Cooper vs Kilmer AAP

[Anonymous]

Any serious discussion is appreciated. We are currently in the Kilmer pyramid but will make the efforts to move if there is significant benefit. The child is a rising 6th grader and is decent in math (top in his AAP class) but is not particularly driven -- he feels comfortable being with other easy going kids. We are hoping he could be a bit more focused on his study, if there's a good peer group but my older one at Kilmer is drifting without much positive influence from his peers (maybe it's him, not them -- but who knows). We don't know Cooper well, but the anecdotal stories at Longfellow are just brutal -- the kids there are just insanely driven to ace in all kinds of competitions. Would Cooper offer an environment that's more competitive than Kilmer, but more relaxed than Longfellow?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any serious discussion is appreciated. We are currently in the Kilmer pyramid but will make the efforts to move if there is significant benefit. The child is a rising 6th grader and is decent in math (top in his AAP class) but is not particularly driven -- he feels comfortable being with other easy going kids. We are hoping he could be a bit more focused on his study, if there's a good peer group but my older one at Kilmer is drifting without much positive influence from his peers (maybe it's him, not them -- but who knows). We don't know Cooper well, but the anecdotal stories at Longfellow are just brutal -- the kids there are just insanely driven to ace in all kinds of competitions. Would Cooper offer an environment that's more competitive than Kilmer, but more relaxed than Longfellow?

Honestly, public schools of all sorts are going to be very competitive environments for the brightest students.
These are high stress, high quality environments.
If you want low stress high quality environments, you need private school.

[Anonymous]

I think that every middle school you mentioned is going to have a group of driven kids and a group of chill kids. You don't become instantly driven by transferring to Longfellow.

My rising 8th grader is in Kilmer. He is a STEMy kid and I can tell you that competition for the Science Olympiad this year was brutal and dramatic. Cooper SO team took 2nd in State this year and there were a very strong team.

This is all by way of saying that I don't think there is a terrible difference between Kilmer and Cooper of the kind that it will transform a child who wants a relaxed experience. If that's what he's like, he will find similar peers at Cooper.

[Anonymous]

Also, don’ t forget that Kilmer has a better TJ admission statistics if your child is interested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, don’ t forget that Kilmer has a better TJ admission statistics if your child is interested.

I'm not sure that had anything to do with the middle school so much as it was the families and students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any serious discussion is appreciated. We are currently in the Kilmer pyramid but will make the efforts to move if there is significant benefit. The child is a rising 6th grader and is decent in math (top in his AAP class) but is not particularly driven -- he feels comfortable being with other easy going kids. We are hoping he could be a bit more focused on his study, if there's a good peer group but my older one at Kilmer is drifting without much positive influence from his peers (maybe it's him, not them -- but who knows). We don't know Cooper well, but the anecdotal stories at Longfellow are just brutal -- the kids there are just insanely driven to ace in all kinds of competitions. Would Cooper offer an environment that's more competitive than Kilmer, but more relaxed than Longfellow?

Well, given that just a few years back the Cooper AAP kids went to Longfellow before Cooper had an AAP center, I'd think Cooper and Longfellow are very similar academically. Certainly at the top, as those kids go head to head in many academic/STEM competitions.

Kilmer is more relaxed. Ultimately, as others in the thread said, it really depends on the kid. If they're internally motivated, they will find their peer group at any of these schools.

[Anonymous]

Would it be easier to make the top 1.5% at Kilmer than Cooper?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would it be easier to make the top 1.5% at Kilmer than Cooper?

Both schools send way more than 1.5% of their student body so the 1.5% is meaningless at those schools.