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Are you a high school student who is currently applying to college using the Common App? If so, you may have come across the Common App School Report and may be wondering what it is. This post is here to provide you with an in-depth explanation of what the Common App School Report is and how it works so that you are well-informed before you start the college application process.
Common App School Report: What It Is and How It Works
The Common App School Report is a document that is meant to be filled in by a student's school counsellor and sent directly to the colleges that a student intends to apply to. The Common App School Report provides colleges with important insights into a student’s academic background within the broader school environment, thus giving admissions officers with a more holistic view of a student's application. Counsellors are also asked to upload the student's high school transcript along with a recommendation letter as part of the School Report.
Components of the Common App School Report
Counsellor details: This section asks for your school counsellor's details such as their name, email address, phone number, fax, etc.
School details: This section asks for high school information such as its name, address, postal code, CEEB code, and website if applicable.
School profile: This section asks for information such as when mid-year grades are available, graduating class size, percentage of the graduating class that will be attending 2-year vs 4-year colleges, percentage of the graduating class that is of a certain race (Hispanic/Latino/a/x, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, White), US citizenship status, percentage of students who receive free/reduced price lunch, percentage of students who are first-generation college students, and the percentage of students who receive financial aid. It also asks for the school setting (rural, suburban, urban), whether the school offers AP, IB, Honors or Cambride courses and if there are any limits to these courses that students can take within a given year. If your school is located outside the US, your counsellor will also need to complete the International Supplement.
Class rank: This section asks for information such as how class ranks are reported (exact, decile, quintile, quartile, none), the student's class rank and how many others they share this rank with, whether the rank is weighted or unweighted, and the start and end dates of the time the student held this rank.
GPA: This section asks for information such as whether the school reports GPA, if they use a weighted/unweighted GPA, the GPA scale used, the student's CGPA, the school's pass mark, and the highest GPA obtained in the graduating class.
Curriculum: This section asks about whether the student's course selection is less than demanding, average, demanding, very demanding, or most demanding. It also asks if the student is part of the IB Diploma program, Advance Cambridge Diploma program, or the AP Capstone program.
Ratings: This section asks the counsellor to rate the student's academic achievements, extracurricular accomplishments, personal qualities, and overall character of the student as no basis, below average, good, very good, excellent, outstanding, or one of the top few encountered in the counsellor's career.
How it Works
The Common App School Report allows admissions officers to gain a more holistic view of a student. For example, if student A and student B both have the same CGPA, other circumstances may help to differentiate them in terms of being accepted to college. Take a look at the example student profiles below.
Component | Student A | Student B |
|---|---|---|
GPA | 3.64 | 3.57 |
Class rank | 20/50 | 22/100 |
IB/AP courses taken | 2 | 5 |
Ratings (academics, extracurriculars, personality) | Good | Excellent |
Hence, even though Student A and Student B have similar GPAs, Student B will stand out more to an admissions committee as they have 5 taken harder courses and maintained a similar GPA to Student A who took only 2 hard courses. Student B also has better ratings and a stronger class rank than Student A - Student B is in the top 22%, while Student A is in the top 40%. Hence, the Common App School Report provides vital information that can distinguish between applicants who have similar academic scores.
We hope this guide has helped you learn more about the Common App School Report and how it works. Good luck with your college applications!
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