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What SSAT Score(s) do you need for Lakeside in Seattle?

What SSAT percentile does the admissions committee at Lakeside consider a good enough?

Even harder than Andover, Exeter or St. Paul’s was finding out how high you need to score on the SSAT for this little known gem of a school in the Pacific Northwest.  After Bill Gates became synonymous with the “richest person on Earth,” everyone want to distill the formula in creating another Bill Gates.  And as soon as it was revealed he went to Lakeside, parents from all over the world clamored to find out how to get in.

Unfortunately, you won’t find much documentation online to figure out this “secret.”  However, as we’ve done with the top 7 Boarding Schools and we hope to do with the rest of the 25, we have some clues to help you.

Lakeside’s Official SSAT Recommendations – No SSAT Minimum Score

If you visit the school’s admissions FAQ, you will learn that there is NO Minimum SSAT score.

Lakeside's official SSAT recommendations

They even go as far as saying a “perfect SSAT score” will NOT guarantee admissions.  So, getting that 99% on the  SSAT appears to not be a key to success at the prestigious program.

They also say you should only take the test once.

And sadly no matter what part of the site you dig into, there’s very little that’s shared about the SSAT.  They only mention you need the test scores on their application process page and in their blog, there’s only one post that even really refers to the test here.  Another interesting point the Director of Admissions mentions as well is that nobody uses the ISEE as the testing requirement.

90% Percentile or Higher for The Lakeside School

Have faith.  SSAT Master is here to still find a way to get information for your future Lakeside admits.

There are many parents and aspiring students who go back and forth in many forums for boarding schools and colleges like this or this or even this.  However, most of them fail to share or elucidate what exact scores are needed.  However, we found in this post on College Confidential, a parent of a current Lakeside student responded to another aspiring family.  They shared:

“Your child will presumably need excellent qualifications to get in (top grades, 90%+ SSAT, great recommendations, etc.).”

With a previous student of ours who was aiming for the school, we tasked them with building this very exact post we’re writing today.  Unfortunately, he got busy with school and also decided to go to one of the best public schools in the eastside instead, but he shared some of his research from friends who were able to obtain admissions.

He found out they scored between:

94% to 98% Percentile on the SSAT.

Specifically, the 4 students he surveyed obtain:

In his research he found an online resource that estimated:

  • 0-81% needs improvement
  • 81-92% almost there
  • 92%-99% looking good

which was in line with his findings.

What SSAT Scores can get you into Overlake?

While Overlake isn’t as sought after, it’s usually batched in with Lakeside as a backup option along with a few other schools like Eastside Prep in the Puget Sound.  We found one student who divulged:

I got 89% on the quantitative (93% for gender/age group), 99% on the reading, and 99% on the verbal. Noice.

source

So, this gives you also a range to think about when applying to Lakeside.

Lastly, it never hurts to look at “other models.”  So, check out the SSAT score ranges for the top boarding schools in the country.

SSAT students smiling face

2021’s SSAT Percentile Chart for 7th Graders

As one of the original sources for “SSAT Percentile Charts” throughout the world, we are proud to announce we have an updated version for all the grades who took the exam helping students get into the top boarding and independent schools.  This is the updated 2020-201 SSAT Percentile Chart for the 8417-7th graders who took the SSAT from August 2017 through July 2020.  We were able to secure the highly sought after data for your interests.

We realize you want your daughters and sons to score in the higher ranges.  So, we offer you the 80% and above percentiles and the 50-80% percentile sections of the overall report.  If you need other percentiles, please reach out.

7th Grader 80% & Up Verbal, Quantitative & Reading Percentiles

80% and higher percentiles

7th Grader 50-80% Verbal, Quantitative & Reading Percentiles

7th Grader 80% & Up Verbal, Quantitative & Reading Total Scaled Scores

80% and higher percentiles for total scaled scores v2

7th Grader 50-80% Verbal, Quantitative & Reading Total Scaled Scores

50-80% percentiles for total scaled scores v2

Looking to do SSAT Prep for a top US boarding school within the Eight Schools Association?  Or do you need SSAT Test Dates?  We have all the information you want for the SSAT including what’s a perfect SSAT score to what are average SSAT scores here on SSAT Master. 

What SSAT Scores are needed for Groton School?

We’ve been spending a bit of time helping aspiring students and caring parents get a gauge of the scores needed for top boarding schools.  In this series of posts, we’ve covered the top 5 programs where we show up as the top answer on Google.  As a result, we’ve decided to dive into the rest of the Top 10 Boarding schools.

At the high end, we’re seeing the same high SSAT percentiles that would be commanded by Andover or Exeter.  You can see from the following, you may need scores north of the top 10% of scorers:

Groton’s students score in the 85-93% Percentile Regularly

The academic community of students, parents and advisers to both constituents College Confidential regularly shares anecdotal examples of scores obtaining admissions.  For Groton, two shares highlight the range of scores:

Korab1 shared:

Groton has a roughly 13% acceptance rate and 93rd percentile SSAT average. Groton is also very small, meaning that they need every kid to contribute in multiple areas in order to maintain the vibrancy of the campus. If your child would be an impact athlete there – exploit that. If not, I would stress the computer interest/ability and show he can contribute to Groton with that skill and take advantage of what they have to offer in that area. Your child should be taking the SSAT soon to get a handle of where he might fit in. Schools like Groton turn away hundreds of perfectly qualified kids every year. When looking at schools of Groton’s caliber, don’t get too enamored with one school, because unless you have a real hook, chances are you will end up disappointed.

Nomad001 responds with:

Thanks Korab. Many of the good boarding schools start at 9th grade. Groton one of the few that accepts at 8th. You aware of any others on the East coast start at 8th?

My son did the ISEE a few month’s ago and averaged 89% with lowest individual category score of 87. It was for a non boarding private school where he got accepted but I chose not to send him there. I don’t know how comparable the ISEE and SSAT are but 93% is incredible. I offered to send the ISEE results to Groton but they didn’t want to see them.

Also if you’re aware how does the school assess? Based primarily on the interview with the child? The school have told me not to bother getting all the different forms filled out ahead of the interview or to do the ISEE, made me think you have to get past the interview before doing all those.

Source for both answers/thoughts.

Several test prep companies and services have preached to their clients the following: 

Upholding the reputation of Northeast boarding schools, Groton had a 90th percentile SSAT score requirement for 2013, and admitted 19% of its  applicants.

Source

Some schools want SSAT scores in the 80-90th+ percentiles.

This is the case for more competitive and/or elite institutions, such as Phillips Exeter AcademyPhilips Academy Andover, and Groton School.

An SSAT score that is not in the 80-90th+ percentile doesn’t necessarily preclude a student from admission to these schools.

However, it does mean that most of the students admitted to these schools will have SSAT scores in this percentile.

Source

A site that sometimes shows graphical representations of what percentiles that are “looking good” when applying to the top boarding school.  The site says that 89-99% Percentiles look good and 75-89% is “almost there”:

Source: TestInnovators

Two other test prep services claim:

High SSAT or ISEE scores prove to a prospective school that the student is prepared for the rigorous course load of prep school. SSAT scores account for a third of the decision process, aside from academics and extracurriculars. The following schools reported average SSAT scores above the 85th percentile: Exeter, Groton, Milton, Miss Porter’s, Deerfield, Cate, Choate, Hotchkiss, Middlesex, and St. Mark’s.

Source

Hotchkiss remained one of the most selective this year once more at a 16% admissions rate, tied with St. Paul’s. It required an 85th percentile SSAT exam score for 2013.

Source

Great advice on “How to get into Groton”:

And to round this off, a great post from Alex Kogler, ’19 and Sports Editor for Groton talks about the subject:

March 10 holds a special place in the minds of many prospective students: it is the day on which the School releases admission decisions. Envelopes arrive, and the online portal opens. The endless pages of questions, hours spent writing essays, and standardized tests have led up to this moment. To an outsider, the admission process is vague and mysterious. Little is mentioned beyond the universal – strong students with vibrant extracurriculars. This raises the question: what exactly happens behind the closed doors of the Admission Office?

The powerhouse behind this complex and lengthy undertaking is the Admission Office, consisting of seven admission officers, an office manager, two administrative assistants and fourteen admission prefects.

Director of Enrollment Management Cort Pomeroy’s job is identifying and accepting the best students out of over 1,200 applicants. According to Mr. Pomeroy, application begins with the submission of “four recommendations – school, English, math, and one supplemental form from a teacher, coach, family friend, music instructor, etc.” In addition, the majority of students interview, either via video chat or in person, with one of the admission staff. Other elements include a statement from the parents and the submission of a Secondary School Admissions Test (SSAT) score.

Groton prides itself on its decreasing and competitive acceptance rate. Simply put: it’s hard to get in. Mr. Pomeroy explains that with such a competitive applicant pool, Groton does not possess enough room to accommodate the number of applicants. Rejected candidates “don’t meet the basic requirements” an admitted student possesses, says Mr. Pomeroy. Connection to the school, whether by a sibling or a legacy, does not assure a spot. He adds, “Each year, we have to deliver disappointing news on March 10th to families who are connected to Groton.” In regards to reaching out to traditionally underserved communities, Mr. Pomeroy says the Groton Affordability and Inclusion (GRAIN)  initiative was established to “attract and enroll talented students from all socioeconomic backgrounds.”

Admission officers scour the pool for applicants who are, as Mr. Pomeroy says, “intellectually curious” and apply themselves academically. Also considered, he says, are an applicant’s “benevolence, work ethic, empathy, growth mindset and leadership skills.” Striving to create a diverse class, the office looks to accept a varied class in many regards, socioeconomic status, geographical location and previous school type being only some of them. Besides analyzing character, the interview proves a crucial measure to determine the level of interest for the school which “provides another layer to our evaluation process,” says Mr. Pomeroy.

Once acceptances are sent out, the school still has to convince the admitted student that Groton is the perfect place to spend the next four years. In addition to the Instagram account @ChooseGroton, which is specifically aimed at admitted students, the Admission team organizes what they refer to as the Groton Embrace, which involves a gathering of admitted students alongside current parents. In recent years, Groton Embrace events have occurred in China, North Carolina, Illinois, California and New York. Lastly, the Admission Office organizes two revisit days, times when prospective students shadow a current student to experience a typical day at Groton.

After that year’s admission process is over, the Admission Office begins the cycle all over again, travelling to various cities and reaching out to prospective applicants. On-campus, the Admission Office has recently begun hosting open houses for prospective families.

Last year’s admittance rate was 12 percent, significantly lower compared to the 26 percent admittance rate a decade ago. The higher yield reflects a similar trend, with the newest yield as 64 percent (in 2012, the percentage was 55). Over the years, steady improvement in both admission rate and yield indicate a growing interest for applicants as well as the increasing number of individuals choosing to attend Groton for high school.

Although there is no formula for gaining admission into Groton School, intellectual curiosity, among other virtuous qualities, increases the chances of a coveted “Yes” and is crucial to thrive at Groton. The talented and diverse community populating the Circle with musicians, artists, performers, athletes and scholars stem entirely from a standard set by the Admission Office.

Source

And a couple of interesting answers from contributions to Quora also highlight some of the nuances and challenges in getting into the top boarding school.  This answer which got 5 upvotes (at the time we read this 5/13/21 6:31am):

Groton is one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the nation. The first question is, why do you want to get into GS? Secondly, applying to private schools is somewhat similar to applying to universities. If you’re applying to one of the many private schools like Groton, it is a competitive process. You need a bunch of different recommendations, a student interview, school tour, and testing. I’d say you have a 15% or higher chance of getting into this particular boarding school. It also depends on who you’re competing against for a spot. Like I said above, test scores are just one factor. A high percentile SSAT or ISEE score will give you a boost. That’s not the only thing private schools look for; they look for motivated students. They want to keep a diverse community. If you have any extracurriculars you do, putting that in your application will help. Don’t just put it in your application, but write how passionate you’re about that certain extracurricular. You never know if Groton will accept you, so apply to many other schools. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

If you’re interested in applying, don’t wait to apply after the deadline. Start talking about it with your family. Most deadlines are around the January 15th mark. Some other schools you can apply to are Phillips Exeter Academy, Phillips Andover, and many more. Like I said, don’t just apply to one!

I hope that helps! – If you have any other questions, please message me. I’m always here to help my fellow peers. 🙂

Source: Jade Starbird

And Miguel Ali, who went there in 1999 says:

I graduated from Groton in 1999. The major things I’ll add here:

  1. RIGHT FIT: Boarding schools ‘know’ the type of student that will thrive at their school. I’ve seen phenomenal candidates rejected from Groton, and similar schools, because the personality of that student simply did not fit (and the same great students usually found the right school). Hopefully you have many achievements under your belt – but the most important favor you can do for yourself is to be HONEST. Write a great essay that communicates your feelings (not someone else’s) and be honest about who you are. Groton’s application tends to be writing-heavy and that’s by design. Present your true self and you’ll end up at the right school.
  2. PATH: Careful of coming across as a star student who achieves at everything – this could actually look unfocused. My advice is to show off that you’re excellent at one thing, and intellectually curious at everything else. Those applications tend to stand out with greater light.

    Looking to do SSAT Prep for a top US boarding school within the Eight Schools Association?  Or do you need SSAT Test Dates?  We have all the information you want for the SSAT including what’s a perfect SSAT score to what are average SSAT scores here on SSAT Master. 

     

     

     

    What SSAT scores can get you into Phillips Exeter Academy?

    What SSAT scores can get you into St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH?

    What SSAT scores can get you into the Hill School in Pennsylvania?

    What SSAT Scores do you need to obtain admissions into Hotchkiss? 

    https://ssatmaster.com/whats-the-average-ssat-score-for-deerfield-academy-admissions/

https://ssatmaster.com/what-ssat-scores-do-you-need-for-lakeside-in-seattle/

What’s a 2100 on the SSAT equate to in terms of Percentiles?

We are regularly asked “is xyz score good enough for abc top boarding school?”  First off, the boarding schools are operating off of percentiles and not a gross score.  Your 1998 may look good overall, but it actually only equates to a 47% Percentile as an 8th grade boy.  It’s a 53% Percentile as the opposite sex in the same grade. While you do  your SSAT prep, it’s good to also learn this their scoring jargon.

SSAT Percentile Examples for 8th Grade Girls

  • 2004 Total Score = 55% Percentile*
  • 2049 Total Score = 65% Percentile*
  • 2094 Total Score = 75% Percentile*
  • 2145 Total Score = 85% Percentile*
  • 2226-2244 Total Score = 95% Percentile*
  • 2295+ Total Score = 99% Percentile*

SSAT Percentile Examples for 8th Grade Boys

Read more

What SSAT Scores are Needed for Admissions into The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut?

SSAT Scores for Top Boarding School Programs

As you can see from our ranking of the Top 25 Boarding Schools, Hotchkiss ranks towards the top.  As a result, you can already estimate that it would require a very high score on the boarding/Independent school exam to be considered into the top program.  If you want to see our recommendations, skip below for SSAT scores guidance and ignore the news that the top private school recently shared.

“As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the school has decided to give: 

We appreciate that many applicants will complete some form of standardized testing and will want to include these results with their applications, which we will continue to welcome. In parallel, however, we are aware that the pandemic has made it significantly more challenging for many students to register and sit for administered tests. Some students may also face technology barriers to testing at home.

It is our belief that standardized testing is only one component of a student’s application. Assessing whether or not a young person will be a good fit with the Hotchkiss community relies on the broader context of each student’s academic and lived experience, and we do not want testing to be a barrier to entry for talented young people. Therefore, our application process will be test optional for the coming admission cycle.

Students are welcome to submit SSAT or ISEE, but they will not be required. Students who are unable to take the SSSAT or ISEE, or who choose not to submit their scores, will not be disadvantaged in the application process.

Now, does that mean everyone should simply ignore the exam?

Read more

lawrenceville campus

What SSAT scores can get you into The Lawrenceville School?

In most of our estimates, we identify it’s very rare that the school itself tells us exactly what their SSAT requirements are.  However, for Lawrenceville, we have several estimates straight from the top boarding school’s website and recent past publications of the school.

Straight from their admissions pages, they answer the question: What is your SSAT score average? Read more

Getting a Perfect Verbal Score on the SSAT – 8th graders

Just a quick reminder that boys and girls score differently.  As a result, we’ll share what it takes to score well for each gender specifically.  In the following, you’ll find what raw score it takes to score from 80% to 99% (a “perfect score” on the SSAT) on the verbal section of the SSAT.  Basically, you’ll learn how many questions out of the 60 possible questions on the Upper Level of the SSAT are needing to be correct.

SSAT Raw to Percentile Scores Calculator – Female 8th Grade

8th grade girls raw to percentile charts

99% Verbal Score Cutoff for Girls

In order to obtain the gold standard of SSAT scores, you need to be able to get Read more

Question Marks on Blackboard

What’s the average SSAT Score for test takers?

In an effort to give prospective SSAT takers (and their parents) a better idea of how most students perform on the competitive exam, we will break down past data and simplify it as best as possible.  Please note, we are starting with a very general question and will illustrate how it is better asked when being more specific.  We will attempt to answer the aforementioned question in the title as efficiently as possible along with addressing more specific versions of it in our explanation today.

First off, we need to define a few terms: 

  • raw scores
  • scaled scores
  • percentile ranks

It would be easy to simply say that overall, the average SSAT score is 50% out of 100%.  However, the questions that should be be immediately asked are: Read more

St Pauls School

What SSAT scores can get you into St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH?

As with any top boarding school, St. Paul’s School’s (SPS) admissions requirements are quite high.  As we’ve already reported, the top 2 programs in the United States have standards that approach almost perfect.  St. Paul’s in Concord ranks as as high as the #3 boarding school program in the United States.  Being a top 3 private institution, you’ll see it requires very high scores.

SSAT Median Ranges for SPS’ Class of 2022

From their SPS at a glance from their admissions for 2018-19, they tell you:

NEW STUDENTS FOR FALL 2018
Applications 1374
Percent admitted 16.8%
SSAT Middle 50% Quantitative 710-767
SSAT Middle 50% Verbal 686-758
SSAT Middle 50% Reading 674-725

However, these ranges depend on what grade the student is and what sex.  We’ll make an assumption that most of these kids are 8th graders applying to start their 9th grade at SPS.  Applying these assumptions, the median for admitted applicants are estimated as:

8th Grade Girls’ SSAT Median Percentile Range Estimates for SPS

Quantitative 710-767 (72-94%)*
Verbal 686-758 (68-95%)*
Reading 674-725 (63-93%)*

8th Grade Boys’ SSAT Median Percentile Ranges Estimates for SPS

Read more