52°
Joyce Connell, the Pleasantville School District's coordinator of guidance and counseling, said last year's senior class applied to more 'most competitive' schools last year than classes in the past five years, and the trend is continuing.
"Those colleges are now very, very selective about who they admit," Connell said. "Meanwhile, our admissions remain steady."
Connell presented the school's college application statistics to the board of education at its meeting last week. The class of 2012, which had 137 students, had an acceptance rate of 1.72 acceptances per student into schools considered to be the 'most selective'. That acceptance rate increased from 1.42 acceptances per student in 2011 and 1.41 in 2008.
The increase in acceptances could be attributed to the high school's SAT scores, which Principal Dawn Bartz said have improved.
"Our SAT scores are continually going up and I think they will continue to do so now that students have more preparation options out there," Bartz said.
Connell said this year's class has already sent out 752 total applications with 17 being sent out in the early decision process. She attributes the increase to the increased amount of exposure students get to schools.
"Forty of the one-hundred and three schools that came to Pleasantville last year had not been been here in the past five years, if at all," Connell said. "Which is credited to the counselors who spent so much time looking through lists and lists of schools where kids want to go."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Pleasantville and receive free news updates.
