What is the School Profile?

There’s an important part of a completed college application that students never write, never edit, and may never even see.

When families think about college applications, they tend to focus on the pieces a student creates: essays, test scores, activities, recommendations, and transcripts. But there’s another document that plays a major role in how colleges understand a student’s accomplishments.

It’s called the School Profile, and it accompanies every transcript a high school sends to colleges. While it may be behind the scenes, the School Profile is one of the most important tools admissions officers use to evaluate an applicant fairly.

Understanding what the School Profile is (and how colleges use it) can help demystify the admissions process and reassure families that colleges are reviewing students within the unique context of their school, not against a universal standard that assumes every high school offers the same classes and opportunities.

What Is the School Profile?

A School Profile is a one to two-page document that provides and overview of a high school. It is created and updated each year by the high school counseling office and automatically sent to colleges along with every transcript. 

Its purpose is simple: To provide admissions officers with a clear understanding of the high school environment a student comes from.

Colleges don’t evaluate applicants in isolation; they evaluate them in the context of their high school. The School Profile explains what that context looks like so admissions readers can accurately interpret grades, course rigor, opportunities, and achievements.

Think of it as a lens through which colleges view the transcript. It’s impossible for admissions officers to have a working knowledge of every high school in the country. Without the School Profile, admissions officers would have no way to know whether a high school offers 20 AP classes or none, whether a B+ is considered excellent, or whether a senior class of 60 has different leadership opportunities compared to a class of 600.

What Information Does a School Profile Include?

Although every high school presents its profile a little differently, most include the same core categories. Together, they paint a detailed picture of the academic and community environment students are coming from.

1. Basic School Information

This is usually the first section and may include:

• School type (public, private, charter, magnet)

• Location and community description

• Enrollment numbers

• Number of students per grade

• Student-to-teacher ratio

• Demographic information, if the school chooses to share it

This helps admissions readers understand the scale and context of the school itself.

2. Curriculum & Academic Programs

Colleges don’t just want to know what courses a student took; they also want to know what courses were available to them. This section typically includes:

• Honors, AP, IB, or dual-enrollment offerings

• Career and technical education (CTE) options

• Specialized academies or tracks

• Limitations on access (for example: AP classes only available to juniors and seniors)

Admissions officers use this to understand the rigor of a student’s schedule relative to what the school provides. 

3. Grading Scale & GPA Policies

Grading systems vary widely from school to school. The profile explains:

• The school’s grading scale (90-100 = A, etc.)

• How GPA is calculated

• Whether GPAs are weighted or unweighted

• Class ranking policies, such as whether the high school ranks, doesn’t rank, or reports only deciles/quartiles

This section of the School Profile helps colleges interpret GPAs correctly and fairly. Some high schools will also include standardized testing averages in this section that reflect the average SAT and/or ACT score for the high school.

4. Graduation Requirements

This section outlines what students need to graduate, including:

• Minimum number of credits

• Required courses in math, English, science, social studies, world languages, etc.

• Community service or capstone project requirements

A student’s transcript makes much more sense when colleges understand the baseline expectations. 

The School Profile also helps admissions officers understand when a course is “missing” from a student’s transcript. Graduation requirements vary by state, and colleges (especially public universities) often base their posted minimum admission requirements on their own state standards. 

If a college lists a required credit (such as fine arts or a so many years of foreign language) that isn’t part of a student’s high school graduation requirements, the School Profile shows that the course wasn’t required. In most cases, colleges will waive that requirement once they understand the context.

5. Community & School Context

Some profiles include information like:

• Socioeconomic or demographic context

• Available opportunities (internships, arts programs, clubs)

• School mission or academic philosophy

• Notes on schedule structure (block schedule, trimester system)

• This also includes any school-wide schedule changes that the student experienced during their time in high school (going from year-long courses to semester courses, etc.)

This helps admissions officers understand the environment in which students learn and participate.

6. College Matriculation Information

Many profiles list the colleges where students in recent graduating classes have enrolled. This gives admissions readers a sense of:

• The school’s academic culture

• The typical range of where students from this high school attend college

• What selectivity levels students tend to target

Admissions officers interpret a student's choices and achievements against this backdrop.

How Colleges Use the School Profile

While the School Profile sounds like a technical document, colleges rely on it heavily. Admissions officers read thousands of applications from thousands of high schools each year. That’s far too many for anyone to remember all the details of each high school they come across. The profile ensures that each student’s academic history can be interpreted accurately and equitably, no matter who is reading the application.

Here’s how colleges use it:

To Understand Course Rigor

A student who takes 2 AP classes at a school that offers 4 is evaluated differently than a student who takes 2 AP classes at a school that offers 20. The School Profile shows what “rigorous” means in that specific high school environment.

To Contextualize GPA & Grades

A 3.8 at one school might place a student in the top 10%, while at another, it might be average.
A profile’s grading scale and ranking information help admissions officers interpret:

• How selective the grading is

• How competitive the environment is

• Whether the student is academically excelling relative to their peers

To Assess Access & Opportunity

Some schools offer dozens of electives and clubs; others offer very few. Admissions readers use the profile to understand:

• Whether leadership roles were competitive or limited

• Whether activities or programs (like robotics or theater) even exist

• What a student could participate in, not just what they did

This prevents students from being penalized for attending smaller or under-resourced schools.

To Provide Fair & Equitable Review

The School Profile helps level the playing field. Two students from completely different backgrounds should not be judged as though they had identical opportunities. The profile ensures colleges evaluate students on what they did with the opportunities and resources available to them—not on what their high school did or didn’t provide.

For colleges committed to holistic admissions, context is everything, and the School Profile is the primary source of that context.

Why Students Rarely See the School Profile (& Why That’s Okay)

Although every student’s application includes a School Profile, most never view it themselves. This is normal. Students don’t submit it or interact with it at all. Counselors send it automatically alongside transcripts.

If students or parents are curious, they can always request a copy from the counseling office. Some high schools also post their profiles publicly on their website.

But it’s important to emphasize: Students cannot influence what’s on the School Profile, and they are not expected to. This document is there to support the student, not evaluate them as individuals.

Key Takeaways

• The School Profile is one of the most important (but least talked about) parts of a college application.

• It provides essential context that helps colleges understand a student’s achievements within the environment of their high school.

• Admissions officers rely on it to assess course rigor, interpret grades, and ensure fair review.

• Students don’t write or edit the School Profile, and they don’t need to. All they need to do is focus on creating the strongest application possible.

In short, the School Profile is like a quiet partner to the transcript. It rounds out the picture of who a student is academically and ensures colleges can review their application with a full understanding of where their accomplishments were earned.

Do I Need to Take Summer Classes?

As summertime approaches, many high school students wonder how to make the most of their break. When it comes to summer planning, we are often asked if it’s “worth it” to take classes at a local community college or university.

Whether or not it is “worth it” depends on your personal academic goals and circumstances. So, is this the right choice for you? 

In this post, we’ll explore why you might want to take summer classes and provide advice tailored to each situation.

Why Do You Want to Take Summer Classes?

The first step in deciding whether to take summer classes is clearly defining your goals. Are you looking to get ahead in certain subjects? Earn college credit while in high school? Explore new subjects? Boost your GPA?

Your unique reasons can help you decide whether summer classes are a good idea for you, as well as what type of courses to consider.

I Want to Boost My GPA for College Applications

Let’s start with one of the most common scenarios we are asked about. 

A lot of students are interested in pursuing summer coursework because they hope to increase their GPA and gain an “edge” in the college admissions process. However, it's a common misconception that taking summer classes to inflate your GPA will look good on college applications.

Don’t misunderstand—a strong GPA is definitely a good thing! But colleges know how to spot a padded GPA. That’s why colleges emphasize your individual grades in your classes more than your overall GPA. They pay particular attention to final grades earned in core academic classes (some colleges will even recalculate your GPA only based on core classes). So, earning an A in Introduction to Jazz Studies over the summer at a community college to raise your GPA isn’t as impressive to colleges as an AP science course—even if your school weights them the same for GPA calculation.

I Want to Improve My Class Rank

Another scenario that sometimes comes up is boosting your GPA to improve class rank. This is a more nuanced and personal situation. Will moving from the 11th to the 8th spot in your high school class or from the top 26% to the top 23% make a big difference in the admissions process? That’s hard to say, and if so, it’s probably not as big a difference as you might think. 

But maybe it’s a personal goal to finish in the top 10. Or it might be common for students in the “class rank race” (which can indeed feel like a race to the finish) to take extra classes, and you feel you will be disadvantaged if you do not. 

If taking extra courses aligns with your goals and doesn’t add too much pressure to an already full plate, you might decide it’s “worth it” to you. Just be sure you’re making an informed decision and clearly understand the implications.

I Want to Get Ahead in Certain Subjects

Sometimes, students are interested in pursuing summer coursework because it can impact their four-year academic plan. 

We see this happen most commonly with math tracks and foreign language tracks because the courses a student takes in early high school can often determine what courses they are eligible for later in high school. 

For example, let’s say the farthest you can advance in math during high school is precalculus, but you are interested in engineering and need to take calculus to be competitive at colleges on your list. Taking a summer math course can help you advance your curriculum so that AP Calculus is an option for your senior year.

Or maybe you want to take an AP exam for a foreign language course, but you won’t have enough years of that language to meet the prerequisites for the AP class. A summer course can help move your curriculum forward.

If you are hoping to take a summer course to advance your curriculum options, there are a few tips you need to consider:

• Not all high schools will let you substitute a summer class taken somewhere else for the same course in their curriculum. To avoid taking precalculus twice, make sure you understand your high school’s policy. 

• Some community college classes are offered online, and summer courses are typically a few weeks rather than a few months. Consider the course's format and intensity to ensure it meets your learning style and summer schedule.

I Want to Take Classes in a Subject My School Doesn't Offer

Summer classes are an excellent opportunity to explore subjects not available at your high school. Similarly, there may be classes at your school that you want to take but can’t fit into your schedule. For example, maybe your school only offers AP Psychology every other year, or maybe your options are limited because fourth period class is always taken up by band. Summer courses can provide a chance to explore these interests.

However, this is not an excuse to take a summer course because you are avoiding the same course at your high school. Colleges would rather see you take AP Biology at your high school than Biology 101 at a local community college—even if you’ve heard the AP Bio teacher is a hard grader…

If you are pursuing summer courses to explore new subjects, here are some tips for you:

• If you want the coursework to appear on your transcript, make sure that your high school’s policy allows for outside coursework

• To add more context to your situation, use the Additional Information section of your college application to explain any course availability or scheduling issues that have led you to pursue summer coursework. 

I Want to Earn College Credit During High School

Earning college credits while still in high school is an ambitious and practical goal. These credits can make it possible to graduate early and reduce college costs. If this is your reason for pursuing summer coursework, choose your courses wisely.

Colleges have different policies for accepting transfer credit. If a college does accept your transfer credits, it may transfer as a general education requirement, a major requirement, or an elective course, depending on the course you take.

Research both the college where you plan to take summer coursework and the colleges where you want to apply to ensure that transfer credit is offered and accepted. You may find that your university system provides a list of transfer equivalencies for your local community colleges, but get in touch with admissions officers at each of your colleges to be sure. You can also speak with your school counselor or college advisor to understand how these credits will fit into your college plan.

I Did Poorly in an Academic Class

If you’ve struggled with a particular subject during the school year, summer courses can offer a chance to catch up or even retake courses to improve your understanding and your grades.

If you are hoping to retake a course, make sure you communicate with your high school. Not all schools allow this. You may find that tutoring is a more effective way to catch up on course material before the next school year.

Taking summer classes can be a valuable opportunity depending on your academic needs and personal goals, but they are rarely something you “must” do in order to be successful. 

Whatever your reason for pursuing summer courses, be sure that your choices align with your long-term educational goals. Remember, learning doesn’t always have to happen in a classroom. The best use of your summer is pursuing what brings you personal growth and satisfaction, setting you up for future success on the path you choose.

How Many AP Classes Should I Take?

When high school students are signing up for the next year’s classes, one question comes up over and over again: How many AP classes should I take?

Students pursue AP courses for a number of reasons. Maybe you aren’t feeling challenged by standard course material. Maybe you hope to earn college credit by scoring well on AP exams. Maybe you are applying to selective colleges and want to highlight a rigorous curriculum on your transcript. Maybe it’s all three!

These are all good reasons to pursue advanced coursework, but it doesn’t answer the question of how many AP classes students should take. Do colleges expect a certain number? Is the number of AP courses more important the the grades you earn in them? Should you take all AP classes? 

As is the case with many questions about college planning, the answer is “it depends!” There is no “magic number” of AP classes because every student’s current circumstances and future goals are unique to them. 

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at what you should consider when determining the best number of AP courses for you.

Note: Even though we’re talking about AP classes in this blog post, you can apply the same logic to Honors, IB, or Dual Enrollment classes depending on what your high school offers.

1. How Many AP Courses Does Your School Offer?

The first step when deciding how many AP classes you should take is to look at what your school offers. Not all high schools have the same AP courses available, so it's important to understand your options.

Some schools offer AP options in a wide range of subjects while others may have more limited options. And some high schools may not offer less popular AP classes every year which requires some planning ahead if you want to take that course. What is available to you?

Remember that your college application is reviewed in the context of your high school. That means admissions officers will know what is available at your school and can see the path you pursued. If you have a friend attending another high school with different curriculum options, don’t worry if their schedule looks different from yours. 

Figure out what your options are and then map out a plan that aligns with your academic and college planning goals.

2. Can You Keep Your Grades Up?

Once you have a clear understanding of the AP courses available at your school, the next step is to determine your academic goals. 

Do you want to challenge yourself or dive deeper into your favorite subjects? Or are you hoping to demonstrate college readiness across the board to a selective college?  

Answering these questions can help you decide if you want to take 1 or 2 AP courses in specific areas or if you want to add more to your schedule.

But remember, AP classes are tough! They are college-level courses that require more time, effort, and homework than standard-level classes. Ask yourself: 

• Can I realistically earn an A or B in all of these classes? 

• Can I maintain (or exceed) this level of rigor for the rest of high school?

• Can I keep up in these classes while maintaining a healthy balance outside of school? (ie: Having enough time for extracurriculars, free time, and enough sleep)

Challenging yourself is a good thing! But don’t take on so much that your grades suffer or you feel like you’re burning out while still in high school. 

3. What Do the Colleges on Your List Consider Competitive?

The number of AP courses you should aim to take also depends on the colleges you are considering. More selective colleges often expect competitive applicants to take a challenging course load, which includes AP classes if they are available at your high school. 

However, the definition of "competitive" varies from college to college. One college might view three to five AP courses as rigorous, while another might expect significantly more. 

Some colleges are transparent with this information, like the University of Georgia which posts regular admissions statistics on their blog (the class of 2023 averaged 8-13 AP courses!). Others may include information about advanced courses in a profile of admitted freshmen or elsewhere on the admissions website. Research the expectations of your target colleges early so you can plan your high school schedule accordingly.

4. What Do You Want to Major In?

Your intended major might also influence the number of AP courses you decide to take. If you're leaning towards a particular field of study, taking AP courses related to that discipline can strengthen your college application and prepare you for future coursework. For instance, if you're interested in engineering, taking AP Calculus and AP Physics can be beneficial. Or if you’re interested in political science, AP courses in areas like history, government, or economics may be of more interest.

Tailoring your AP courses to your college major and career goals not only demonstrates your interest in your chosen field but also gives you a solid foundation for the classes you’ll be taking in college.

In the end, the question of how many AP classes to take is multifaceted and unique to every student. There is no “magic number” that will guarantee your success. Instead, your high school academic plan hinges on what is available at your school, your personal academic strengths and interests, the expectations of prospective colleges, and even your future major. 

Finding a balance between challenging yourself and maintaining a manageable workload is key. Remember, the goal is not just to impress college admissions officers but also to prepare yourself for the rigor of college academics. By thoughtfully considering these factors, you can make informed decisions that align with your goals!