Measuring Success

Old Orchard administers the Iowa Assessments every spring in Grades 3-8. We do not interrupt regular instruction to “teach” to the test; we approach standardized testing as a tool to fine tune our programs and we wish to have an accurate snapshot of where are students are, rather than artificially boost their scores. 

The great majority of our students choose to continue their education at one of the Bay Area’s private, college preparatory high schools. In the fall of 8^th Grade, our Middle School conducts a high school advisory program to help students and their parents navigate the rigorous application process. 

Following is a list of private high schools Old Orchard graduates have been admitted to: Archbishop Mitty, Basis, Bellarmine, Castelleja, Exeter, Harker, Kings Academy, Kirby, Notre Dame, Oakwood, Pinewood, Presentation, St. Francis, Santa Catalina, and Valley Christian

After students are admitted to and enroll in a private high school they take placement exams in various subjects. In math, Old Orchard graduates routinely test directly into geometry or geometry honors. Our graduates also are routinely placed into honors or advanced courses in science, English and history, and into Spanish II and III honors. 

Old Orchard graduates now in college have been accepted, among others, to: American University, Barnard, Boston University, Cal Poly, Cal Tech, Chapman, Claremont-McKenna, Colorado School of Mines, Columbia, Cornell, DePaul, Emory, George Washington University, Hofstra, Lewis & Clark, Loyola Marymount, MIT, NYU, Northeastern, Pomona College, Reed, Santa Clara University, Stanford, SUNY, Trinity College, Tufts, University of British Columbia, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, UC Los Angeles, UC San Diego, University of Chicago, University of Puget Sound, University of Rochester, University of San Diego, University of San Francisco, University of Southern California, University of Washington, University of Waterloo, Vanderbilt, and Yale.