This is the time of year when families, usually because of mounting frustration with the school they are attending, consider transferring to another school. We just passed the end of the second quarter (or first semester), so it is a natural break point. In another post, I am going to share my thoughts on when students should and should not transfer. In this post, I am going deal with a concern that comes up during this time of year: How hard is it to transfer into Veritas Academy? Is it even possible?

In brief, the answer to the question is that it is very possible to transfer into Veritas Academy—even in the upper grades. Also, this transfer process is something that we have carefully considered and we have worked hard to make sure that more students are able to transfer into Veritas Academy.

The origin of this concern about the feasibility of transfers comes out of the fact that people recognize that students at Veritas Academy are doing exceptional work. They wonder if their child can move into Veritas Academy and not be overwhelmed by classes with names like Rhetoric, Thesis, and Omnibus.

Here is how the process works (I will also highlight things that have changed at Veritas to make transferring easier):

1. When a student applies to Veritas Academy mid-year, we require a placement test to make sure that we place them in classes in which they can thrive and succeed. We don’t want to put any child in classes that will end up being overwhelming for them!
2. After the test is complete, we look at the results and place the student in classes that will be challenging, but not overwhelming. Highlight #1: We also look ahead to their future class schedules to make sure that they can graduate on time and reach our graduation requirements. A few years back, we changed our graduation requirement from a list of classes that all students must take to a list a descriptive list of credits that students must take in particular areas. So, a few years ago, we might not have been able to place a student because they would be behind in a certain subject matter area like Math. Now, we have more flexibility to count classes they have had—and have more flexibility to plug in classes at Veritas Academy to meet graduation requirement needs. This flexibility has enabled us to accept more transfer students and to ensure that they get to graduation on time!
3. If a student needs help, we arrange for tutoring. Highlight #2: We have found that transfer students sometimes need help to get caught up. We have built some financial support for tutoring into our budget so that families can access affordable tutoring to prepare their child to begin at Veritas.

Based on these changes in our process, transferring into Veritas has become easier. While Veritas does everything possible to help students transfer into the school, we continue to maintain a rigorous program with high academic standards. Because of this, we are selective and only admit students who will thrive in our environment and contribute to the already rich learning environment. In some situations it may be best for students to wait for the beginning of the school year to transfer, but transferring immediately is often a good option. If you have friends considering a midyear transfer to a new school, please encourage them to contact us.