Get started on that fall school search this spring!
If you’re planning to begin a school search this fall—for kindergarten, high school, or boarding school entry in a future year—spring is a good time to get oriented. Below are a few spring starting points, with an emphasis on kindergarten, high school, and boarding school searches. There are “Spring Preview” admission events, summer camps, and if you’re considering boarding school, there is the Town Boarding School Fair coming up.
Start by seeing a couple of schools and familiarizing yourself with the language and process. Fall comes fast. Before you know it, you’ll be scheduling visits, writing essays, and submitting applications, often with very little time in between. School events will consume much of your fall and winter, leaving little time to reflect on you child’s needs, your family’s values, and how each school does—or does not—align with them.
Any good school search should begin with an honest reflection on your child’s needs and your family’s values to ensure that you’re staying true to them before you look outward. See “Looking Forward to the High School Admissions Process” for my recommendations on how to do some value excavation before you begin any search. Although that post is framed around high school, the reflection exercise applies to any school search.
Kindergarten Searches: Attend a Spring Preview
Several San Francisco single-gender schools offer “spring previews” or tours. Even if these schools are not on your list, attending one can help you get oriented early: Burke’s, Cathedral, Convent/Stuart Hall, Hamlin, and Town.
If a school is not offering a spring visit or preview and you’re interested, inquire now and get on their mailing list. Some of these schools also offer summer camps that can help you get a better sense of the schools before you apply.
High School Searches: Attend a Spring Preview
The challenge of a high school search is navigating a process where your teenager has strong opinions of their own. You can build shared language and reference points for summer conversations by attending one of these spring events. Bay (May 12, 19, and 27) and Drew (May 14) are each offering spring events.
You may also want to consider attending the Town Boarding School Fair—even if boarding school isn’t a current consideration—to begin thinking about what a good-fit school might look like for your child
Boarding School Searches: How to Get Started
Attend the Town Boarding School Fair. The Town Boarding School Fair is one of the largest boarding school fairs in the country, attracting around a hundred boarding school admission officers each year, and it’s right here in San Francisco (Sunday, May 3, 2026). This is a terrific opportunity to talk to both well-known schools and a broad range of school sizes, philosophies, locations, and specialties. The fair will also offer two informational sessions in addition to the traditional fair itself. You can also read my post, “Why Boarding School?” and “Why Boarding School? (Part 2).”
Plan a Summer Boarding School Tour. One of the challenges of a boarding school search is getting on campus to get a real feel for a school and see beyond what a website or webinar can convey. If you can, I recommend visiting campuses over the summer. In the fall, in addition to admission events and essay writing, your child’s engagement in their classes and grades will matter more than ever, and their activities will require their time and attention. Getting away to visit four to six schools can feel very difficult. While students and teachers may not be on campus during the summer, and you won’t see classes in session, you can still begin to narrow your search geographically, by size, or by school philosophy. An early search doesn’t commit you to applying—consider this first trip an opportunity to get the lay of the land.
For Any Age: Consider a Summer Camp
If your child has time in their summer, a camp hosted by a school can be a great way to get a sense of the environment. These range from K–8 programs to local high schools to boarding schools.
If the camp is run by the school itself, it can give your child a more authentic sense of the campus and may give them something concrete to reflect on later if an application asks about their engagement with the school. For example, Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory includes an application essay about past engagement with the school, and referencing camp attendance can be helpful.
These are a few suggestions for getting a head start on your school search. If you want to talk further about your child’s particular needs, feel free to reach out here.
