SOAR student college metrics VS. Private School college metrics

By Natalie Castro & Kiara ViDemantay

Deputy Editor & Newspaper Director

SOAR High School sends off dozens of students each year to colleges and universities across the country. But how does SOAR stack up against the top private schools in the state, like Harvard-Westlake, The College Preparatory School, and Stanford Online High School? Using school reports from each of these, we determined that SOAR students are less likely to enroll in the top 20 schools than students from the other three schools, but here’s why.

According to SOAR’s school profile, “75% will be attending a 4-year College/University, 24% will be attending a 2-year community college, 82% obtained at least 1 AA, [and] 70% [have a] cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.5” (SOAR HS School Profile). These numbers show that SOAR students are excelling academically, while also leaving high school with college credits and degrees that give them a head start.

At Harvard-Westlake, however, college destinations look different. School reports show that “25–30% would attend UCs, 15% would attend Ivies and top private schools” and their students report strong GPA ranges with “33 students with 3.4–3.59, 56 students with 3.8–3.99 and 132 students with 4.0 and above” (Harvard-Westlake School Profile). Harvard-Westlake also emphasizes a rigorous, six-year college preparatory curriculum requiring at least five academic subjects per semester and community service each year. This structure naturally channels students into elite universities.

So why does SOAR, a public school, not send as many students to elite colleges? According to Ms. Galindo, who has taught at both Paraclete (a private school) and SOAR, the difference has a lot to do with funding, resources, and demographics. “Private schools have entry exams, parents pay tuition, and they can choose where their money goes,” she explained. This often leads to families feeling more entitled and invested, with the ability to hire tutors or provide extra support when deficits arise. In contrast, “if a student had any disability, there would be no IEP available in a private school since they don’t need to comply with those terms, whereas our public school offers various resources.”

The family backgrounds of students also play a major role. Many SOAR students are first-generation college-bound, which brings additional challenges. Galindo notes, “the burden is on us students to advocate for ourselves and seek out resources,” whereas private school families often have connections, networks, and the funds to make college a guarantee. At SOAR, some students even work jobs to support their families while balancing academics. As Galindo put it, “to try to put our students on the same level playing field [as private school students] would be nearly impossible. Even though we get resources to try to balance it, it will never equate to that.”

Despite these disadvantages, SOAR students consistently demonstrate resilience and motivation. “For private schools, it’s the parents motivating students, whereas here it’s more self-motivation. We are the ones who want to be here at SOAR,” Galindo emphasized. Students agree. Senior Cassandra Sanchez shared, “I do agree that students here have way more support than they would in any school, like the new scholarship Google Classroom is going to be super helpful to be more informed on financial opportunities.

Ultimately, while private schools may boast higher numbers of Ivy League admissions, their statistics can be misleading. As Galindo observed, “their private school statistics are disingenuous… more so the fact that they were going to go to college either way due to their families having money and having a legacy, whereas first-generation students may have families who don't know what to do and feel completely lost .” SOAR, on the other hand, nurtures students who face more barriers yet still graduate with strong GPAs, early college credits, and the self-advocacy skills that will carry them far.

SOAR may not always match the prestige of private schools on paper, but the accomplishments of its students, many of whom are trailblazers in their families,  reflect a different kind of success.