Secondary School Placement

Click here to review the Class of 2022's secondary schools.

The Secondary School Placement Office comes under the Admission Office umbrella and serves, on average, 40 families each year. We enjoy a deep connection with the Directors of Admission and their associates at numerous independent schools around the country.

We begin our process in the spring of a student's 8th grade year with individual counseling and advice on finding the "right fit." Our office oversees 400 plus applications to roughly 90 independent schools each year. We are responsible for gathering all recommendations and transcripts and guide our families through the completion of their applications.We coach our students on upcoming interviews, and offer an SSAT overview class complete with practice tests and analysis of individual scores. Hillside School is a test site for the SSAT's and we assist all families with their test registrations, including those requiring specific accommodations.

Our son attended Hillside for two years (8th and 9th grade), and I can unequivocally say that he had a distinct advantage applying to secondary schools as a result. Hillside's placement team were constant guides and provided invaluable advice every step along the way. I cannot provide a higher recommendation for Hillside School. Simply put, the best of the best."
– A Future Groton Parent

2021–2022 Secondary School Placement Timeline

May/June of 8th Grade Year:

Individual family meetings
with Secondary School
Placement (SSP) Office (Zoom)

Summer before 9th Grade Year:

Families research secondary
schools; students prepare for SSAT/TOEFL

August before 9th Grade Year:

Parents schedule school
interviews for week of October
9-16

Fall of 9th Grade Year:

Students invited for
information sessions with
secondary school
representatives; SSP Office helps students prepare for interviews

October 9-16:Secondary school interviews (no classes for 9th Grade)
October 16:

SSAT administered at Hillside

November:

Families make progress on
common applications through application platforms

November 13:

SSAT administered at Hillside

December 1:

Families notify SSP Office of
their final list of schools

December 3:Deadline to request supplemental recommendations and
notify the SSP office
December 11:

SSAT administered at Hillside

During Winter Break:

Students finish short answers and essays for uploading

January 8, 2022:SSAT administered at Hillside
January 15, 2022:

First wave of application
deadlines; SSP Office will
upload teacher recommendations and transcripts (families are
responsible for submitting the student essay, graded writing
sample, entrance exam scores, and any neuropsychological
testing)

March 10:Families notified of decisions by secondary schools
Late March and early
April 2022:

Revisit Days at secondary schools
April 10:Enrollment Deadline