Academics

Secondary School Placement

Meet the Placement Office

List of 2 members.

  • Photo of Ridley Sperling

    Ridley Sperling 

    Director of Secondary School Placement; Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion; Co-Director Caps
    914-244-1257
  • Photo of Brooks Eleck

    Brooks Eleck 

    New Teacher Mentoring Program Director, Associate Director of Secondary School Placement, Grade 9 En
    914-244-1272
Every child has their own path to follow. We help them find it.
Independent. Creative. Confident. That’s how RippKids leave Rippowam Cisqua School. It is our mission, and we deliver every time. Our students consistently rise to the top, which is reflected in their high rate of admissions to their first-choice schools, and their ongoing commitment as active, enthusiastic, and supportive alumni.

Matriculation: Where students go when they graduate

By the time students graduate, they can identify, evaluate, and select the school where they will thrive intellectually, creatively, socially, and emotionally. The array of institutions where our students are accepted and that they ultimately select as their school of choice reflects the individuality of each child. 

List of 3 items.

  • Where RCS Students Are Accepted for Secondary School

    Our students are evaluated alongside a remarkably talented pool of applicants from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut for independent day schools, and alongside an equally impressive global pool for boarding schools. After visiting schools during the admissions season, students often apply to multiple schools to maximize their options. The list below represents the secondary schools to which our students have gained admission for the 2022-23 school year.
     
    Boarding Schools
    Andover (Phillips Academy Andover) 
    Avon Old Farms School
    Berkshire School*
    Blair Academy*
    Brewster Academy
    Canterbury School*
    Choate Rosemary Hall*
    Deerfield Academy
    Exeter (Phillips Exeter Academy)
    Frederick Gunn School
    Hill School
    Holderness School
    Hotchkiss School*
    Kent School*
    Lawrenceville School
    Loomis Chaffee School*
    Marvelwood School
    Millbrook School*
    Miss Porter’s School*
    Northfield Mount Hermon School*
    Pomfret School
    Portsmouth Abbey School
    Proctor Academy
    Putney School
    Salisbury School
    St. George’s School*
    St. Mark’s School
    St. Paul’s School
    Suffield Academy*
    Tabor Academy*
    Taft School*
    Trinity Pawling School*
    Westminster School*
    Williston Northampton School
     
    Day Schools
    Athens Academy (GA)
    Brunswick School
    Ethical Culture Fieldston School
    Fordham Preparatory School
    Greens Farms Academy
    Greenwich Academy*
    Greenwich Country Day School*
    Hackley School 
    Harvey School*
    Iona Preparatory School
    King School*
    Masters School*
    Rye Country Day School
    Sacred Heart Greenwich*
    School of the Holy Child
    St. Luke’s School*
     
    * Two or more students accepted

  • Where RCS Students Matriculate for Secondary School

    Where students ultimately choose to go is as varied as their individual personalities. Some choose their local public school while others choose to travel across the country to attend special interest schools that help them hone skills like horseback riding, tennis, or skiing. Below is a list of schools where students have matriculated over the past five years.

                                                            Classes of 2018-22

    Boarding Schools                          
    Day Schools
    Avon Old Farms*
    Archbishop Stepinac HS*
    Berkshire School*
    Brunswick*
    Blair Academy*
    Byram Hills High School*
    Choate Rosemary Hall*
    Columbia Grammar and Prep
    Deerfield Academy*
    Dwight School
    Emma Willard School
    Ethical Culture Fieldston School
    Gunnery School* 
    Fairfield College Preparatory School*
    Holderness Academy
    Fordham Preparatory School*
    Hotchkiss School*
    Fox Lane High School* 
    Hill School*
    Greens Farms Academy* 
    Kent School*
    Greenwich Academy*
    Lawrenceville School*
    Greenwich Country Day School*
    Loomis Chaffee School*
    Greenwich High School
    Millbrook School*
    Horace Greeley High School
    Milton Academy*
    Hackley School*
    Miss Porter’s School*
    Harrison High School 
    Northfield Mount Hermon*
    Harvey School*
    Peddie School*
    Horace Mann 
    Phillips Academy Andover*
    Iona Preparatory School*
    Phillips Exeter Academy
    John Jay High School* 
    Pomfret School*
    Kennedy Catholic High School*
    Portsmouth Abbey School
    King School*
    Proctor Academy
    Mahopac High School
    Salisbury School*
    Mamaroneck High School
    St. Andrew’s School
    Masters School*
    St. George’s School*
    North Salem High School 
    St. Mark’s School*
    New Fairfield High School
    St. Paul’s School*
    Ossining High School
    Stoneleigh-Burnham School
    Pleasantville High School
    Suffield Academy*
    Rye Country Day School*
    Taft School*
    Sacred Heart Greenwich*
    Thacher School*
    School of the Holy Child*
    Trinity Pawling School
    St. Luke’s School*
    Walnut Hill School for the Arts
    Westhill High School*
    Westminster School*
    Wilton High School
    Wooster School
    Yorktown High School 
    *indicates two or more students

     

     
  • Where RCS Students Go to College

    The skills students learn at RCS last a lifetime. Alumni often credit their experiences at RCS as a key influencer in choosing a college. As high school seniors applying to college, RCS students have a distinct advantage over some of their peers as they experienced a similarly self-reflective and complex application process when they applied to secondary schools. Moreover, they often refer to their RCS coursework in their college essays and interviews, and they can count on RCS teachers for advice, written recommendations or general support as they continue their education.


    College Matriculation
    RCS Classes of 2014-19

    American University*
    Hamilton College
    University of California Santa Barbara
    American University of Paris
    Hobart and William Smith Colleges
    University of Chicago*
    Amherst College
    Howard University
    University of Colorado Boulder*
    Barnard College*
    Indiana University*
    University of Connecticut
    Bates College*
    Ithaca College
    University of Delaware*
    Bentley University
    Johns Hopkins University
    University of Denver*
    Boston College*
    Juilliard School
    University of Louisville
    Berklee College of Music
    Kenyon College*
    University of Maryland
    Boston University*
    Lafayette College*
    University of Miami*
    Bowdoin College*
    Lehigh University*
    University of Michigan
    Brown University*
    Marist College
    University of Mississippi
    Bucknell University*
    Middlebury College*
    University of Missouri
    Claremont McKenna College
    New York University*
    University of New Hampshire
    Colby College*
    Northeastern University
    University of North Carolina*
    Colgate University*
    Northwestern University*
    University of Notre Dame*
    College of Charleston*
    Penn State University
    University of Oxford
    College of the Holy Cross*
    Pitzer College
    University of Pennsylvania*
    Clemson University
    Princeton University*
    University of Rhode Island
    Colorado College*
    Rhode Island School of Design
    University of Richmond*
    Columbia University*
    Roger Williams University
    University of Southern California*
    Cornell University*
    San Diego State University
    University of St Andrews Scotland*
    Dartmouth College
    Santa Clara University*
    University of Tampa*
    Denison University
    Skidmore College
    University of Texas
    Dickinson College
    Southern Methodist University*
    University of Vermont*
    Dublin Institute of Technology
    St. Lawrence University*
    University of Virginia*
    Duke University*
    Stanford University
    University of Wisconsin*
    Elon University*
    Suffolk University
    Vanderbilt University
    Emerson College
    SUNY Oneonta
    Villanova University*
    Emory University
    SUNY New Paltz
    Wake Forest University*
    Fairfield University
    Syracuse University*
    Washington University in St. Louis
    Fordham University*
    Temple University
    Washington and Lee University*
    George Washington University*
    Trinity College*
    Wheaton College
    Georgetown University*
    Tufts University*
    William & Mary
    Georgia Tech
    Tulane University*
    Williams College
    Gettysburg College*
    Union College*
    Yale University*
    Gordon College
    University of Albany
    *indicates two or more students







Placement Services: How we help families transition from RCS

Whether your child is considering boarding, public, or day school, a dedicated placement counselor will work with your family to help identify the right school(s) to match your student’s strengths, weaknesses, and areas of interest while complementing the vision, dreams, and plans you have for your child.

List of 4 items.

  • Application Management

    Application materials that are the responsibility of the family include: fee, essays, short answers, graded writing sample (if applicable), parent statement, biographical info, photograph, etc. Parents must also send selected SSAT scores electronically to each admissions office. 

    Application materials that are sent by RCS include: cover letter, placement counselor recommendation letter and form, current English teacher recommendation letter and form, current math teacher recommendation letter and form, optional additional recommendation letter(s), grades, transcripts.

    Each school typically requires at least two teacher recommendations. Because our teachers know your child so well, they are able to provide thoughtful, in-depth insights that provide a unique profile of your child and help them stand out from the broader applicant pool.
     
  • Guidance and Support

    Your placement counselor is available for questions and consultation throughout the year. In addition to parent informational sessions and a monthly placement newsletter, they are available by phone, by email, and by appointment, and they have regular meetings with the students on the application process, conduct, and the social/emotional aspects of leaving RCS.
  • Interview and Tour Preparation

    The placement officers meet with each student privately to discuss the student’s interests as well as to give tips on tours and interviews. RCS also conducts a mock interview with each student, and prior to each school visit a placement officer sends a letter of introduction on the student’s behalf to admissions offices.
  • SSAT

    RCS administers a "benchmark" SSAT to all seventh graders in the spring of their seventh-grade year to provide students exposure to and experience with standardized testing. All eighth- and ninth-grade students take an SSAT Flex test that is administered during school each November. RCS covers the test taking fees for the seventh-grade "benchmark" test and for the eighth- and ninth-grade Flex test. RCS students are invited to enroll in an SSAT prep course to learn test-taking strategies. The test prep course is optional and incurs a separate fee through our partner.   

Secondary School Testimonials: What Heads of Schools and Admissions Officers say about RCS graduates

Admissions officers stress that academic preparation, confidence, intellectual curiosity, and willingness to engage in all areas of school life make RippKids stand out in the admissions process. They are also quick to point out that our students’ ability to demonstrate their capacity for leadership is a real point of difference.

List of 6 items.

  • Berkshire School

    Berkshire has been thrilled to welcome so many outstanding Rippowam graduates over the years. They bring a level of excellence and dedication to our classrooms, studios, stages, and playing fields that defines our culture. Perhaps even more importantly, as community members, role models, and school leaders, they help set a distinctive standard for all our young women and men. - Pieter Mulder, Head of School
  • Choate Rosemary Hall

    Choate is fortunate to be the beneficiary of the robust educational experience RCS provides. When I reflect on our “shared” students, I am struck by the many ways RCS alumni have contributed to the Choate community. RCS graduates that have come to Choate have proven to be confident, energetic leaders who embrace the opportunity to become active participants in all aspects of school life. - Alex Curtis, PhD., Headmaster
  • Deerfield Academy

    Bright, inquisitive, and highly motivated, Ripp’s graduates arrive at Deerfield with a commitment to excel and to contribute their talents and strengths in building a strong, closely knit, vibrant community. They seem to understand that it is not enough to do well, or to focus exclusively on self-advancement. In a world facing so many challenges, they sense they have a responsibility to do good -- to transcend narrow personal interests and to elevate kindness, rationality, and inclusion in the world around them. - Dr. Margarita O’Bryne Curtis, Head of School
  • Lawrenceville School

    Graduates from Rippowam Cisqua consistently exhibit qualities that enable them to succeed at Lawrenceville and become an integral part of campus life -- diligence, empathy, and academic focus combined with a healthy sense of balance that we value tremendously. There is little doubt that their educational experience prior to Lawrenceville helped them to develop a solid foundation. -  Tom Sheppard, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid
     
  • Masters School

    We have had a long and positive relationship with RCS students and families. RCS students enthusiastically embrace the Harkness Teaching method and quickly warm to the distinctive culture of The Masters School. RCS families are leaders in our parent community as volunteers and supporters of the School. - Laura D. Danforth, Head of School
  • Westminster School

    Enthusiastic, energetic, curious, competitive, ambitious, and involved, Rippowam graduates embody the attributes Westminster School cherishes. Their names prompt in my mind memories of school leaders, top students, outstanding athletes, and dedicated volunteers as well as performing and creative artists. Perhaps most telling, my memories across three decades of students from Rippowam always include the enduring joy reflected in their warm smiles.- William V.N. Philip, Headmaster

RCS Graduates in Their Own Words

Rippowam Cisqua School
439 Cantitoe Street 
Bedford, NY 10506
phone: (914) 244-1250
Rippowam Cisqua School is a PreK-Grade 9 independent day school in Westchester County, New York. RCS offers challenging academics built on innovation, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, wellness, leadership, service learning, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.
Copyright 2023. Rippowam Cisqua School. All rights reserved. We respect your privacy. Read our privacy policy here.