Friends, Grace or Browning for High School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have almost the exact same choice but with a different third choice than Friends. Grace makes so much sense for our family, we love their schedule and location, but we've had off experiences with them every step of the way, where areas Browning has been so personal and lovely. We know people at both schools who like them, both schools have adored heads of school...it's going to be a hard decision. I think it will come down to my DC deciding on co-ed and progressive vs single sex and fairly traditional when they do their re-visit. We did not apply to Friends, so I can't speak to it other than what I've heard from families who go there and friends who have worked there. It wasn't for us but is a great school. One deciding factor for my child was that it seemed to have more homework but again, that's child dependent.

I also love the schedule at Grace. I've found it hard to get concrete information about what the high school experience is actually like. Their website isn't very informative. Over the weekend I was trying to find info about their extracurricular activities and clubs and could find very little. We had a warm interviewer at Grace but wasn't overly impressed with the tour.

Yes, the most informative presentation I witnessed was the original Parent's League 20 minute virtual one they do every Fall. That's where I learned about their schedule and unique Wednesdays to begin with. Glad I'm not alone in being somewhat at sea about the nuts and bolts of the school. Hopefully we'll get a parent revisit invitation like all of the other schools have extended. They were two days behind extending the student revisit invitation to us as well. At some point it comes across as they are not actually interested in our child, which may be true, I just wish I could figure it out!

NP: We are not at Grace for various reasons but felt more love from Grace after being accepted than any other school. Faculty, administration and parents were all very enthusiastic and very helpful. It was more like "how can we help you" than "you're in, here's some paperwork, looking forward to getting your check."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have almost the exact same choice but with a different third choice than Friends. Grace makes so much sense for our family, we love their schedule and location, but we've had off experiences with them every step of the way, where areas Browning has been so personal and lovely. We know people at both schools who like them, both schools have adored heads of school...it's going to be a hard decision. I think it will come down to my DC deciding on co-ed and progressive vs single sex and fairly traditional when they do their re-visit. We did not apply to Friends, so I can't speak to it other than what I've heard from families who go there and friends who have worked there. It wasn't for us but is a great school. One deciding factor for my child was that it seemed to have more homework but again, that's child dependent.

I also love the schedule at Grace. I've found it hard to get concrete information about what the high school experience is actually like. Their website isn't very informative. Over the weekend I was trying to find info about their extracurricular activities and clubs and could find very little. We had a warm interviewer at Grace but wasn't overly impressed with the tour.

Recent Grace parent here - what do you want to know?

Thanks for chiming in! We were told a ton about sports, but my DC is more of a theater/music kid. It seems on the website that there is a large performing arts program, but no one could tell me more about it (you might not either). But really what I was trying to see is if a more nerdy science and theater kid has a place there, or are there very few of those kinds of kids. Also, the learning center was mentioned a few times, but is that more of a drop in place, or is dedicated for kids with LDs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have almost the exact same choice but with a different third choice than Friends. Grace makes so much sense for our family, we love their schedule and location, but we've had off experiences with them every step of the way, where areas Browning has been so personal and lovely. We know people at both schools who like them, both schools have adored heads of school...it's going to be a hard decision. I think it will come down to my DC deciding on co-ed and progressive vs single sex and fairly traditional when they do their re-visit. We did not apply to Friends, so I can't speak to it other than what I've heard from families who go there and friends who have worked there. It wasn't for us but is a great school. One deciding factor for my child was that it seemed to have more homework but again, that's child dependent.

I also love the schedule at Grace. I've found it hard to get concrete information about what the high school experience is actually like. Their website isn't very informative. Over the weekend I was trying to find info about their extracurricular activities and clubs and could find very little. We had a warm interviewer at Grace but wasn't overly impressed with the tour.

Recent Grace parent here - what do you want to know?

Thanks for chiming in! We were told a ton about sports, but my DC is more of a theater/music kid. It seems on the website that there is a large performing arts program, but no one could tell me more about it (you might not either). But really what I was trying to see is if a more nerdy science and theater kid has a place there, or are there very few of those kinds of kids. Also, the learning center was mentioned a few times, but is that more of a drop in place, or is dedicated for kids with LDs?

Not the best person to answer this but will do my best. The music program is very good. No one is mistaking Grace for LaGuardia but from what I saw they had a variety of programs for different skill levels and interests and very good teachers. I know almost nothing about theater so won't guess - I know there are various performances but don't know much about them.

Is Grace the ideal place for an artsy kid? Probably not. But your child will definitely find their people there as the community exists and the school invests in it. Compared to an all boys school one would think that the theater in particular would be a lot better. Because of its downtown location there are probably more parents involved in the arts than most peer schools which I think trickles down to the students.

There are two parts to the learning center. There are teachers who are there to help with math, English and history papers, etc. These are legit teachers and not just random people - I know they are a very valuable resource for those who choose to take advantage. As far as LDs, I know there are a few people who specifically focus on that and they seem knowledgeable and helpful, but I can't speak from experience and again, don't want to guess.

Overall, I think it has a pretty "mainstream" culture so not full of nerdy science and theater kids (as you describe your child), but they definitely exist there, they seem happy there, and it is a very kind culture so they interact pretty seamlessly with everyone else. Jerks are generally not tolerated. I don't think it is the most "intellectual" culture but that is in part the tradeoff for it not being a pressure cooker. There are plenty of very smart kids who work very hard and take their work very seriously, and the teachers are there to strike the balance between pushing these kids to reach their potential but not overwhelming them with work for the sake of work. There is no shame in being smart, but there is also not the "what did you get" mentality that is pervasive at so many other places - smart kids are respected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have almost the exact same choice but with a different third choice than Friends. Grace makes so much sense for our family, we love their schedule and location, but we've had off experiences with them every step of the way, where areas Browning has been so personal and lovely. We know people at both schools who like them, both schools have adored heads of school...it's going to be a hard decision. I think it will come down to my DC deciding on co-ed and progressive vs single sex and fairly traditional when they do their re-visit. We did not apply to Friends, so I can't speak to it other than what I've heard from families who go there and friends who have worked there. It wasn't for us but is a great school. One deciding factor for my child was that it seemed to have more homework but again, that's child dependent.

I also love the schedule at Grace. I've found it hard to get concrete information about what the high school experience is actually like. Their website isn't very informative. Over the weekend I was trying to find info about their extracurricular activities and clubs and could find very little. We had a warm interviewer at Grace but wasn't overly impressed with the tour.

Recent Grace parent here - what do you want to know?

Thanks for chiming in! We were told a ton about sports, but my DC is more of a theater/music kid. It seems on the website that there is a large performing arts program, but no one could tell me more about it (you might not either). But really what I was trying to see is if a more nerdy science and theater kid has a place there, or are there very few of those kinds of kids. Also, the learning center was mentioned a few times, but is that more of a drop in place, or is dedicated for kids with LDs?

Not the best person to answer this but will do my best. The music program is very good. No one is mistaking Grace for LaGuardia but from what I saw they had a variety of programs for different skill levels and interests and very good teachers. I know almost nothing about theater so won't guess - I know there are various performances but don't know much about them.

Is Grace the ideal place for an artsy kid? Probably not. But your child will definitely find their people there as the community exists and the school invests in it. Compared to an all boys school one would think that the theater in particular would be a lot better. Because of its downtown location there are probably more parents involved in the arts than most peer schools which I think trickles down to the students.

There are two parts to the learning center. There are teachers who are there to help with math, English and history papers, etc. These are legit teachers and not just random people - I know they are a very valuable resource for those who choose to take advantage. As far as LDs, I know there are a few people who specifically focus on that and they seem knowledgeable and helpful, but I can't speak from experience and again, don't want to guess.

Overall, I think it has a pretty "mainstream" culture so not full of nerdy science and theater kids (as you describe your child), but they definitely exist there, they seem happy there, and it is a very kind culture so they interact pretty seamlessly with everyone else. Jerks are generally not tolerated. I don't think it is the most "intellectual" culture but that is in part the tradeoff for it not being a pressure cooker. There are plenty of very smart kids who work very hard and take their work very seriously, and the teachers are there to strike the balance between pushing these kids to reach their potential but not overwhelming them with work for the sake of work. There is no shame in being smart, but there is also not the "what did you get" mentality that is pervasive at so many other places - smart kids are respected.

This is so helpful, thank you!

[Anonymous]

Not a Grace parent, but one thing I would like to add regarding theater is that it is *very easy* to find your kid high-quality performing arts programming outside of school; NYC is positively littered with after-school / weekend theater schools, many of which mount fully-staged musicals several times a year, and the talent level at some of them is extremely high (LaGuardia kids, working off-Broadway child actors, etc).

[Anonymous]

Conversation has primarily focused on Grace and Browning but Friends was part of the original discussion. I generally preferred Grace to Friends but I was very impressed with the performing arts people I met at Friends (my kid wasn't really into that so it wasn't a major focus for us, but we happened to speak with them for a while and liked them a lot).

[Anonymous]

Following up (I think it was this thread). Grace is having their parents of accepted students event. I would highly suggest going if considering Grace. I don't know if other schools do this or not. It gives a great sense of the school and you have a chance to ask questions you were afraid to ask during the admissions process as you are now the buyer.

[Anonymous]

Curious what you are choosing? If you are still here?

[Anonymous]

Still here. We did revisits at all three schools this week. Went into the week with Friends at the bottom of the list and ended the week with Friends on top. They definitely at the best, most informative and well-organized revisit experience. I also think they have the best space too. I like that Grace and Browning have separate high school buildings but they are both new and feel a little soulless.

Kid liked Grace and the classes they sat in on but wasn’t sure about the students. One student told him some story about hiding drugs from his parents. My impression of Grace is that there is a disconnect between the ideals of the school and student body. The curriculum is pretty robust though and they have many great electives for upperclassmen. Just not convinced it’s worth the money for us.

Kid thought the classes he sat in on at Browning seemed too easy, although he liked the kids. The commute is not great and the school is very small which gives the big, new high school building an empty feeling. I think it might be hard socially as it’s very small and I think many of the kids live in the neighborhood.

Friends put on a great revisit and included opportunities for parents to ask questions and see the school again. They have some cool new programs in the pipline. I also think it’s the most rigorous of the bunch and I think has best college outcomes. Definitely better than Grace but I think Browning also has good outcomes. Given what’s going on in the world I also appreciate the Quaker values of peace and nonviolence.

It now seems we’re down to Friends and another school that’s not on this list. There is another school we could possibly revisit early next week but we’re thinking the commute isn’t ideal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Still here. We did revisits at all three schools this week. Went into the week with Friends at the bottom of the list and ended the week with Friends on top. They definitely at the best, most informative and well-organized revisit experience. I also think they have the best space too. I like that Grace and Browning have separate high school buildings but they are both new and feel a little soulless.

Kid liked Grace and the classes they sat in on but wasn’t sure about the students. One student told him some story about hiding drugs from his parents. My impression of Grace is that there is a disconnect between the ideals of the school and student body. The curriculum is pretty robust though and they have many great electives for upperclassmen. Just not convinced it’s worth the money for us.

Kid thought the classes he sat in on at Browning seemed too easy, although he liked the kids. The commute is not great and the school is very small which gives the big, new high school building an empty feeling. I think it might be hard socially as it’s very small and I think many of the kids live in the neighborhood.

Friends put on a great revisit and included opportunities for parents to ask questions and see the school again. They have some cool new programs in the pipline. I also think it’s the most rigorous of the bunch and I think has best college outcomes. Definitely better than Grace but I think Browning also has good outcomes. Given what’s going on in the world I also appreciate the Quaker values of peace and nonviolence.

It now seems we’re down to Friends and another school that’s not on this list. There is another school we could possibly revisit early next week but we’re thinking the commute isn’t ideal.

Interesting. That Grace kid was an outlier. Did you go to the Grace parents event? I think it has a very diverse student body where there are some less academic kids, but it is increasingly shifting towards very focused kids - if your child is in intensive classes, it is as good as any school out there and the top kids do as well with outcomes as the other options.

That being said, I'm glad you found a place where you all felt comfortable and happy. And I'm glad Friends had a parent revisit as they didn't historically have that, which was a huge negative - in the past they felt a lot less warm and welcoming - clearly they got the message.