Could you speak more about St Bernard's? I am starting to consider it for DS. |
We are there and absolutely love St.B. Never wanted all boys or k-8, but we were sold immediately. It is very academic with a dose of humor. They understand boys, what motivates them and what works. My son loves school and his friends -- these boys will be friends for life. Community is warm and unpretentious. It has a different vibe from the other all boys and co-ed schools we looked at. That said, it's not everyone's cup of tea. |
That is so good to hear. What other schools did you look at? We want all boys, but Collegiate seems imposssible to get into (and a little bit of a cold vibe?) and I haven't heard people really rave about Browning or St David's.... |
Dalton |
why do so many girls leave NBS after 8th grade? |
columbia grammar prep is not as far as i know considered very good. |
So true. -Trinity alum, uncle of incoming Dalton kindergartner, son of a Spence grad |
In my year there were only about 5 of us who left while in my grade at Chapin about 15 girls left. It just varies year to year. Leaving after 8th grade in NYC girls schools is common. Lots of girls want a coed hs experience and the girls schools are very stifling after 9 years. Also, many of the families with girls at girls schools are more likely to send kids to boarding schools, it’s family tradition. |
That is what I thought so too. Chapin and Spence are definitely great schools but not quite on par with Brearley. |
I thought collegiate was the top top for boys? |
That is quite a pedigree 😉 |
As a parent of Collegiate and Spence DC, I think Spence has an excellent MS program where they have incorporated CS very well. Spence's HS offerings are comparable to Collegiate's. There are a lot of stereotypes related to these schools but the schools are changing both demographically and content wise. The new HOS at Spence is steering the school in the right direction and Collegiate is slower to change (my son reminds me that his school has been around for 400 years so they generally get things right!). |
Spence is definitely a top-rate school. Not sure why the general consensus is that brearley is better. in terms of outcomes, all the tt schools only differ marginally, and most of that’s superficial. they’re all intense academically, awful at sports, have great ecs, and provide absurd opportunities for kids. only basic educational philosophies, size of school, location, and facilities separate them. if your kid gets into one, they’ll be getting among the best educations in the world, and they’ll have as good a chance as any to go to a top college - though this should probably be a secondary consideration. |
It's because of the schools' historic reputations. Back when WASP-dom mattered, Chapin was the school of choice for the old money crowd and Spence attracted the society crowd, while Brearley just cared that its students could do the work. |
I am one of the NBS/Trinity people from above. Granted this was 30 years ago, but the girls in my class at Trinity who came from Spence - and there were about 5 of them, were super smart and total grinds. From what I remember, they ended up at Harvard, Princeton and Stanford. It’s always been a snakepit of girls but you gotta be impressed by the teaching. |