Academics

Secondary School Placement

Meet the Placement Office

List of 2 members.

  • Page Vincent 

    Director of Secondary School Placement; Math Teacher - Grades 7&8
    (914) 244-1246

  • Ridley Sperling 

    Assoc. Director of Secondary School Placement; Teacher Grade 9 English; Grade 9 Writing Workshop
    (914) 244-1257

Secondary School Placement

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 they remain committed to supporting the School as active and enthusiastic alumni.

Matriculation: Where students go when they graduate

By the time students graduate, they are able to identify, evaluate, and select the school where they will discover new interests, hone their abilities, and thrive intellectually. Each child takes a different path and this is reflected in the wide array of institutions where our students are accepted and ultimately select as their school of choice.  

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 2018-19 school year.
     
    Boarding Schools
    Avon Old Farms*
    Berkshire School*
    Blair Academy*
    Brewster Academy
    Brooks School
    Canterbury School*
    Choate Rosemary Hall*
    Deerfield Academy
    Emma Willard School
    The Gunnery*
    The Hill School
    Hotchkiss School*
    Kent School*
    Lawrenceville School*
    Loomis Chaffee School*
    Masters School (boarding)
    Millbrook School*
    Miss Porter’s School
    Northfield Mount Hermon School
    Peddie School* 
    Pomfret School*
    Salisbury School*
    St. Andrew’s School (DE)
    St. George’s School*
    Suffield Academy*
    Tabor Academy
    Taft School*
    Thacher School (CA)*
    Trinity Pawling School*
    Westminster School*
     
    Day Schools
    Brunswick School*
    Dwight School
    Greenwich Academy
    Hackley School*
    Harvey School
    Horace Mann School
    King School*
    Masters School*
    Rye Country Day School*
    Sacred Heart Greenwich*
    St. Luke’s School*
    Wooster School

    * Two or more students accepted

  • Where RCS Students Matriculate for Secondary School

    Where students ultimately choose to go is as varied as the individual personalities of the students. Some choose their local public school while some 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.
     

     

  • Where RCS Students Go To College

    The skills students learn at RCS last a lifetime. Alumni often credit their RCS experiences as a key influencer in choosing a college. As high school seniors, RCS students have a distinct advantage over some of their peers having gone through a similar process for secondary school placement. Moreover, they often refer to their RCS coursework in their college essays and interviews, and can count on RCS teachers for advice, written recommendations or general support as they continue their education.


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

    Aside from the application which students submit directly to the school, the placement office will coordinate all aspects of the paperwork including introductory cover letter, transcripts, test scores and recommendations. 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 consult throughout the year. In addition, to parent Q&A sessions and our monthly placement newsletter, they hold drop-in office hours and have regular meetings with the children on the application process, conduct, and the social/emotional aspects of leaving RCS.

  • Interview and Tour Preparation

    To help students prepare for the one-on-one interactions required of most schools, the placement officers meet with each student privately to discuss their interests and give tips on tours and interviews.

    • RCS allots two days in the Fall for ninth grade students to visit schools. Visit days are excused absences.

    • RCS conducts a mock interview with each student and then provides constructive feedback that will help them perform their best during their school interview.

    • Prior to each school visit, your placement counselor will send a letter of introduction on your child’s behalf to the admissions offices.

  • SSAT

    RCS administers a "benchmark" SSAT to all seventh graders in the winter of their seventh-grade year to help students prepare. 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 Headmasters 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 RCS students 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. - Tom Sheppard, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid, Berkshire 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

Lower Campus (PreK-Grade 4)
325 West Patent Road
Mount Kisco, NY 10549
phone: (914) 244-1200
Upper Campus (Grades 5-9)
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.
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