College Counseling

Sacramento Country Day School provides unparalleled one-to-one college counseling to each student in our High School.

Sacramento Country Day School provides unparalleled one-to-one college counseling to each student in our High School. This individualized approach and Country Day’s respected academic preparation make us a “known quantity” across the country. Selective colleges know that Country Day graduates are well-prepared to succeed in college and beyond.

With senior class sizes below 50 students, our college counselor is able to provide personal attention to students during the college application process. Our formal college counseling process starts in earnest during the second semester of junior year, with almost weekly meetings with the junior class. In addition, our college counselor meets periodically with the first-year and sophomore classes to discuss standardized testing and class schedules, as well as individually with students by appointment.

One hundred percent of Country Day graduates are accepted to four-year institutions of higher learning, including, traditionally, all of the schools in the University of California system, along with many of the nation’s most well-known and widely respected colleges and universities.

College Counseling Timeline

2023 College Acceptances

Alicia Perla

Director of College Counseling

aperla@saccds.org

College Counseling at a Glance

The College Counseling Promise

As we guide and support students through the transformational process of applying for college, we promise to:

Provide one-on-one college counseling for each student, promoting each student’s interests, strengths, aspirations, and goals.
Offer resources for students and their families throughout the college application process.
Help students discover colleges that are a good fit for them academically, philosophically, socially, and financially.

College Preparation

Country Day high school graduation requirements align with the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) admissions requirements. All of Country Day’s academic courses are articulated with the UC system.
100% of our graduates are admitted to college.
Each year, Country Day students are admitted to all of the UCs and highly selective colleges throughout the United States and abroad.
Country Day students are excelling, with the highest percentage of students applying to the UCs (76%) of all public and private high schools in Sacramento County and among the highest being admitted to the UCs (77%).

AP and AT Courses

Country Day offers both Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams and Advanced Topics (AT) courses (weighted courses without AP exams) in a wide variety of subjects.
By senior year, most students have taken at least one AP or AT class, and many students have taken as many as eight or more AP/AT classes.
77% three-year average Advanced Placement pass rate.
Students are encouraged to meet with the college counselor to plan a just-right schedule that emphasizes both rigor and academic success. Students should seek to find a good balance of weighted and unweighted courses and between academics and extracurricular involvement.

Standardized Testing

Country Day administers the PSAT to sophomores and juniors.
- PSAT scores for juniors may qualify students for National Merit recognition.
- Country Day administers a school-day SAT in October for seniors.
The college counselor develops a strategic plan with seniors individually with respect to reporting standardized testing.
In the class of 2023:
- One senior was a National Merit Scholarship Award recipient.
- Two seniors were National Merit Commended students.
- Two seniors received College Board National African-American Recognition Awards.
- Two seniors received College Board National Hispanic Recognition Awards.

UC Acceptances are Outstanding for Country Day Seniors

A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle provides application and acceptance rates to the University of California system for the Class of 2022 for every high school in California. Looking at the data for Sacramento County, Country Day students are excelling, with the highest percentage of students applying to the UCs (76%) of all public and private high schools in Sacramento County and among the highest being admitted to the UCs (77%). Local private schools that we compete with for students (i.e., St. Francis, Jesuit, and Christian Brothers) and even some of the public schools (i.e., Mira Loma, Rio Americano, and McClatchy) all have lower application rates and lower acceptance rates to the UCs than Country Day.

To apply to the UCs, students must complete at least 15 UC-approved courses in seven subject areas and earn a UC GPA of at least 3.0, with no grade below a C. All of Country Day’s academic classes and most electives are UC-approved, ensuring that our students have the academic preparation to apply to and ultimately be successful at the UCs. Historically, all Country Day students have been UC- and/or CSU-eligible each year and we have had students admitted to each UC campus every year. Year after year, Country Day students continue to be admitted to the UCs at a high rate and are able to avail themselves of a world class college education through the UC system.

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