Make the Most of Your Campus Visit

Visiting the school—seeing the classrooms, walking around the grounds, and talking to faculty and students—will give you and your child the best sense of whether this is the best environment for your child to learn and thrive. Private school experts offer these suggestions for what to ask about, look for, and consider with the visit. • Decide ahead of time if there are specific classrooms, facilities, or departments that you or your child want to visit. • If possible, visit on a regular school day, arrange to observe a classroom, and stay to sample a school lunch. • General impressions count, but so do the details.

Take note of what the grounds and classrooms are like, but also pay attention to specifics: are the bathrooms clean; do staff seemed organized and ready for your visit; what library, science, and technology resources does the school offer? • In the classrooms or on the playground, notice if the students look engaged and well-behaved, including when they transition from one activity or classroom to another. How do students interact with their teachers? Do the teachers seem cheerful and knowledgeable? How do the teachers manage the classrooms or handle discipline? • Talk to as many teachers and students as possible.

Find out about homework policies and workloads, the social environment, and opportunities to do arts, sports, and other nonacademic activities. • If the school offers shadow-a-student day for interested students, your child has the opportunity to ask questions of potential schoolmates more freely than if you’re around. • After you and your child finish the visit, jot down your general impressions before leaving. Try to imagine your child in one of the classrooms, or walking the halls. Does this school feel like a good fit? 