Open Season
As families make decisions regarding students’ educational paths, private schools open their doors.
For many families, the weight of trying to determine which school a student will attend can feel momentous. Surely, the decision is an important one, as the people met, places gone, and experiences had can have a significant influence on a child’s future.
Thankfully, private schools throughout the Greater Philadelphia Area open their doors during the year as a way to help gather the essential information needed to help families determine which school may provide the best fit for a student, both in terms of what he or she hopes to study and whether the school’s environment “feels” right. These events provide an opportunity to ask questions, tour the campus, and meet the educators and administrators who will help to prepare students for college and, in many ways, for life afterward.
For families looking to fine-tune their search, the following pages offer essential information on open houses hosted by some of the area’s finest schools, in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. While we have done our best to confirm this information, we suggest you contact the schools directly for more information and, if applicable, to register for events in which you are interested.
BUCKS COUNTY
Archbishop Wood High School
Open houses: Sun., Oct. 20 and Sun., March 15; both events run from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
archwood.org
Conwell-Egan Catholic High School
Open house: Sun., Oct. 20, noon to 2 p.m.
conwell-egan.org
Holy Ghost Preparatory School
Open house: Sun., Oct. 20, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
holyghostprep.org
Newtown Friends School
Open houses: Tues., Nov. 5 and Sat., Jan. 11; both events start at 9 a.m.
newtownfriends.org
Our Lady of Good Counsel
Open house: Sun., Nov. 17, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
olgc.org
Solebury School
Open house: Sun., Oct. 20, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
solebury.org
Villa Joseph Marie High School
Open house: Sun., Oct. 6, 10 a.m. to noon
vjmhs.org
CHESTER COUNTY
Bishop Shanahan High School
Open house: Sun., Nov. 17, noon to 3 p.m.
shanahan.org
Delaware Valley Friends School
Visit dvfs.org to register for information sessions or tours, which are held throughout the year.
Devon Preparatory School
Open house: Sun., Sept. 29, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
devonprep.com
Malvern Preparatory School
Open house: Sat., Oct. 19
malvernprep.org
The Phelps School
Visit thephelpsschool.org for more information.
Villa Maria Academy High School
Open house: Sun., Oct. 6, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
vmahs.org
Westtown School
All-school open house: Sun., Oct. 27, starting at 1 p.m.
westtown.edu
DELAWARE COUNTY
Academy of Notre Dame de Namur
Open house: Sun., Sept. 29, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Experience ND Day (parents only): Wed., Oct 23, 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
ndapa.org
Archbishop John Carroll High School
Open houses: Sun., Sept. 22, and Sun., Nov. 3
jcarroll.org
Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School
Open houses: Thurs., Sept. 19, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thurs., Oct. 17, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sun., Oct. 20, noon to 2 p.m., and Thurs., Nov. 14, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
bonnerprendie.com
Delaware County Christian School
Upper school open house: Thurs., Nov. 7, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Lower school open house: Wed., Nov. 13, 9:30 a.m. to 11: 30 a.m.
dccs.org
Sacred Heart Academy of Bryn Mawr
Upper school open house: Sat., Sept. 21, 10 a.m. to noon
shabrynmawr.org
The Shipley School
Visit shipleyschool.org for more information.
Valley Forge Military Academy & College
Open houses: Sept. 14, Oct. 5, Nov. 9, Dec. 7, Jan. 18, and March 21; each open-house event is on a Saturday, from 9 a.m. to noon.
vfmac.edu
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Abington Friends School
Open house: Sat., Oct. 19, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Tues., Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
abingtonfriends.net
Academy of the New Church
Open house: Sat., Oct. 19, 9:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
ancss.org
AIM Academy
Friday open houses for parents: Oct. 4, Nov. 1, Jan. 10, Feb. 7, and March 6, all 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.; AIM will also host an open house on Sun., Nov. 24, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
aimpa.org
The Agnes Irwin School
All-school open houses: Tues., Oct. 22, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Wed., March 11, 8:30 to 10 a.m., and Tues., April 21, 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.; AIS will also host an athletics open house on Mon., Nov. 4, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
agnesirwin.org
The Baldwin School
Visit baldwinschool.org for more information on upcoming open houses.
Bishop McDevitt High School
Visit mcdevitths.org for more information on upcoming open houses.
Dock Mennonite Academy
Visit dock.org for more information on upcoming open houses.
Friends’ Central School
Lower school (nursery to grade two) open house: Sat., Oct. 5, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Lower school (grades three to five) open house: Sat., Oct. 12, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
All-school fall open house: Mon., Oct. 14, starting at 9:30 a.m.
friendscentral.org
Germantown Academy
Open house: Fri., Oct. 4
germantownacademy.net
Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School
Open house: Sun., Oct. 13, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
gmahs.org
The Haverford School
Visit haverford.org for more information on upcoming open houses.
The Hill School
Open house: Sat., Oct. 26, 9 a.m. to 11:15 p.m.
thehill.org
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
Friday open houses: Nov. 1, Dec. 18, and March 20; all open houses are 9:30 a.m. to noon.
jbha.org
La Salle College High School
Open house: Sun., Sept. 29, 9 a.m. to noon
lschs.org
Merion Mercy Academy
Visit merion-mercy.com for more information on upcoming open houses.
Mount Saint Joseph Academy
Open house: Sun., Oct. 6, noon to 3 p.m.
msjacad.org
St. Basil Academy
Open houses: Sun., Oct. 13, noon to 3 p.m., Thurs., Nov. 7, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Sat., April 4, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Thurs., April 23, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
stbasilacademy.org
West-Mont Christian Academy
Visit west-mont.org for more information on upcoming open houses.
PHILADELPHIA
The Crefeld School
Visit crefeld.org for more information on upcoming open houses.
Germantown Friends School
Open house: Sat., Oct. 19, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; Fri., Nov. 8, 8:15 a.m. to 11 a.m.
germantownfriends.org
Nazareth Academy High School
Open house: Sat., Oct. 19, 9 a.m. to noon
nazarethacademyhs.org
Roman Catholic High School
Open house: Sun., Oct. 20, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
romancatholichs.com
St. Joseph’s Preparatory School
Open house: Sun., Oct. 20, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
sjprep.org
West Catholic Preparatory High School
Visit westcatholic.org for more information on upcoming open houses.
DELAWARE
Archmere Academy
Open house: Sun., Oct. 27, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
archmereacademy.com
Salesianum School
Open house: Sun., Nov. 3, 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
salesianum.org
NEW JERSEY
The Hun School of Princeton
Open house: Sun., Oct. 6, starting at 12:30 p.m.
hunschool.org
The Lawrenceville School
Visit lawrenceville.org for more information on campus tours.
Notre Dame High School
Open house: Thurs., Oct. 24, starting at 7 p.m.
Visit ndnj.org for more information on campus tours and the “ND Irish for a Day” shadow program.
The Pennington School
Open house: Sun., Oct. 20, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
pennington.org
Princeton Day School
Visit pds.org for more information of open houses and group tours.
Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart
Discovery Day open houses: Sun., Oct. 20, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and Thurs., Nov. 7, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
stuartschool.org
The Wilberforce School
Visit wilberforceschool.org for more information and to schedule a personal tour.
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, August 2019.
