Private School Readiness
Building the academic foundation for success
Led by experienced faculty from top schools, this immersive program builds the academic skills, intellectual confidence, and subject mastery students need to thrive from day one.
Experienced instructors from
- Milton Academy
- The Hill School
- Tabor Academy
- Cushing Academy
- Other top 10-50 boarding schools
Over the past 5 years, students in our program have:
Proven results in admissions and academic performance.
placement into honors or advanced-level coursework
1 %
offers from top 30 private schools nationwide
1 +
receive awards in national academic competitions
1 %
Our Private School Readiness Program
To help families choose the right courses, we’ve organized the program into three focused tracks:
01
Academic Enhancement
Students who want to strengthen their reading comprehension and writing abilities.
02
Middle School Foundations
Students entering middle school who want early exposure to coursework and classroom expectations.
03
High School Foundations
Students entering high school who want to preview core subjects and prepare for placement exams.
"Private School Readiness gave our daughter a level of academic confidence we hadn’t seen before. Within his first semester, she was placed into advanced history and honors biology, something we truly credit to the foundation he built in this program."
Parent of Grade 9 Student, Admitted to Top 30 Independent School
✦
Taught by Experienced Faculty
Aralia's program is led by instructors from top private schools: Milton Academy, The Hill School, Tabor Academy, Cushing Academy and other highly ranked boarding schools (FS Top 10-50)
- AP Exam Readers for the College Board
- AP Subject Consultants
- National Latin Exam (NLE) Gold & Silver Award Coaches
✦
Aligned with Curriculum Standards
Our coursework mirrors the expectations of:
- Seminar-based humanities classrooms
- Writing-intensive programs
- AP and honors-level academic tracks
✦
Small Cohorts, Individual Attention
In addition to subject-specific courses, we offer a specialized Academic Skills track focusing on:
- Limited class sizes
- Active discussion format
- Direct faculty feedback on writing and performance
"The teacher is very dedicated and responsible, and gave my son a lot of excellent advice on academic writing."
Mike's Parent, Grade 9
01
Academic Enhancement
Academic Writing
📖 Strengthens structured argumentation, research techniques, and logical reasoning.
🎓 Former English faculty at Tabor Academy and Cushing Academy. M.A. from Harvard University; B.A. from Bowdoin College. Nearly 30 years of teaching experience in top private schools.
Critical Reading
📖 Sharpen reading, analytical thinking, and discussion-based writing skills.
🎓 English teacher with a Ph.D at The Hill School with nearly 20 years of experience. Guide writers to earn awards in Scholastic, The New York Times competitions, and The Concord Review.
Communication Skills
📖 Build academic confidence and effective communication in classroom environments
🎓 Experienced high school educator and interview coach who has guided students to admission at top independent schools. He has trained English teachers at leading institutions.
02
Junior Private School Foundations
Middle School English Literature
📖 Through close reading and guided analysis, students learn to think, write, and discuss like independent school scholars.
🎓 Former English Department Chair and Academic Advisor at Indian Mountain School. Over 15 years of teaching experience. M.Ed. in English Education.
Multi-Genre Writing
📖 Explore narrative, expository, and argumentative writing while studying classic literature. Includes a guest session with a published author.
🎓 Over 31 years of experience teaching English and Humanities at top private schools. National Outstanding Teacher Award recipient; documentary filmmaker; M.Ed.
Middle School History & Geography
📖 Introduction to core humanities expectations in independent schools, emphasizing analytical thinking and thematic understanding
🎓 Former Department Chair at Indian Mountain School with extensive experience teaching middle school history and geography.
03
High School Foundations
World History
📖 A thematic and chronological study from early civilizations through World War II, developing analysis and writing skills expected in honors-level coursework.
🎓 Veteran public high school history teacher with 22+ YoE. Official AP History Exam Reader.
Biology
Introduction to Grade 9 biology, integrating scientific reasoning, inquiry-based learning, and conceptual mastery.🎓Official AP Biology Exam Reader, College Board AP Biology Consultant, and lead textbook author with 35+ years of experience.
Latin
📖 A comprehensive introduction to Latin language and Roman culture, strengthening grammatical precision and analytical thinking.
🎓 National Latin Exam Gold Medal Coach and Latin lecturer at Hunter College. Over 12 years of experience with a 100% annual student award rate.
Spanish
📖 Introduction to high school Spanish, covering pronunciation, foundational grammar, vocabulary, and cultural fluency.
🎓 Spanish faculty at Westover School (New England). ACTFL-certified educator with 20+ years of experience. Native speaker; M.Ed.
Frequently asked questions
Private School Readiness is designed for students entering middle or high schools, typically Grades 6–9. The program is ideal for students who have gained admission, are preparing for placement exams, or want to build a strong academic foundation before the school year begins.
Most enrichment programs focus on content coverage. Our program focuses on academic performance in independent school classrooms, including seminar discussions, structured analytical writing, evidence-based reasoning, and honors-level expectations.
We offer three academic tracks:
- Academic Skills Enhancement
- Middle School Foundations (Literature, Writing, History & Geography)
High School Foundations (World History, Biology, Latin, Spanish)
Students may enroll in one or multiple courses depending on their needs.
Courses are taught by experienced educators from leading private schools. Many of our instructors are AP Exam Readers and long-time classroom teachers with extensive experience in honors and advanced coursework.
Most courses run 10–12 sessions, totaling 15–20 instructional hours. Multiple cohorts are offered from February through the summer.
Begin your path to academic success