Cardinal Education

10/16/2026

What does a school founded by Benedictine monks want to know about your child? Less of what they’ve achieved and more of who they are.

Woodside Priory is built on five values: community, hospitality, individuality, integrity, and spirituality. The strongest applicants show them without ever naming them. You see it in how they talk about their friends, how they treat the student giving the tour, and what they do when nobody’s watching.

At Cardinal Education, we help students recognize those qualities in themselves.

Applying to Woodside Priory? Talk to our team. Email [email protected].

10/14/2026

Castilleja School in Palo Alto, the Bay Area’s only non-sectarian girls’ middle and high school, does not consider test scores in admissions. Without a number, the application rests on the applicant herself: her written responses, her conversation with the admission team, and how her teachers describe her.

That doesn’t make it easier. With just over 400 students and no score to lean on, every part of her file has to sound like her. Cardinal Education helps Bay Area families present that story honestly, without over-polishing it.

Applying to Castilleja? Talk to our team: [email protected]

10/09/2026

The Dalton School in New York City looks for self-directed learners. Every student has Lab time built into the day to meet with teachers one-on-one or in small groups, so the admissions interview is a 20 to 30 minute conversation, not a test, where your child thinks out loud.

That’s what Dalton wants to see: a kid who chases a question because they’re curious, not because it’s assigned. Cardinal Education helps students get comfortable thinking out loud so the interview feels like the conversation it’s meant to be.

Talk to our team: [email protected]

10/07/2026

At Hotchkiss, 95 percent of students live on campus. Would your child thrive there? That's the question behind every part of the application.

Scores matter. SSAT or ISEE for 9th and 10th grade. But the parent statement, the interview, and the personal recommendation show if your child is a good fit.

Applying to Hotchkiss? Applications close January 15. Talk to Cardinal Education today. Email [email protected].

10/02/2026

Groton's mission has centered on character since Franklin D. Roosevelt graduated in 1900, and it still shows up in how the school admits students today. Parents write their own statement, and beyond teacher recommendations, there's room for a personal statement from the student. Groton wants to see who your child is outside the classroom, not just inside it.

Cardinal Education helps families build that story honestly, without overstating or manufacturing it.

Talk to our team. Email [email protected] to book a consultation.

10/01/2026

Does sending Deerfield more material make a stronger application? Deerfield says, not necessarily.

Most applicants don't need supplements at all. If you do have a performing arts portfolio, it goes through SlideRoom. Athletic videos go through the applicant portal. Duplicates may not get reviewed. What matters is the core: essays, recommendations, testing, and the interview.

At Cardinal Education, we help your child present themselves authentically in every one of them.

Applying to Deerfield? Work with our team. Email [email protected].

09/26/2026

MIT tops Forbes' 2027 college rankings; Stanford and UC Berkeley hold their top-10 spots. Allen Koh breaks down what the new methodology actually rewards, as featured in the San Francisco Chronicle. Full piece linked below.

📖 https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/stanford-berkeley-forbes-college-rankings-22427663.php

💼 For more insights on private school, boarding school, and college admissions, follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cardinal-education

Stanford and UC Berkeley remain among the nation’s top 10 colleges in Forbes’ 2027 rankings, though both fell from last year’s positions.

09/23/2026

Our founder and CEO, Allen Koh, was featured in The Toronto Star. 🗞️

In a wide-ranging interview on single-sex versus all-gender private schools, Allen explained the "different social physics" these schools offer: higher participation, stronger engagement in subjects where gender bias usually gets in the way, and why single-sex education only works when the environment truly matches the child.

📖 Read the full feature: https://www.thestar.com/sponsored-sections/private-schools/is-a-single-sex-private-school-the-better-option/article_0132dbd1-c4fd-4e54-b72d-beb3aa29dd38.html #

💼 For more insights on private school, boarding school, and college admissions, follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cardinal-education

We speak to an admission consultant to find out more about the benefits and differences.

09/19/2026

Getting into Lawrenceville means standing out in essays, interviews, and testing, not just one of the three. Cardinal Education sharpens a student's essays, preps them for the real interview, and builds their SSAT or ISEE score so every part of the application supports the others.

The goal isn't a manufactured profile. It's a Lawrenceville application that actually shows who your child is.

Applying to Lawrenceville? Email [email protected] to book a consultation.