High School Profiles: Why they matter and how they can help?

Have you heard of a high school profile? Many students and parents are surprised to find out that this document generally accompanies the transcript in a college application. The profile provides contextual information about the high school to college admissions officers.

School profiles are typically updated annually can usually be found on a school’s website or by contacting the high school’s guidance office. Understanding the school profile can help gauge how admissions officers view an applicant based on opportunities at the student’s high school.

High school profiles typically explain the grading system, course selections, and educational programs offered at the high school. There is no set format for a school profile; you can see from the examples below school profiles vary significantly.

The school profile can also be a very helpful curriculum planning tool because it usually lists course offerings, including the most rigorous classes being taught.

The following information is typically included in a school profile:

• Contact Details such as the school’s mailing address, email, phone number, and CEEB code
• Graduation requirements
• Demographic information about the student body
• Graduation rate and percentage of students going into two- and four-year colleges
• List of colleges attended by recent graduates
• Examples of extracurriculars and selective programs are offered at the high school.
• Impressive statistics such as the number of National Merit Scholars
• Curriculum Information such as the sequencing of classes, tracks, specific AP and honor courses available, and their entrance requirements
• Grading/Ranking/GPA details such as weighting system used in calculating GPA and what each grade letter equates to as a percentage range
• Aggregated entrance exam and AP scores or ranges for the previous graduating class
• Information that distinguishes the school from others

Lynn Lubell

Written by: Lynn Radlauer Lubell, Publisher of InLikeMe.com and Founder of Admission By Design, an Educational Consultancy based in Boca Raton, Florida.