-deadline, you may miss out on financial aid or scholarship opportunities.
The Archdiocesan Entrance and Placement Test has been waived for the Class of 2025 due to COVID – 19. Each school will determine what criteria they will use for admission and scholarship decisions.
For regular admission into the Saint Ursula Class of 2025, the admissions committee will examine:
- Completed applications (including a response to a Class of 2025 prompt)
- Report cards from the 6th, 7th and 8th grade
- Most recent standardized test scores/proficiency test scores
- Attendance records (if not included on report cards)
- Discipline records (if applicable)
For admission to the SUA Educational Services Program, for students with identified learning disabilities, the admissions committee will examine all of the above as well as:
- Evaluation Team Report (ETR)
- IEP/ISP, 504 Plan or school accommodation plan, if applicable
- Teacher recommendations
The committee seeks applicants that show readiness for the challenging college preparatory atmosphere at Saint Ursula Academy.
Once the deadline for applications has passed, admission committees diligently review student records, standardized test results, teacher comments, and referrals as the difficult decision process begins. Every archdiocesan high school is held to the same timeline and sends admissions information on January 13, 2021. After letters are mailed, high schools are unable to reach out to families for the next 5 days. This provides families the privacy to consider all of their options. Should you have any questions during this 5-day “quiet” period, you are absolutely permitted and encouraged to contact the school.
Enrollment
One other important deadline, which varies from school to school is the actual Enrollment Day. This is the date that schools begin accepting registration for the class of 2025. For some schools, it is imperative to secure your spot within an identified class size, while other schools have a more relaxed and loose timeframe.
Don’t let this process overwhelm you. Remember, school websites are an excellent resource for preliminary research and deadlines. Do not hesitate to reach out to a schools’ admissions department with any questions; they are eager and willing to help guide you.
Happy high school hunting!