Dear Applicant Families,

While all of us share a commitment to ethical practices in independent school admissions, we recognize that applying to multiple schools can create certain burdens on families.  In an effort to ease those burdens, the Heads of the undersigned Los Angeles schools have agreed to the following principles of good practice for K – 12 admissions:

1. 2010 common notification and reply dates affecting 2010-2011 school year applicants:

Grades 9-12:  Notification letters will be sent on March 12, 2010
Replies will be due on March 30, 2010.

Grades K-8:   Notification letters will be sent on March 26, 2010
Replies will be due on April 13, 2010.

1. No school-initiated visits after notification letters are sent.  High schools who receive requests for visits from newly admitted high school students are welcome to invite those students onto their campuses.  LASH principles of good practice do not, however, support visits from newly admitted middle school students during the period between the notification dates and the reply deadlines.

1. No applicant will be contacted by any representative of the school – including administrators, teachers, coaches, Board members, alumni, alumni parents, parents, and students – once the admissions notification letters have been sent. This action is taken in an effort to avoid adding pressure to families through last minute “recruiting” practices. Obviously, admitted students and their parents are welcome to contact schools to have questions answered.

1. No email notification will be sent to applicants sooner than noon on the day following the mailing of the notification letters.  (Not all institutions use email notification.  For those who do, email notifications will be sent to applicants in grades 9-12 on March 13; emails to grades K-8 will be sent on March 27, 2010).

We are united in our interest to improve the independent school application experience.  And we are united, as well, in our conviction that the independent school world can offer wonderfully rich educational opportunities for young people.

Sincerely,

Hollywood Schoolhouse