Finding the right school can be complicated. Let’s make it easier.
What Clients Are Saying…
Parent, Lick-Wilmerding
“Applying for high schools in the Bay Area is nerve wracking. There are so many options, so many different procedures and timelines, and so much hidden knowledge—it can feel like the stakes are impossibly high and the chances of finding the right fit for your child impossibly low. Tara shifts the chances in your favor, acting as expert guide to the arcane processes, demystifying the behind-the-scenes procedures, keeping parents and kids on track for meeting expectations and deadlines at every step of the way, and helping everyone keep a focus on finding the right school for your student. Working with Tara helped us identify our target schools, focus our efforts efficiently, and minimize family stress as we worked through the process. Ultimately, our son learned so much from Tara about writing essays, shaping his goals, and presenting himself on the page and in person, that the process would have been worth it even if he didn’t get into any of his target schools. That he got into all of them was a wonderful bonus—and something that absolutely would not have happened without Tara’s expert guidance.”
Parent, Cathedral School for Boys
“You are the most insightful admissions resource we met. There is a level of diligence to details that you bring unlike anyone else.”
Parent, Lick Wilmerding
“Tara was a lifesaver for our family. She was always available when I had a question, responding to my text messages immediately. She helped our son stay on track with his essays which meant that we did not have to nag him and resulted in less family arguments. Tara is extremely knowledgeable about all of the high schools in San Francisco. She gave her opinion when it was appropriate and in the end our son got accepted at his top choice school. I would recommend Tara to anyone who is feeling anxious about the high school process in San Francisco. Was worth every penny!”
Abigail Miller Gudich, Director of Admissions & Enrollment, Alta Vista School
“I am delighted to recommend Tara and Spruce Advisors. Tara has an exceptional understanding of the K-12 admissions process in the Bay Area, providing invaluable guidance and support to families at every step.
Tara takes the time to understand each client's unique needs and goals. She coaches families through their applications with a high level of care, helping them identify and realize their strengths and students' potential. Her attention to detail and dedication to excellence are evident in every aspect of her work. She is responsive, communicative, and a thoughtful advocate.
If you are looking for an admissions consultant who is not knowledgeable and professional but genuinely invested and committed to your child and family's success, I cannot recommend Tara highly enough.”
Parent, Urban
“Based on the experiences of friends with older children, we knew the process of applying to independent high schools in San Francisco was a big endeavor. As our daughter started 8th grade, we were more than a bit daunted. Thank goodness for Tara Boland! We are so grateful for her grounded, direct, professional guidance, as well as her warmth and empathy. She took an overwhelming process and broke it down into manageable pieces, and equipped with tools to stay organized along the way. Our daughter was coming from a tiny independent school without a guidance counselor on staff. Tara helped us get to know schools, narrow down our preferences based on our values and needs, and use our time wisely so that we could be strategic and focus our energy. Her essay writing support and feedback was invaluable and she had super helpful intel when we were navigating the wait pool at the very end of our process. We cannot recommend Tara highly enough!
Parent, Cathedral School for Boys
“Applying to schools for your children can be a confusing and stressful process. Tara’s presence created a calm environment where my wife and I could focus, learn the ropes and get the lay of the land from an experienced advisor. Working with Tara gave us the information, emotional space and support to feel good about making hard decisions. In our particular situation we had a pressurized scenario that seemed almost impossible at first. Once we engaged Tara things moved so fast and we achieved results that looking back, were incredible.”
Parent, Marin Academy
“We relied heavily on Tara's deep expertise during our process. Not only was she a calming, reassuring presence in a complex and emotional time, she helped us keep sight of our goals for our child and family. As a parent, she understood the complexities of working with an adolescent and was able to coax out analytical thinking in our writing. We found her tremendously helpful.”
Parent, Branson
“Tara was great! She was extremely knowledgeable about the schools and process, which gave us a sense of ease and perspective. Her guidance was invaluable when it came to writing the essays. I recommend Tara and Spruce Advisors without reservation!”
Admissions Director, K-8 Independent School
"We hired Tara to conduct in-depth 1:1 interviews with parents who had declined an offer to enroll their children in our Kindergarten class. Not only did she provide thoughtful guidance on every aspect of the project, from creating the initial outreach email through to the final presentation with our Head of School, she also offered a ton of strategic insight on how to best use the information we collected. Her final report was detailed, clearly written, and easy to digest, and she continued to follow up with me months after the project was completed to share suggestions related to the current admissions cycle. She is fun to work with and knows the landscape inside and out. I’d recommend her to a colleague and hire her again without a moment of hesitation.”
Parent, Cathedral School for Boys
“Our experience with your admissions process, philosophy, and welcoming spirit prompted us to consider independent schools in the first place. We have the deepest respect for your craft.”
Parent, Urban
“Tara provided our family with comprehensive support throughout the high school application journey. From brainstorming essay ideas to offering interview tips, her guidance was instrumental in our child’s success and in keeping our family stress-free and organized in the process!”
Parent, Cathedral School for Boys
“I can't thank Tara enough for helping us navigate school admissions. We were in a time crunch and she listened to our needs and helped us organize and prioritize our action items. She made herself easily accessible throughout the process, and we felt constant support. Tara's calming presence and strategic guidance helped ease our stress. Her knowledge of admissions and efficiency in helping get us organized helped us successfully reach our goal. I highly recommend Tara to other families.”
Parent, Branson
“We approached Tara late in our admissions process, but she turned things around for us in a great way. She was responsive, always suggested the best solutions, and had valuable insights about schools we hadn’t considered. Her comments on our writing were well thought out and she made strategic changes in our applications that were spot on. She truly made the difference, and I wish we had engaged her from the start. I would never go through this process again without her.”
Katherine Dinh, Head of School, Marin Country Day School
“At Marin Country Day School, I called Tara for a consulting project; she was an amazing partner from beginning to end. Tara was organized, thorough, very responsive, and communicative, and she completed her work with impeccable professionalism. Besides her strong interpersonal and project-management skills, Tara's deep experience with independent schools and the network she's developed over over two decades was the extra value-add she brought to the table. She spoke our language and was absolutely brilliant to work with. I highly recommend her to anyone who needs consulting on any aspect of independent school admissions.”
Parent, Jewish Community High School
“Working with Tara was hugely beneficial for our son. Coming from the public school system, we had zero familiarity with private school admissions and applications. We were pretty overwhelmed with how to get started, but Tara has a wealth of knowledge about San Francisco schools and their processes, so when we started talking about schools and what our son was looking for, we knew we were in good hands. But more importantly, her friendly, calm, supportive, and encouraging attitude was exactly what was needed to help our reluctant applicant put his best foot forward. She's an 8th grader whisperer! We are so grateful to have had Tara's expert support throughout the application process.”
Parent, Cathedral School for Boys
“I've loved every single ounce of your approach to making the adults and kiddos in this process feel seen and heard.”
Parent, Urban
“Tara supported our family for every angle of the San Francisco high school application process. Her experience as an admissions director and parent are clear in how she approached parts of the application. She not only guided us as parents through the process, but she was also a mentor and an advocate for our daughter. Tara made her feel safe, listened to, and gave her valuable feedback on her essays which allowed our daughter to grow as a writer. We are thrilled with the outcome and it's all due to Tara's knowledge of the process and her ability to tune into our family’s needs.”
Parent, Cathedral School for Boys
“I have loved working with you, from the very first zoom that we attended. You have brought so much kindness and grace to what can be such a hectic process.”
