Are private schools worth it to get into elite universities?

Personally, I don't think private school is worth the expense. Like your friend, I had the option of attending a great private school, but I chose to stay in public school because my town had an excellent school. read more

Prestigious private schools tend to be feeders for elite universities like the Ivies. Even with connections, private school is really not worth 40+k a year. Save that money for college tuition. Sticking with public school was my best choice. I got to stay with my friends and still ended up getting accepted to an "elite" university. read more

That said, Poly Prep's numbers seem to be in line with the estimated 25 percent of seniors from New York's "specialized science and math [public] high schools," like Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan — raising the question of whether its worth it to shovel money into private schools. read more

Niche, a company that researches and compiles information on schools, just released its 2016 rankings of the best private high schools in the country, specifically highlighting the best schools that prepare students for elite colleges. To determine college readiness, Niche evaluated more than 8,000 schools on composite SAT and ACT scores, the caliber of colleges graduates attend, the percentage of students who matriculate to four-year colleges, and survey responses from students and parents. read more