Graduates From Stevens Cooperative School Accepted to Top High Schools

It won’t be too long before parents of local middle schoolers consider the task of finding, gaining acceptance into and affording one of the elite private and parochial schools in and around New York City. Top schools like Packer Collegiate and Trinity School can cost upwards of $40,000 a year, and these schools screen a huge number of applicants for very few spaces. So despite the likelihood of entry into top-tier colleges upon private high school graduation, it is not surprising that families can find themselves daunted and perhaps discouraged by the prospect.

As the 2014-2105 school year draws to a close at Stevens Cooperative School though, 8th grade students are celebrating their acceptances into 34 prestigious high schools in New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut. The 29 soon-to-be graduates were also offered over $775,000 in scholarships and financial aid. Are these striking statistics simply this year’s anomaly?

Head of School Dr. Sergio Alati says no. “This year’s impressive outcome is not new to Stevens, which has a long history of both placing students into high quality high schools and helping those schools be affordable to parents,” he says. “The success of Stevens’ high school placement program directly stems from a placement team dedicated to individualized attention to students, strong relationships with competitive high schools and ongoing interaction with families.”

An integral part of that team is Nancy Rossi, Director of Admissions and High School Guidance, who has been leading the placement process since 2003. “Beginning in 7th grade and until the final contract is signed, we walk our families through an intricate and sometimes intimidating process that can be difficult to navigate,” she says. “There are advisory companies that charge thousands of dollars to get students into desirable schools, but our excellent acceptance rate is a part of the culture or our school and our commitment for the best opportunities for our students at an affordable cost. I would not want finances to limit a student’s access to the best education possible.”

The excellent acceptance rate must also be attributed to the hard-working students and Stevens’ challenging middle school curriculum that prepares them for rigorous entrance exams, the competitive admissions process, and the actual coursework once students enter 9th grade. “When I visit the high schools our students attend, administration and faulty consistently boast about our well-rounded and self-motivated graduates,” continues Alati. “Our alumni success stories are both rewarding and inspiring to hear.” And Hoboken Principal Josh Marks adds, “The multitude of competitive high school choices for our students was a result of their outstanding academic achievement, gumption, oratory eloquence and confidence.”

Stevens students were accepted at a number of independent New York City schools including Trinity School, Columbia Prep, Fieldston, Friends Seminary, Marymount, Packer Collegiate Institute, United Nations International School, Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School, Poly Prep Country Day School and Nightingale Bamford School. Students were also accepted into top boarding schools such as Millbrook and Pomfret. Local Catholic schools include Xavier High School and Dominican Academy in Manhattan as well as St. Peter’s Prep and Seton Hall Prep in New Jersey. Students were also accepted to McNair Academic and High Tech High School, two of the top public high schools in New Jersey.

Stevens Cooperative School, founded in 1949, is the oldest parent cooperative school in New Jersey and an excellent model of rigorous progressive education in action. It is accredited by the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools and serves over 420 students on its Hoboken and Jersey City campuses. Select spaces are still available in its two-year-old through 8th grade programs for 2015-2016. Visit www.stevenscoop.org.