Secondary School Advising

Even before a student starts at Carroll School, parents ask the question, "Where does my child go after Carroll's 8th grade?"

Carroll graduates attend a variety of high school types including public, technical, agricultural, charter, religious, private day, and boarding schools. Like our mission, we aim to send students to a school that best meets their needs.

For some families, the simple answer is Carroll's Upper School. In the Upper School, students benefit from the continuity of learning that also prepares them incredibly well for the rigors of high school. and opens up next school options that were previously out of reach.

Our Secondary School Advising team is here to support families as they research, visit, apply, and choose the right next step for their children.

Secondary School Advising Overview

Secondary School Advising Team

Charlene Kmetz

Director of Secondary School Advising

Email Charlene
781-314-9740

Cece McNally

Assistant Director of Secondary School Advising

Email Cece
781-314-9772

Francisca Fenton

Assistant Director of Secondary School Advising

Email Francisca
781-314-9737

Monthly Parent To-Do Lists

Below is the Parent To-Do List for March through August. Monthly To-Do Lists will be published at the beginning of each month, starting in September.

November-December

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☑️ Review the October To-Do List.

For families considering public school:

☑️ Contact your Secondary School Advisor to discuss the IEP development process.

☑️ Register with your local school district (if you don’t have a current IEP on file with the district).

☑️ Contact your town’s middle and high school special education departments and let them know of your intention to enroll in the high school.

☑️ Join your town’s SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) to gain more information on services provided in your school district.

For families considering independent schools:

☑️ Continue to develop and refine the list of schools to which your child will apply.

☑️ Provide the list of schools to which your child will apply to your Secondary School Advisor (Charlene Kmetz, Cece McNally, or Francey Fenton). Please provide this information even if you are still considering options. This helps the SSA Team prepare for submitting your child’s documents.

☑️ Review the admissions policies for each of the schools that you are considering and determine the method of applying. If applicable, schedule a tour and interview for your student.

☑️ Register with any required online application portals - for example, Ravenna or the Standard Application Online (SAO). These are the preferred portals, if possible.

IMPORTANT: When you register with the Standard Application Online, PLEASE list Carroll School as an “Advisor” in the SAO portal. This allows us to upload letters of recommendation and grades. To list Carroll School as an Advisor, you must first work through the student profile and then schools to which you will apply. Where it states “Working with a placement counselor or educational consultant?” please click “Add an Advisor” and type in Carroll School. In the event you are working with an educational consultant, please continue to list Carroll School, as the SSA office will be responsible for uploading letters of recommendation and grades. You only have to do this once; you do not have to do this for each school.

If you are using Ravenna, you will record Carroll as your child’s current school and that will allow us to upload letters of recommendation and grades.
In the event your student is taking the December or January SSAT, read your admission ticket to ensure that your accommodations are accurate and you have all required materials.
If you wish to share your child’s SSAT results with Carroll’s Secondary School Advising Office, please list Carroll School as a Score Recipient – our Code is 2134. This information can be helpful to Placement in the event a question from a potential high school arises.
HSPT - In the event you are applying to a parochial school, and not submitting an SSAT score, please remember to register for the HSPT (High School Placement Test). Tests are administered at local parochial schools in November and December.

October

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☑️ Review the September To-Do List.

☑️ Schedule new neuropsychological evaluation (if applicable) and forward the updated report to your Secondary School Advisor and Carroll School Registrar.

☑️ Complete the Secondary School Advising Parent Questionnaire and Schedule a meeting with your Secondary School Advisor.

☑️ Begin to Develop a list of schools to which your child will apply and share schools of interest with your Secondary School Advisor.

☑️ Schedule tours and interviews at high schools of interest.

☑️ Attend our upcoming events to learn about specific independent schools, the benefits of boarding schools, and hear from alumni parents whose children are at various secondary schools.

☑️ SSAT: Determine if your child will take the SSAT and then request accommodations and register for the test. Please visit our SSAT page for resources to help work through the process.

☑️ HSPT: Families/students interested in a parochial school may be required to take the (HSPT) High School Placement Test as a way to gauge class placement. Schools throughout the area administer the HSPT multiple times throughout the fall semester. Please contact the admissions office at the schools to which your child plans to apply to find out their specific HSPT requirements and/or dates for testing.

☑️ Familiarize yourself with the two preferred application portals: Ravenna and Standard Application Online.

☑️ Communicate with your child's academic advisor about dates that your child will be missing school/class due to school tours and interviews.

☑️ Encourage your child to email or visit their Secondary School Advisor to schedule a mock interview, if they are preparing for a school interview.

For families considering public school and/or vocational technical school:

☑️ Register with your local school district (if you don’t have a current IEP on file with the district).

☑️ Contact your town’s middle and high school special education departments and let them know of your intention to enroll in the high school.

☑️ Join your town’s SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) to gain more information on services provided in your school district.

September

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For all families:

☑️ Schedule new neuropsychological evaluation for your student (if applicable) and forward updated report to our Carroll School Registrar.

☑️ Complete the Secondary School Advising Parent Questionnaire and return it to your designated Secondary School Advisor in order to schedule your parent meeting.

☑️ Attend our upcoming events to learn about specific independent schools, the benefits of boarding schools, and hear from alumni parents whose children are at various secondary schools.

Independent School Information Sessions and Webinars - Wednesdays this fall beginning 9/27 (go to our events page for details, events added frequently so check back often).
The Benefits of Attending Boarding School (webinar), Tuesday, October 3rd, 6:30-8:00 pm, Register here
Carroll School Alumni Parent Panel (webinar), Tuesday, November 7th, 6:30-8:00 pm, Register here

For families considering an independent or parochial school:

☑️ Attend open house events, schedule tours and interviews, and register for webinars at high schools of interest.

☑️ Determine if your child will take the SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test). The Carroll School Secondary School Advising/SSAT section in the Carroll School Parent Community has detailed information on how to request accommodations and register for the test.

☑️ Determine if you are applying to a parochial school and register for the High School Placement Test (HSPT). Many area parochial schools administer the test, approve accommodation requests, and offer test prep courses. Please visit this link to the HSPT/Archdiocese of Boston website.

☑️ Familiarize yourself with Ravenna (ravenna-hub.com) and the Standard Application Online/SAO (enrollment.org) as these are the most common and preferred application methods for independent and parochial schools.

For families considering public school and/or vocational technical school:

☑️ Register with your local school district (if you don’t have a current IEP on file with the district).

☑️ Contact your town’s middle and high school special education departments and let them know of your intention to enroll in the high school.

☑️ Join your town’s SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) to gain more information on services provided in your school district.

March to August

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☑️ Attend/Review Secondary School Advising Overview Event

☑️ Explore Secondary School Advising Section under Parent Community on Carroll's website

☑️ Schedule new neuropsychological evaluation (if applicable)

☑️ Complete Secondary School Advising Office Parent Questionnaire

☑️ Schedule a spring or fall meeting with your designated Secondary School Advisor

☑️ Research high school options

☑️ Familiarize yourself with the IEP process, if you are considering public school as an option

☑️ Explore SSAT testing and prep options (please note that the SSAT may not be applicable)

☑️ Enjoy your spring and the upcoming summer months!

Resources for Parents

Info & Resources Important Dates & Events SSAT Test After Carroll Placements