Speyer 2026 Exmissions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have multiple official pieces of paper designating my kids as 'gifted' (and not even in the 'basically everybody is gifted' G&T school way but in a serious competitive only-a-small-%-of-kids-get-it way) and while differentiation is great, I would never put them in a 'gifted' school because I don't want that to be the core of their identities and I don't want them with other 'gifted' kids/parents who think their farts don't stink.

Curious what these pieces of paper are, and why you would choose to get them (while simultaneously shitting on the "gifted" label)

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:New Paltz High?

Grace Church is moving up in the world. I've been saying it for a while.

Though I still wouldn't send my kid to Speyer.

Why not? For unhooked kids, it seems like the best way to end up at a TT.

Life isn't just about getting to a TT. I want my kid to be happy, socialized, and, dare I say it, well-rounded.

Are Speyer kids not well rounded? I

I have only met a few so might be wrong (very unique for dcum that I am actually admitting potential limitations to my infinite wisdom) but all were socially awkward and parents were strivers who thought their child was perfect.

Yeah I am not a fan of the "gifted" label and Speyer is very vague on how they are assessing giftedness. I also worry about my kid being around other kids whose parents all think they are gifted, and my own kid identifying with the gifted label - it usually does more harm than good.

Speyer is the NYC location for CTY, which used to be a very selective thing but now it seems like getting a 98th percentile on a MAP test in kindergarten is enough to be permanently 'gifted.'

It's still selective. You can't participate in their courses without getting a high qualifying score on either the SCAT, SAT, or ACT.

Sorry, that's not true - speaking as somebody who did that very thing, getting my kids permanently listed as "gifted" per CTY with 98th percentile kindergarten MAP test scores.

See https://cty.jhu.edu/testing/existing-test-scores - there are a bunch of untimed achievement tests and such on there, any of which will give you permanent lifetime CTY status with a 98 or better. (I was actually kind of bummed when I discovered this since I did the whole process myself back in middle school)

What was the value in doing that for your kids? I'm curious.

There was a specific camp session they were both interested in, but the timing didn't end up working out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have multiple official pieces of paper designating my kids as 'gifted' (and not even in the 'basically everybody is gifted' G&T school way but in a serious competitive only-a-small-%-of-kids-get-it way) and while differentiation is great, I would never put them in a 'gifted' school because I don't want that to be the core of their identities and I don't want them with other 'gifted' kids/parents who think their farts don't stink.

Curious what these pieces of paper are, and why you would choose to get them (while simultaneously shitting on the "gifted" label)

We used to live in Connecticut and it's state law in Connecticut that schools attempt to identify gifted kids - don't have to do anything for them, but they're required to have a gifted identification process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have multiple official pieces of paper designating my kids as 'gifted' (and not even in the 'basically everybody is gifted' G&T school way but in a serious competitive only-a-small-%-of-kids-get-it way) and while differentiation is great, I would never put them in a 'gifted' school because I don't want that to be the core of their identities and I don't want them with other 'gifted' kids/parents who think their farts don't stink.

Everyone has their reasons for putting their kids where they do. Giftedness has 0 to do with a predictor of success but a profile for how their brains work differently. 2E aside, giftedness is its own neurodiversity and there is a giant difference between gifted kids and high achieving kids. I'm the parent of a profoundly gifted kid and I promise you. I don't think my shit doesn't stink. Parenting a kid like this is exhausting. (And if you're curious what this means.... it means they started reading when they turned 2..... 4 reading middle school chapter books.... does beginner algebra at 4.... knows a stupid amount of things, makes crazy connections and asks a ridiculous amount of questions....) "Regular schools" cannot challenge them at all. Every child deserves to learn in school. A "gifted" school, though not with everyone at the same place as them is set up to handle them and meet them where they are. Thats the beauty of a 6:1 student/teacher ratio school. Everyone has different needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have multiple official pieces of paper designating my kids as 'gifted' (and not even in the 'basically everybody is gifted' G&T school way but in a serious competitive only-a-small-%-of-kids-get-it way) and while differentiation is great, I would never put them in a 'gifted' school because I don't want that to be the core of their identities and I don't want them with other 'gifted' kids/parents who think their farts don't stink.

Everyone has their reasons for putting their kids where they do. Giftedness has 0 to do with a predictor of success but a profile for how their brains work differently. 2E aside, giftedness is its own neurodiversity and there is a giant difference between gifted kids and high achieving kids. I'm the parent of a profoundly gifted kid and I promise you. I don't think my shit doesn't stink. Parenting a kid like this is exhausting. (And if you're curious what this means.... it means they started reading when they turned 2..... 4 reading middle school chapter books.... does beginner algebra at 4.... knows a stupid amount of things, makes crazy connections and asks a ridiculous amount of questions....) "Regular schools" cannot challenge them at all. Every child deserves to learn in school. A "gifted" school, though not with everyone at the same place as them is set up to handle them and meet them where they are. Thats the beauty of a 6:1 student/teacher ratio school. Everyone has different needs.

Thanks a lot, this is helpful to hear! My kid is smart but not at this level at all - she's reading BOB books at does basic math. She is, however, a social butterfly (she remembers EVERYONE's names and make friends with everyone), takes instruction well, loves to pretend play house and is definitely more neurotypical. This makes me think that Speyer is probably not for us.

[Anonymous]

Not everyone at Speyer is profoundly gifted. Giftedness is a spectrum like anything else. This is where a 6:1 student to teacher ratio is awesome. It can meet kids where they are and support that vs being lost or bored in a classroom of 25 catered to the lowest denominator. Some kids there are exactly where yours is. Curiosity is encouraged. Experimentation is encouraged. Experiential learning is huge. This is a page on exmissions. The "proof is in the pudding". Its a wonderful k-8 with really great exmissions that a lot of people are happy at, that does cater to the spectrum of gifted children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone at Speyer is profoundly gifted. Giftedness is a spectrum like anything else. This is where a 6:1 student to teacher ratio is awesome. It can meet kids where they are and support that vs being lost or bored in a classroom of 25 catered to the lowest denominator. Some kids there are exactly where yours is. Curiosity is encouraged. Experimentation is encouraged. Experiential learning is huge. This is a page on exmissions. The "proof is in the pudding". Its a wonderful k-8 with really great exmissions that a lot of people are happy at, that does cater to the spectrum of gifted children.

Well sure but wouldn't those kids be better off at a school where they were one of the top kids? Just as a general rule, at almost any private school you're not getting your money's worth exmissions-wise if you're in the bottom half of the class; the 2nd smartest kid at Dwight probably has better college prospects than the 80th smartest kid at Trinity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone at Speyer is profoundly gifted. Giftedness is a spectrum like anything else. This is where a 6:1 student to teacher ratio is awesome. It can meet kids where they are and support that vs being lost or bored in a classroom of 25 catered to the lowest denominator. Some kids there are exactly where yours is. Curiosity is encouraged. Experimentation is encouraged. Experiential learning is huge. This is a page on exmissions. The "proof is in the pudding". Its a wonderful k-8 with really great exmissions that a lot of people are happy at, that does cater to the spectrum of gifted children.

Well sure but wouldn't those kids be better off at a school where they were one of the top kids? Just as a general rule, at almost any private school you're not getting your money's worth exmissions-wise if you're in the bottom half of the class; the 2nd smartest kid at Dwight probably has better college prospects than the 80th smartest kid at Trinity.

Agreed, I think it can be quite discouraging for a smart kid who would otherwise be in the top 10-20 percent to instead be way behind profoundly gifted peers. I also worry about the social aspect with small classes and a high proportion of kids who are obviously very very smart but may not necessarily fit in with kids who are not PG (as often happens).

[Anonymous]

I can't fathom why you would pay $600k for K - 8 and then send your kid to a SHS. Most of the value of a TT school is in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone at Speyer is profoundly gifted. Giftedness is a spectrum like anything else. This is where a 6:1 student to teacher ratio is awesome. It can meet kids where they are and support that vs being lost or bored in a classroom of 25 catered to the lowest denominator. Some kids there are exactly where yours is. Curiosity is encouraged. Experimentation is encouraged. Experiential learning is huge. This is a page on exmissions. The "proof is in the pudding". Its a wonderful k-8 with really great exmissions that a lot of people are happy at, that does cater to the spectrum of gifted children.

Well sure but wouldn't those kids be better off at a school where they were one of the top kids? Just as a general rule, at almost any private school you're not getting your money's worth exmissions-wise if you're in the bottom half of the class; the 2nd smartest kid at Dwight probably has better college prospects than the 80th smartest kid at Trinity.

The smart kids who matriculate into Trinity or the like, are not behind.... they are giving the legacy a run for their money and every year Speyer seems to send a few.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone at Speyer is profoundly gifted. Giftedness is a spectrum like anything else. This is where a 6:1 student to teacher ratio is awesome. It can meet kids where they are and support that vs being lost or bored in a classroom of 25 catered to the lowest denominator. Some kids there are exactly where yours is. Curiosity is encouraged. Experimentation is encouraged. Experiential learning is huge. This is a page on exmissions. The "proof is in the pudding". Its a wonderful k-8 with really great exmissions that a lot of people are happy at, that does cater to the spectrum of gifted children.

Well sure but wouldn't those kids be better off at a school where they were one of the top kids? Just as a general rule, at almost any private school you're not getting your money's worth exmissions-wise if you're in the bottom half of the class; the 2nd smartest kid at Dwight probably has better college prospects than the 80th smartest kid at Trinity.

The smart kids who matriculate into Trinity or the like, are not behind.... they are giving the legacy a run for their money and every year Speyer seems to send a few.

Wait, aren’t all kids at Speyer gifted? What do you mean all the “smart” kids who matriculate into Trinity?

I know Speyer kids who struggled through Trinity (especially in certain subjects), and Speyer kids who didn’t get in despite having a sibling there. The school was wildly known as pay to play for a… while. The oldest graduates are like, 22 years old. Schools need money and they took plenty of completely average kids who didn’t get in anywhere else. Maybe that will change, but a run for their money? That’s a bold statement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone at Speyer is profoundly gifted. Giftedness is a spectrum like anything else. This is where a 6:1 student to teacher ratio is awesome. It can meet kids where they are and support that vs being lost or bored in a classroom of 25 catered to the lowest denominator. Some kids there are exactly where yours is. Curiosity is encouraged. Experimentation is encouraged. Experiential learning is huge. This is a page on exmissions. The "proof is in the pudding". Its a wonderful k-8 with really great exmissions that a lot of people are happy at, that does cater to the spectrum of gifted children.

Well sure but wouldn't those kids be better off at a school where they were one of the top kids? Just as a general rule, at almost any private school you're not getting your money's worth exmissions-wise if you're in the bottom half of the class; the 2nd smartest kid at Dwight probably has better college prospects than the 80th smartest kid at Trinity.

The smart kids who matriculate into Trinity or the like, are not behind.... they are giving the legacy a run for their money and every year Speyer seems to send a few.

Wait, aren’t all kids at Speyer gifted? What do you mean all the “smart” kids who matriculate into Trinity?

I know Speyer kids who struggled through Trinity (especially in certain subjects), and Speyer kids who didn’t get in despite having a sibling there. The school was wildly known as pay to play for a… while. The oldest graduates are like, 22 years old. Schools need money and they took plenty of completely average kids who didn’t get in anywhere else. Maybe that will change, but a run for their money? That’s a bold statement.

This is what's concerning to me about the school - there aren't nearly enough "profoundly gifted" kids who can pay $70k a year for their business model to make sense. And profoundly gifted kids can often be 2E which requires all kinds of extra supports and dealing with behavioral issues (speaking as someone with a sibling who was profoundly gifted but also faced lots of social and behavioral issues growing up). So essentially it's just a normal private school for kids who didn't get in elsewhere, potentially with a higher proportion of 2E kids. Not the best value prop for regular bright kids. I would rather have my kid be at public school or a 2T like Trevor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone at Speyer is profoundly gifted. Giftedness is a spectrum like anything else. This is where a 6:1 student to teacher ratio is awesome. It can meet kids where they are and support that vs being lost or bored in a classroom of 25 catered to the lowest denominator. Some kids there are exactly where yours is. Curiosity is encouraged. Experimentation is encouraged. Experiential learning is huge. This is a page on exmissions. The "proof is in the pudding". Its a wonderful k-8 with really great exmissions that a lot of people are happy at, that does cater to the spectrum of gifted children.

Well sure but wouldn't those kids be better off at a school where they were one of the top kids? Just as a general rule, at almost any private school you're not getting your money's worth exmissions-wise if you're in the bottom half of the class; the 2nd smartest kid at Dwight probably has better college prospects than the 80th smartest kid at Trinity.

The smart kids who matriculate into Trinity or the like, are not behind.... they are giving the legacy a run for their money and every year Speyer seems to send a few.

Wait, aren’t all kids at Speyer gifted? What do you mean all the “smart” kids who matriculate into Trinity?

I know Speyer kids who struggled through Trinity (especially in certain subjects), and Speyer kids who didn’t get in despite having a sibling there. The school was wildly known as pay to play for a… while. The oldest graduates are like, 22 years old. Schools need money and they took plenty of completely average kids who didn’t get in anywhere else. Maybe that will change, but a run for their money? That’s a bold statement.

This is what's concerning to me about the school - there aren't nearly enough "profoundly gifted" kids who can pay $70k a year for their business model to make sense. And profoundly gifted kids can often be 2E which requires all kinds of extra supports and dealing with behavioral issues (speaking as someone with a sibling who was profoundly gifted but also faced lots of social and behavioral issues growing up). So essentially it's just a normal private school for kids who didn't get in elsewhere, potentially with a higher proportion of 2E kids. Not the best value prop for regular bright kids. I would rather have my kid be at public school or a 2T like Trevor.

Trevor is 3T

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone at Speyer is profoundly gifted. Giftedness is a spectrum like anything else. This is where a 6:1 student to teacher ratio is awesome. It can meet kids where they are and support that vs being lost or bored in a classroom of 25 catered to the lowest denominator. Some kids there are exactly where yours is. Curiosity is encouraged. Experimentation is encouraged. Experiential learning is huge. This is a page on exmissions. The "proof is in the pudding". Its a wonderful k-8 with really great exmissions that a lot of people are happy at, that does cater to the spectrum of gifted children.

Well sure but wouldn't those kids be better off at a school where they were one of the top kids? Just as a general rule, at almost any private school you're not getting your money's worth exmissions-wise if you're in the bottom half of the class; the 2nd smartest kid at Dwight probably has better college prospects than the 80th smartest kid at Trinity.

The smart kids who matriculate into Trinity or the like, are not behind.... they are giving the legacy a run for their money and every year Speyer seems to send a few.

Wait, aren’t all kids at Speyer gifted? What do you mean all the “smart” kids who matriculate into Trinity?

I know Speyer kids who struggled through Trinity (especially in certain subjects), and Speyer kids who didn’t get in despite having a sibling there. The school was wildly known as pay to play for a… while. The oldest graduates are like, 22 years old. Schools need money and they took plenty of completely average kids who didn’t get in anywhere else. Maybe that will change, but a run for their money? That’s a bold statement.

This is what's concerning to me about the school - there aren't nearly enough "profoundly gifted" kids who can pay $70k a year for their business model to make sense. And profoundly gifted kids can often be 2E which requires all kinds of extra supports and dealing with behavioral issues (speaking as someone with a sibling who was profoundly gifted but also faced lots of social and behavioral issues growing up). So essentially it's just a normal private school for kids who didn't get in elsewhere, potentially with a higher proportion of 2E kids. Not the best value prop for regular bright kids. I would rather have my kid be at public school or a 2T like Trevor.

Trevor is 3T

Here comes the Tier police! In the real world, most people will view Trevor as tier 2 (on par with - say - Nightingale). And, of course, many will also say Riverdale as TT even if it really triggers school snobs on this forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone at Speyer is profoundly gifted. Giftedness is a spectrum like anything else. This is where a 6:1 student to teacher ratio is awesome. It can meet kids where they are and support that vs being lost or bored in a classroom of 25 catered to the lowest denominator. Some kids there are exactly where yours is. Curiosity is encouraged. Experimentation is encouraged. Experiential learning is huge. This is a page on exmissions. The "proof is in the pudding". Its a wonderful k-8 with really great exmissions that a lot of people are happy at, that does cater to the spectrum of gifted children.

Well sure but wouldn't those kids be better off at a school where they were one of the top kids? Just as a general rule, at almost any private school you're not getting your money's worth exmissions-wise if you're in the bottom half of the class; the 2nd smartest kid at Dwight probably has better college prospects than the 80th smartest kid at Trinity.

The smart kids who matriculate into Trinity or the like, are not behind.... they are giving the legacy a run for their money and every year Speyer seems to send a few.

Wait, aren’t all kids at Speyer gifted? What do you mean all the “smart” kids who matriculate into Trinity?

I know Speyer kids who struggled through Trinity (especially in certain subjects), and Speyer kids who didn’t get in despite having a sibling there. The school was wildly known as pay to play for a… while. The oldest graduates are like, 22 years old. Schools need money and they took plenty of completely average kids who didn’t get in anywhere else. Maybe that will change, but a run for their money? That’s a bold statement.

This is what's concerning to me about the school - there aren't nearly enough "profoundly gifted" kids who can pay $70k a year for their business model to make sense. And profoundly gifted kids can often be 2E which requires all kinds of extra supports and dealing with behavioral issues (speaking as someone with a sibling who was profoundly gifted but also faced lots of social and behavioral issues growing up). So essentially it's just a normal private school for kids who didn't get in elsewhere, potentially with a higher proportion of 2E kids. Not the best value prop for regular bright kids. I would rather have my kid be at public school or a 2T like Trevor.

Trevor is 3T

Here comes the Tier police! In the real world, most people will view Trevor as tier 2 (on par with - say - Nightingale). And, of course, many will also say Riverdale as TT even if it really triggers school snobs on this forum.

Trevor is really bad. It isn’t on nightingale’s level and fills no niche other than “expensive alternative to public schools in a neighborhood with good ones”