Experience switching to all-girls school?

[Anonymous]

DD is going to be in 6th grade next year and is looking at all-girls’ schools after 7 years at a coed school. Her current school ends in 8th.

We don’t live in the dmv so specific school experiences aren’t necessary, but I’m curious about any upsides or downsides to the switch that we may not be anticipating or that aren’t widely shared during the admissions process. I can see the benefits of the switch, but am worried about the experiences we may be leaving behind and that I’m looking at an all-girls’ environment through the rose-colored perspective of admissions officers.

We have talked to a lot of families but since it’s admissions season I sense that I’m getting a carefully edited set of answers.

[Anonymous]

There is a ton of information online about the pros and cons of single sex schools particular all girls school. Also a lot of information in the forum that has already been discussed on this topic.

[Anonymous]

DD is a freshman so only a couple months of single sex experience. She was in co-Ed for k-8. I had my doubts about single sex but have been happily proven wrong. Her experience confirms all the things the admissions people say (that I didn’t really believe). That said, 6th-12th is a lot longer to do single sex and I have my doubts about it for that long. I’d talk to people with girls in college to see what they think now that they’re on the other side.

[Anonymous]

I attended a girls school from 7-12th. I liked being in an all-girls environment because I was very shy and awkward and it really helped me gain some personal confidence. What it did not do was actually give me experience interacting and communicating with boys. Which meant my social awkwardness continued into college and even beyond (I also had a nontraditional college path, which didn’t help).

So, if your DD has outside coed activities through sports, church, neighborhood friend group, or ECs like theater, choir, or coed clubs, it can be really great. Or if she is very socially confident and poised already, no problem.

[Anonymous]

I think it really depends on the child, and only you can know that OP.

I went to all-girls 9-12 and LOVED it. I really thrived without the pressure of boys, but more so without the pressure of other girls feeling like they needed to impress boys. that being said, my two sisters attended co-ed their entire lives - neither of them of them would have done well in that environment, possibly because they were more mature than I was at those ages and ready to interact with boys. I needed a more sheltered environment.

it was very clear during my time there which girls benefitted from the single sex environment and which ones didn't (and then acted out as a result).

[Anonymous]

My daughter is a junior at a single sex school (after co-ed K-8) and loves it. The girls are pretty much all supportive of one another. Classroom experience is much better. Her confidence has grown tremendously. If it is the right fit for your kid, I'd definitely recommend. But diligence the school and cohort carefully. We know families whose girls school experience has been far less happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is a freshman so only a couple months of single sex experience. She was in co-Ed for k-8. I had my doubts about single sex but have been happily proven wrong. Her experience confirms all the things the admissions people say (that I didn’t really believe). That said, 6th-12th is a lot longer to do single sex and I have my doubts about it for that long. I’d talk to people with girls in college to see what they think now that they’re on the other side.

Thanks- that’s why I posted here. I think there is a lot about k-12 girls’ school and 9-12 girls’ education, but I’m not finding much about what it’s like to start for middle school. That’s why I was hoping someone here had experienced it because it seems like a very specific moment in time in terms of the good and bad experiences it could create.

[Anonymous]

We love all girls. Wouldn't change it for the world. So much less disruption.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We love all girls. Wouldn't change it for the world. So much less disruption.

How old is your daughter?

[Anonymous]

I would have liked all girls MS, but they are less common. I went 9-12.

I think you should make a list of what experiences you are worried about your DD missing out on, and whether those are realistic worries given her personality and her other activities where she's likely to encounter boys. In my personal experience, a lot of parents have vague worries about single sex ed but, when pressed, those turn out to be mostly based in stereotypes about "how girls are" that the parents themselves don't actually believe once they have to articulate them.

[Anonymous]

There seems to be a lot of fighting, gossip and disagreements in the MS girls we know in all girls schools. MS seems like a tough time with lots of cliques, while coed seems a bit better in the 6-8th grade group. 9-12 all girls seems to work great, maybe everyone matured.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a junior at a single sex school (after co-ed K-8) and loves it. The girls are pretty much all supportive of one another. Classroom experience is much better. Her confidence has grown tremendously. If it is the right fit for your kid, I'd definitely recommend. But diligence the school and cohort carefully. We know families whose girls school experience has been far less happy.

+1. Exact same age and experience. Has been life changing for our daughter.

[Anonymous]

My daughter went to coed until 5th and started at an all girls "top" school in the DMV for 6th and stayed there through 12th. I think it was good for middle school. I wish we had switched back to coed for high school. Unless your daughter is well-connected or in the super popular crowd, it's hard to have guy friends. Also, I think having coed classes for discussion classes, etc would have prepared her better for college. So overall, great for middle school - not so great in our experience for high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter went to coed until 5th and started at an all girls "top" school in the DMV for 6th and stayed there through 12th. I think it was good for middle school. I wish we had switched back to coed for high school. Unless your daughter is well-connected or in the super popular crowd, it's hard to have guy friends. Also, I think having coed classes for discussion classes, etc would have prepared her better for college. So overall, great for middle school - not so great in our experience for high school.

I’m the pp who was in a girls school from 7-12 and I agree with this - I wish it’s what my parents had done for me.

[Anonymous]

We regret going all girls--the education was great, missing out on the interaction with boys in HS was not great for our daughter. She's at college now and has never had a date. Isn't used to having groups of boys on her dorm floor, etc. I just think it was a huge gap in her social development.