College preparatory programs are designed to prepare students for college, though not all high schools effectively do this. There is a wide range in quality and rigor among schools that label themselves as college prep. Parents should look beyond labels and examine a school's performance in sending graduates to college in order to determine if its college prep program is legitimate or just marketing. While supporters believe college prep programs put more students on a path to career success, critics argue the term is overused and parents must differentiate between programs that truly teach the skills needed for college versus those that only claim to. It is important for parents to determine if a genuine college prep school is the right fit for their child.

1. Definition of College Preparatory Program
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College preparatory or college prep designates that a school get ready students for college. In theory, of
course, every high school should prepare students for college, but that’s not at all times the case —
even for schools that accept the college preparatory label. With a national concentrating on readying
students for college and careers, many schools — even elementary schools — are using the college
preparatory title in their names and promotional materials, but what does it actually mean?
College preparation: elite boarding school or urban charter?
Between the many schools that call themselves college preparatory, you'll find elite boarding schools
that have sent groups of graduates to the Ivy Leagues and other top universities. You'll also find inner-
city charter schools that pledge every graduate will be admitted to a four-year college or university.
You'll also, inappropriately, find schools that do nothing outside the usual to ensure that students go to
college, but claim the college preparatory label because they know it's what many parents are looking
for.
There are public, private, parochial, and charter schools that call themselves college preparatory. And
while these schools can be choosy — needing testing and interviews for admission — they could also be
open enrollment, accepting anyone who shows up.
With such a assortment of options — and with so many schools calling themselves college preparatory
— parents would do well to look outside labels and assess a school's actual performance. Before
enrolling your child into any self-proclaimed college prep, it helps to know what advocates, and critics,
claim about these types of schools.
Preparatory schools: pros and cons
Supporters disputes that college degrees lead to higher earnings and better prepare students to excel in
a career. A school that makes the assumption that everyone is going to college puts more students on a
path to succeed in a competitive global employees.

2. Critics deal with that the term college prep is so indiscriminately used that it doesn't mean much. “In
some states, anyone can hang a shingle and call themselves a college prep high school,” Nassirian says.
“The level of oversight is all over the map.” It’s up to parents to differentiate between a program that
actually teaches students what they need to succeed in college and one that merely pays lip service to
the task. Most significantly, it's up to parents to decide if a college prep school - one that genuinely
prepares their child for college - is the right fit.
Read the whole article at http://www.greatschools.org/school-choice/college-preparatory/6985-
college-prep-school.gs