Speyer Legacy vs "Top Tier" Schools
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Anonymous
| I don't hear much about Speyer, maybe since it is only through 8th grade. On paper, it seems very interesting for a gifted child - debate starting in lower school, a grandmaster chess coach. How does the school compare to the higher profile names (Dalton, Trinity, Brearley, etc)? |
Anonymous
| New money + tiger parents. I think that sums it up. |
Anonymous
| How is their matriculation in terms of sending kids to TT schools? How many matriculate to trinity and dalton |
Anonymous
| If you're open to the N-8 experience, consider Town School. Rigor with a welcoming small town community feel. Top students get into TT privates from there. |
Anonymous
Excellent. Take a look: https://www.speyerschool.org/admissions/after-speyer-high-school-and-college-placement. Most kids go to Trinity, Stuy, Bronx Sci or Dalton. |
Anonymous
College matriculation also reasonable Allegheny College American University Amherst College Bard College Barnard Beloit College Boston University Brandeis Brooklyn College (Macaulay Honors Program) (3) Brown (3) Bryn Mawr Caltech Carnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve University Charles University (Prague) Claremont McKenna Colgate Columbia University (6) Cooper Union Cornell University (5) Davidson College Duke University Emory (5) Fordham Franklin & Marshall College Georgetown Hamilton College Hampshire College Harvard (5) Haverford Hunter Kenyon McGill University Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Muhlenberg College (2) New York University (2) Northeastern (2) Northwestern (2) Princeton (4) Reed College Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rice University (2) Rochester Institute of Technology St. Andrews (4) Smith Stanford (2) Stony Brook University SUNY Binghamton (2) SUNY Purchase Swarthmore Syracuse Tufts (3) University of California - Berkeley University of California - Los Angeles (2) University of California - San Diego University of Chicago (10) University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (2) University of Minnesota - Twin Cities University of North Carolina (2) University of North Carolina - Wilmington University of Oxford University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School) University of Pittsburgh University of Rochester University of Santa Barbara University of South Carolina University of Virginia University of Wisconsin - Madison Vanderbilt Washington University Washington State University Wellesley College Wesleyan University (6) Whitman College Williams (4) Yale (5) |
Anonymous
https://www.thetownschool.org/academics/high-school-placement |
Anonymous
College matriculation seems like an odd thing to report for a K-8 IMO. It's not like they are involved in the college process? But everything with Speyer is a little weird. |
Anonymous
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I have a child who recently graduated from Speyer. I would encourage you to tour. Do you like what you see for your child? If you have time, ask to speak with current parents of Speyer kids in your child's anticipated grade. (If you have more time, ask to talk to 2+).
Speyer is a heady educational environment for a kid who wants intellectual engagement. The physical space vibes like a children's museum and it feels, walking around, like there is a lot going on in every nook and cranny. Math is differentiated so you will see small group instruction. There is a dance/music studio, art studio, and the big maker space (right by reception) looks properly mad scientist-y and is a kid fav. There are always kids playing chess, kinda the school's "national sport." My kid did not play chess beyond what was required in chess class and that was A-OK. In fact, my kid is not a typical Speyer kid - no math competitions nor, as mentioned, chess, no debate, no Odyssey of the Mind. No "leadership" roles (Speyer has an amazing financial literacy class in 8th grade and as part of the class, a select group of kids actively manage a well-funded portfolio splitting any profits with the school! Not kidding! Checks are cut! Big ones! Anyway, my kid wasn't picked for the portfolio management team, alas, though he was happy to collect his profit share.) Despite all that.. my kid really excelled academically, blossomed socially and emotionally, and is currently studying at their top choice for high school. Now, all that said, the school is changing. Like all private schools in NYC there has been a relative dip in application volume. I believe Speyer has a smaller lower school (K-4) enrollment than in years past. What does that mean for the future? No idea. As an "alum parent" I feel extremely fond of the school and had a great parent experience doing various volunteer things. I think my favorite was chaperoning on the day the school takes the kids out of the building all day having nonstop fun when high school admissions decisions are released (oh gosh, bowling, laser tag, arcade games, pizza party, bubble tea.. a blast and a blur and so thoughtful). A close second was chaperoning the Sims Recycling Center field trip because I had one of the deepest conversations about the mothering with a fellow mom on the ol' yellow school bus full of ebullient 3rd graders literally talking trash. Ah, magic days. So, give Speyer a tour and talk to current parents *in your child's anticipated grade. Every grade is different and has its own personality. F Finally, NYC has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to excellent schools. Do a lot of touring and talking at other schools too. And GL! (Apologies for any typos). |
Anonymous
| Thanks for posting. How are things after the head of school left (Heather something, I think?) |
Anonymous
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Administration is really just that, they keep the place running smoothly, professionally. There are deans for curriculum, student life and a few others I'm forgetting that make sure the teachers can focus on teaching.
Now I'm going to get at what I think you are asking... The heart and soul of the school is Paul Deards, Deputy Head of School. He is an administrator, yes, but also a master teacher who sets the intellectual bar very, very high. He teaches all 8th graders and his humanities is basically a year-long college prep course. The intellectual rigor, depth of material and bar for student performance is the capstone of the whole Speyer education. He prepared my son to hitting the ground running in his intense high school. I can only hope the Oxford Don vibe he brings becomes encoded in the school's DNA. The kids love him because they are smart kids and see the passion, integrity and dedication he brings to his teaching practice, which significantly benefits their development, hard as they have to work. It's good, hard, fruitful work. |