Before your child's middle or junior high school years come to an end, encourage your child to meet with his/her Homeroom Teacher or Guidance Counselor to ask for a book or brochures that outline the high schools that are in the area. When your teen has this book, sit down with them and look through it together. Try making a list of pro's and con's of the schools that are listed. Discuss which school is the best fit for your child. To do this, you can read about what the schools offer, the distance from the home to the school and of course you will also want keep in mind what your child's interests are.

When you and your child have narrowed down the possible choices for High School, call the school to make an appointment with them and set up a day and time for a school visit. Usually on these visits you will meet with a representative from the school who will explain the schools philosophy with you and show you around the entire school. You may also want to keep an eye out for any High School fairs that may be coming to your child's current school. These fairs provide a great opportunity for you and your child to learn about several schools on one day.

When making the decision on which high school your child should attend, it is important to look at the selection requirements that the school follows. Ask them how many applications there are, how many new students enroll into the school yearly and see if there are any placement tests that have to be taken before the enrollment process can start.

If you live in a an area where public transportation is used as opposed to school buses, it's a great idea to have your child take a trip to and from the high school that he is considering via public transportation to see how long the trip takes. Factoring in the travel time seems to play a large role in the high school decision process.

Entering in high school is a very important step in your teen's educational career. Teens are fragile at times when it comes to change but they are proved to be resilient when supported. Anything that you as a parent can do to help instill confidence in your child to put his best foot forward when it comes to his education is wonderful. There may be some stress involved when it comes to choosing the right High School but working with your child, keeping the lines of communication open, and doing a little bit of research will make it run a little smoother. Take heart, this will be great preparation for the next big step, college!