 | Secondary School Placement “Children learn skills and concepts here at Country School that create opportunities for them in the years ahead.”
~Timothy Bazemore, Head of School
New Canaan Country School believes deeply in its mission to value the imagination and curiosity of children, respect childhood as an integral part of life, set high academic standards and challenge students to strive for excellence. Our extensive placement process is in keeping with the school’s mission and supports the educational program.
Working in Partnership
The school works in partnership with parents and students to help them make thoughtful and deliberate choices about their next schools. A full-time Placement Director works closely with families to insure that they find a school that matches each student’s talents, needs, and interests. The key to this relationship is ongoing, open communication. Parents and students are encouraged to ask questions, share ideas, concerns, and anxieties with the Placement Director as well as teachers, advisors, and administrators. Hallmark features of our approach include:
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Ongoing, one-on-one consultation with students and families
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Establishing a range of schools that target the student’s individual strengths and interests
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Practice interviews and feedback
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Preparation and analysis of admission tests
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Information and personal guidance on how to approach the application, admission, and selection processes
The ultimate goal of our secondary school process is to ensure the placement of each student in a school environment which will contribute to his or her intellectual, physical, social, cultural, and moral development. The list of fine schools to which our graduates have matriculated over the past five years is posted on this site.
Secondary Schools & Graduate Matriculation
Country School enjoys strong ties with all of our receiving schools as evidenced by the glowing testimonials of admission directors that appear on this page. We communicate the breadth of the NCCS curriculum (athletic, artistic, social, emotional, and academic) and update schools regarding major programmatic changes. Receiving schools value the fact that we know our students, have prepared them well, and that we are open and honest in our communication. Our graduates move on to a variety of schools after NCCS, both public and private, boarding and day, single sex and coed. We take pride in the fact that our graduates are not only uniquely prepared to transition into their next institutions, they offer a wonderful range of talents and interests and do incredibly well in both secondary schools and in the colleges and universities that follow. |
Frequently Asked Questions | Q. | Is it true that it’s easier to get into independent secondary school at the end of eighth grade than it is at the end of ninth? | | A. | What is true is that though there are often more spaces in ninth grades, there are many more applicants as well. This is the point at which independent schools accept students out of public schools. So while there may be fewer spaces in tenth grades, there are fewer applicants. Secondary schools are seeking to put together a diverse and dynamic class of students who are developmentally ready. They do this over a two-year period. Over the years, NCCS has produced a very strong applicant pool for tenth grade; consequently, NCCS has had success in placing students into that grade. |
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| Q. | Is it better to start in secondary school in ninth grade, so that my child can be part of the social scene right from the start? | | A. | While it might seem that the difference in size and approach between NCCS and many high schools would be daunting at first for new students, year after year NCCS students have made the transition into tenth grade without problems. In fact, they may well avoid the sorting out and leveling effect of the traditional freshman year, while gaining confidence at NCCS, where they are acknowledged as the “leaders” of the school. Furthermore, the more mature and self-confident a student is, the better she will make good choices when facing the inevitable challenges of secondary school life: peer pressure around drugs, alcohol and sex. Students are better prepared emotionally and socially to make the transition into a competitive academic, social and athletic environment after ninth grade at NCCS. |
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| Q. | What impact does the smaller class size of NCCS’s ninth grade have on students? | | A. | Though it might appear at the outset that the size of ninth grade detracts from the experience students have, we suggest the opposite. There is the obvious psychological benefit of finishing what one has started. Alumni talk about the satisfaction of completing the whole program, and being able to look back on their time at NCCS from the vantage point of ninth grade. The smaller class encourages students to make friends with classmates they haven’t known well previously. The reconfiguration of the class, brought about by the departure of some eighth graders, leads to new academic and social “roles” for members of the class.
Another year in a challenging, yet supportive, environment provides students with emotional and social benefits. They can take risks with ideas, and even with behaviors, with very little ill befalling them. New intellectual leaders emerge: the quiet begin to talk, the chatty learn to listen. Students have the social skills to genuinely admire each other’s talents. The bonds formed in ninth grade are deep; it seems that the friendships formed in ninth grade are the ones that continue on into adulthood. |
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| Q. | My child is the one initiating the idea of leaving NCCS at the end of eighth grade. Don’t I have to let her at least “look” at some secondary schools? | | A. | It is important to be open about your feelings. If you believe that your child will benefit from more time with your family, and more time at NCCS, be straightforward about that. Part of parenting, like part of teaching, is saying “no” to unformed ideas. In our experience, a child is vulnerable to unspoken, but quite palpable, parental expectations. A child is also very aware of her peer group: if friends start talking about their visits to several schools, it’s easy for an eighth grader to feel nervous that he or she is not looking at those schools, or at least some schools. Once a family begins this exploration, it is hard to turn back.
If you don’t want your child to go away, but you visit a number of boarding schools, you need to realize that it is very likely that your child will end up wanting to leave home. If you have always intended to have your child go to your local high school, don’t feel you have to take a tour of local day schools just because her classmates are. If you are tempted to “see” if your child gets into a ninth grade, remember that the application process is a time-consuming one for all: applicant, teacher recommenders, placement office and admission office.
In an era of acceleration, it is natural for children and parents to get the sense that if they move on from where they are earlier, they’ll get where they’re going sooner. What they may not realize, however, is that the destination—independent, successful, compassionate adulthood—awaits them only when they have the self-esteem and the emotional as well as the intellectual tools to make healthy choices. That sensitivity comes when it comes; it cannot be hurried or forced. Parents who equate giving their child a “competitive edge” with getting him or her to the next stage sooner might think less about who their child is now, and more about who that child will be in three years, or ten years.
We believe that the ninth grade is an integral part of a NCCS education, “as childhood is an integral part of life.” Students graduating from ninth grade are secure in who they are, and confident about their futures. They are not cynical; their values are sound; they are excited by ideas. Armed with these attributes, they can make good choices about how to spend their time, and with whom to spend it. They have developed “a lifelong curiosity for knowledge, a rich and creative imagination, and sound habits of concentration and study.” |
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| | Placement Office Contacts |