It’s still among the most common questions parents ask when selecting a high school for their child: Where do the graduates tend to go to college?

When Kathleen Glynn-Sparrow worked as a college counselor at Maryland private schools, she regularly fielded that query from prospective families at open houses. But Glynn-Sparrow, who also founded a company called the College Coaches , says that when it comes to choosing a private school, it should be less about the pipeline to any specific university than about choosing a school that will allow a student to flourish.

“High school is a long four years if the student does not connect with the school community and/or does not learn well in that particular environment,” she says. Besides, past statistics don’t always predict the future: Some c

See Full Page