What to look for on a private school tour in Los Angeles

Watch what children and adults do during a classroom visit, including how staff respond when a child needs help.
Ask whether the event is a tour, open house, parent interview, or child visit, because each shows a different part of admissions.
Before leaving, confirm the next admissions step, its date, and whether it has a separate cost or aid process.

The October to December visit season includes open houses and admission tours on LA school calendars. A tour or open house, a parent interview, and a child visit or assessment are different parts of the process. Check each school’s instructions to see which comes first and what each step is intended to cover. The Los Angeles Area Independent Schools (LAIS) calendar is one local place to spot open houses and tours LAIS calendar.

Schools post their own open house and tour dates. Check the private-school application checklist and private school directory for verified school dates.

Tour or open house: observe the school day

A tour is a short sample of a campus and the school’s description of its approach. Ask whether the visit includes classrooms, students, teachers, or only an overview. When you can observe a class, notice what children are doing and how adults respond when a child needs another explanation, finishes early, or is not ready to join. Then ask whether the moment you saw is a typical example and what support looks like over time.

Cost and aid

Find out what tuition covers and which costs are billed separately, such as extended care, meals, transportation, supplies, trips, or technology. Ask how much tuition has changed in recent years, when increases are announced, and where to get current written amounts.

For financial aid, ask when the application is due, when awards are communicated, and whether aid is considered alongside admission. The LAIS financial aid page says member schools set their own procedures and recommends contacting each school for details.

Parent interview: learn the purpose

A parent interview may be a conversation about a child and the school. The National Association of Independent Schools describes an interview as a two-way exchange: families ask about the school while admissions staff learn about the applicant. The school’s own process determines who attends and what is discussed. Confirm what the meeting is for, whether both caregivers should attend, and whether it is separate from a tour.

Questions to ask: What information are you hoping to learn from this conversation? How should we describe a support need, uncertainty, or area where the child is still developing? What is the best way to share relevant context without turning a short interview into a full school history?

Child visit or assessment: ask how it works

For younger applicants, some schools use a child visit, observation, group activity, or assessment rather than a formal interview. NAIS’s parent guide lists teacher observation and school-administered group or individual assessments as examples for elementary applicants. LA-area admissions guidance also describes school-specific combinations of parent conversations, tours, and child observations; procedures vary by school and grade. Find out whether the child’s visit is evaluative, what the child will do, how long it lasts, and whether caregivers stay or leave.

If a child is not developmentally ready for a particular classroom routine, ask how the school handles that situation and how it communicates with families. Avoid trying to prepare a child to perform a rehearsed answer; ask the school what a normal visit looks like and how to explain it in age-appropriate terms.

Parents’ accounts and admissions guidance

Parents’ accounts: In one Ask Los Angeles discussion comparing private and public elementary schools, parents recommend touring and speaking with school staff and current parents; another participant describes community as a consideration. These are individual accounts in an LA forum, not a representative survey or a shared view. Ask Los Angeles discussion. A separate thread asks about admissions consultants; its question reflects one family’s uncertainty, not evidence about what all applicants need. Consultant discussion.

Admissions guidance: NAIS offers a national tour and interview guide, including prompts about classroom life, family communication, and attrition. LAIS explains that member schools set their own aid procedures. A Los Angeles admissions consultant’s published service description also treats tours, parent interviews, and assessments as separate scheduling tasks; that is one consultant’s description, not a school rule. NAIS application guide · LAIS financial aid overview · LA School Scout services.

Questions for admissions

What costs are outside tuition, and when will the next tuition increase be set?
When is the financial aid application due, when are awards communicated, and is aid considered alongside admission?
What are the school’s published attrition data and the size and composition of the kindergarten class?
If a child is not ready for a routine or activity, what support does the school provide and how do caregivers hear about it?
What is the parent interview designed to cover, and who should attend?

For the public-school visit comparison, read what to look for at an LAUSD school visit. For prompts about a child’s needs and household routines, see what kindergarten fit means. To compare stated principles with daily practice, read how to examine a school’s values. For application deadlines and verified assessment windows, use the private-school application checklist.

Reviewed October 2026. Parent accounts are anecdotal; expert and association guidance is labeled by source and scope.