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Highland School of Technology selects just 145 freshmen by lottery — but first, your child must hit NC EOG Level III or higher on both Math and Reading. This guide explains exactly what that means, who qualifies, and how to prepare starting in 7th grade.
Getting into the High School for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at City College means beating a 526+ SHSAT cutoff for roughly 140 seats. This guide covers the 2026 adaptive SHSAT format, HSMSE-specific score targets, and how STEM critical thinking practice raises your composite. If your child is in 7th or 8th grade, the prep decisions you make right now are the ones that matter.
Getting into George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science starts with one number: your child's PSSA percentile. This guide covers every Carver admissions requirement — test scores, grades, attendance, lottery mechanics, and accepted alternatives for private and homeschool students — in one place.
The Carver Center IT/IMP admissions assessment has more moving parts than most Baltimore County families expect — a pre-made brochure, an on-site math test, a practical drawing, and a 70-question centralized test with a 30-question Critical Thinking section. This guide covers every component with a concrete prep plan for the January 2026 dates.
GCISD ASPIRE Academy for the Highly Gifted uses a four-component admissions battery — and most families don't know where to start preparing. This guide covers every measure, the 99th-percentile score threshold, key testing deadlines, and the exact practice resources that target ASPIRE's critical and creative thinking component.
Francis Parker School requires both the unscored ISEE essay and its own Student Writing Assessment — two timed writing challenges most San Diego applicants underprepare for. This post teaches a 30-minute argument framework, section-by-section ISEE score targets, and a prep timeline built around Parker's February 1 priority deadline.
Parker admits only 25–30 new 9th graders each year, and two separate timed writing challenges stand between your child and one of those seats. This post breaks down the unscored ISEE essay, Parker's own Student Writing Assessment, and exactly how to prepare for both.
The HISD Magnet Matrix is the only admissions filter standing between your child and Energy Institute High School — and most parents don't know how it's calculated. This post breaks down Formula 1 vs. Formula 2, walks through a real score example, and tells you exactly what 7th and 8th graders can do right now to hit the minimum qualifying score.
Episcopal High School Houston requires the ISEE Upper Level — and admissions reads your unscored essay as the only timed writing sample in your child's file. This guide covers target stanine scores, key deadlines, and how to frame your ISEE essay around EHS Houston's Four Pillars.
The Eastern Tech magnet assessment includes 70 multiple-choice questions — and the biggest section is 30 questions of pure Critical Thinking. This guide breaks down every section, explains the lottery scoring system, and gives Baltimore families a concrete prep plan for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle.