K-12 or K-5 and then switch?

[Anonymous]

Preschool parent here seeking advice from others who’ve been here.

Is sending a child to a K-12 starting in K setting them up to feel stifled in high school because they’ve been in the same school for too long, with many of the same kids? I realize many other kids enter at 3rd/4th, 6th, 9th and classes double or triple in size by HS. But, my question remains.

I also worry about their ability to adjust to college if they have only ever been at the same school since K.

I’m now thinking best to do only elementary in K-3/5 and then switch at middle, for the experience of adapting and the benefit of changing scenery & people.

Tell me how you advise I think about this!

[Anonymous]

OP this topic has been discussed to death here. Do a search and you’ll find pages of posts. Everyone will have a different idea based on what they did, because of course every family thinks they made the right decision. There are pros and cons to both. Neither is perfect.

[Anonymous]

We were dead set on K-12 and made a K-12 choice. We’re now 1.5 months into K and I see the benefit of being at a school solely focused on lower school and not locking into a K-12 to allow your child to have a say in their needs + wants later on.

The bright side is we have a place at a competitive school through 12 and we can always apply elsewhere at 4th, 6th, or 9th.

So right now we are looking at our K-12 as a lower school and will evaluate later.

[Anonymous]

By 5th grade, you'll know so much more about your child and their needs. Perhaps you'll decide that the school is a perfect fit; perhaps you'll decide that a different academic setting would be perfect. Perhaps they'll make friends easily or perhaps they'll make friends only with difficulty and that will impact your decision.

Choose a good fit school now and worry about later, later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Preschool parent here seeking advice from others who’ve been here.

Is sending a child to a K-12 starting in K setting them up to feel stifled in high school because they’ve been in the same school for too long, with many of the same kids? I realize many other kids enter at 3rd/4th, 6th, 9th and classes double or triple in size by HS. But, my question remains.

I also worry about their ability to adjust to college if they have only ever been at the same school since K.

I’m now thinking best to do only elementary in K-3/5 and then switch at middle, for the experience of adapting and the benefit of changing scenery & people.

Tell me how you advise I think about this!

I think it's less about the benefits of adapting and more of choosing a school when you have real information about your kid, what they need, where they learn best, etc.

My only piece of advice: pick a school where you'd be happy through the terminal grade, rather than plan to leave early. If you want to switch for middle, go to a school that ends in 3rd, 5th, or 6th. (There are a bunch!) I love the K-8 model myself, but you get all the supports and investment in your school search in 8th grade and not before, plus your kid may really want to do all the culminating activities associated with whatever the terminal grade is.