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POLL: Is boarding school on the table for your rising 8th grader?
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Anonymous
| see I can answer as our DC is home for 3 weeks for spring break from an elite boarding school. THREE weeks. boarding school is like chunks of 4-6 weeks away and then home again. We have seen our child play sports games, gone for parents weekend, and have not gone more than 4-6 weeks without seeing them. We see such a change, so much more maturity and a sense of the person they are becoming. They see a difference in themselves and their peers who are here (at a big 3 school). It was such a great decision to give our DC this gift, this educational experience. It doesn't mean we don't miss our child, but we know it was the right path for them. |
Anonymous
What do they see as the difference between themselves and their peers from Big 3? Are they still friends close with their hometown friends? What does your DC want to do while home on 3 week break? |
Anonymous
| We're in a somewhat similar position to where OP was a year ago, so I was really glad to find this thread -- some helpful, thought-provoking stuff in here! I'd love to hear how things turned out for OP's DS, as well as whether any of the PPs (or anyone else) has new insights to share a year on. |
Anonymous
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DC1 went to a "Big 3" private. DC2 went to a "HADES" boarding school. I think they enjoyed their high school years about the same (and each probably enjoyed their own high school more than they would have enjoyed their sibling's), got similar high school educations, ended up at roughly equivalent colleges, and have performed/are performing equivalently well there. We, though, had a much better relationship through the high school years with DC2 than with DC1. Honestly, we probably saw them about the same amount of time -- or at least had equivalent "quality time" with each -- and our time with DC2 was just so much less stressful and more enjoyable. That relationship remains easier and closer years later (although, thankfully, the gap is narrowing).
I would never "send" a child to boarding school who didn't want to go, but when I think back now on how we almost didn't let DC2 go to boarding school, heavens, what a mistake that would have been! |
Anonymous
| What is HADES? |
Anonymous
| Do most kids who get admitted to boarding schools from private schools? |
Anonymous
Hotchkiss Andover Deerfield Exeter St. Paul's Arguably the five most elite (elitist?) boarding schools in the U.S. |
Anonymous
Yes, but also a bunch from public schools and a surprisingly large number (surprising to me, at least) who were home-schooled. |
Anonymous
Only Hotchkiss people would put themselves in this group to the exclusion of several others! The best list is the actual association that they use, and one can argue which of them are superior to others depending on what you are looking for. It's called the "Ten Schools". http://www.tenschools.org/home/ |
Anonymous
I have never heard of HADES. Grottlesex, yes. HADES? No way. I don't think that one is going to catch on, funny as it is 
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Anonymous
Ten schools leaves off Groton (indisputably in the top 5) and includes Lawrenceville and Taft (which we all know is where the kids who get kicked out of St Pauls and Exeter for drinking wind up) |
Anonymous
Hotchkiss apparently is considered much stronger now than it was when we went to school. And some of the other schools on this "Ten Schools" list -- The Hill, Taft, even Loomis Chaffee -- are pretty universally considered no longer to be in the same league. At the same time, some schools not on this "Ten Schools" list -- e.g., Groton, Middlesex, Milton -- are considered essentially "HADES" peers. |
Anonymous
It's actually "St. Grottlesex." |
Anonymous
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Hades also leaves out Choate.
And Hotchkiss and Choate are both in the top 10 prep schools no matter how you slice and dice them. Milton is about 50% boarding which is why they are often not included. I don't know why Groton isn't there but it has lost luster over the years. The question as to whether most kids from private schools get in is a good one as the top boarding schools have a MUCH lower admittance rate than area big 3 schools, and could fill their classes (like the Ivies or any good colleges) svereal times over with straight A, great SSAY score, tons of activities kids. Prep school now attracts many many more kids than 10-200 years ago as the financial dynamics are so different, as are the international applicants. There are HUGE numbers of kids applying from abroad (and most uber qualified) and also most of the top schools have such huge endowments that they rival most colleges. If you earn less than 75k at some of these schools, they will give you a full 4 year free ride, including even transportation to and from school, books, etc. This means that there are lots of "inner city" outreach programs like A Better Chance among others which send many kids to these top schools. It is tough to get accepted, even if from a top private school. There are athletic recruits at most of the top schools too. Just like college. Acceptance rates at the top schools are less than 20%. FWIW, we have one at prep school and one at a BIG 3. Both are happy where they are. |