k-12 or k-8?

[Anonymous]

We did the K-8 for our children and while we had a great experience the HS search was more involved than I ever anticipated and it overshadowed the whole K-8 experience. I don’t regret having chosen the K-8. However, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight I wouldn’t choose it again. Lesson learned for my next life.


You must have misspoken. There is no way that the brief process of applying to high school during Oct-Dec of the 8th grade year overshadows the experience of the entire preceding 8 years (kindergarten, first, second grade, etc).

— BTDT at Sheridan


Not Sheridan but I share the pp’s views. If you end up with crappy HS options its easy to start to question what the point of it all was. Because you start to wonder what else the school told you that you shouldn’t have believed.

That's not what the PP actually said though. PP said "the HS search" … "overshadowed the whole k-8 experience."

It seems unkind to call any of the local high schools "crappy." Even schools we'd never choose for the particular profile our our kids do have their clear merits. Also, some parents think that the kids' day-to-day experience during the preceding 8.5 years is the point, or at least more important than the decisions that arrive on March 6.

[Anonymous]

There is not one right decision or view here-it’s very depdendant on the kid.
We started at a K-8 and it’s exactly what our kids needed at the time-a smaller environment that focused on early years and a more nurturing environment. However, after a few years it was clear that both kids had outgrown it...and to be honest as a parent I had too-there is so much more parent involvement and influence in the k-8 model-though to be fair, parents in the lower school of k-12 are more involved than upper school parents.
We ended up applying out early and am very happy we did. My older child is very happy and thriving at her current school-she is in 8th grade and sees her former cohort in the application process and is very glad she isn’t dealing with it in such a public way. 9th grade admissions is so much more competitive and I am sure the k-8!school would have been pushing a different school for her.

[Anonymous]

We are loving our k-8 because it does feel like our kids are getting a lot of individualized attention. I believe the experience our kids our getting can go head-to-head with any other shool in the area. We may not have the best playground or gym, but we've got damn good, dedicated teachers, a wonderful community, and a school with a helluva lot of heart. For now, I'm not worried about outplacement. I've watched other families and am thus far comfortable that the school will try its very best for our kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did the K-8 for our children and while we had a great experience the HS search was more involved than I ever anticipated and it overshadowed the whole K-8 experience. I don’t regret having chosen the K-8. However, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight I wouldn’t choose it again. Lesson learned for my next life.

You must have misspoken. There is no way that the brief process of applying to high school during Oct-Dec of the 8th grade year overshadows the experience of the entire preceding 8 years (kindergarten, first, second grade, etc).

— BTDT at Sheridan

Not Sheridan but I share the pp’s views. If you end up with crappy HS options its easy to start to question what the point of it all was. Because you start to wonder what else the school told you that you shouldn’t have believed.

From our k-8 HS search process and viewing results from several years at school, I'd posit that if a child ends up with (what others are sadly calling) crappy HS options, it may be that they would have never gotten into the "non-crappy k-12" the family is coveting for 9th grade? So, I suppose if you are going to really want a specific school in the long run, then it does make sense to apply early and often. It may not be the best match for your child though. We are very happy with our k-8 choice and have found that in many ways, kids coming from our k-8 to a Big 3 were better prepared than their Big 3 classmates in 9th grade.

[Anonymous]

K-8s are more focused on the lower school middle school kids. Sometimes parents panic about HS and try to take their kids out early for security; sometimes it takes them a couple of years of application to get in to the school they want. Don’t forget there’s support from the school In 8th grade for HS apps. Occasionally there’s a kid who has outgrown their cohort and leaves early. Happens in k-12s too. Choose the best fit for your kid right now. Where they thrive now will be the best base for their future. You can change later if needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did the K-8 for our children and while we had a great experience the HS search was more involved than I ever anticipated and it overshadowed the whole K-8 experience. I don’t regret having chosen the K-8. However, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight I wouldn’t choose it again. Lesson learned for my next life.

You must have misspoken. There is no way that the brief process of applying to high school during Oct-Dec of the 8th grade year overshadows the experience of the entire preceding 8 years (kindergarten, first, second grade, etc).

— BTDT at Sheridan

Not Sheridan but I share the pp’s views. If you end up with crappy HS options its easy to start to question what the point of it all was. Because you start to wonder what else the school told you that you shouldn’t have believed.

From our k-8 HS search process and viewing results from several years at school, I'd posit that if a child ends up with (what others are sadly calling) crappy HS options, it may be that they would have never gotten into the "non-crappy k-12" the family is coveting for 9th grade? So, I suppose if you are going to really want a specific school in the long run, then it does make sense to apply early and often. It may not be the best match for your child though. We are very happy with our k-8 choice and have found that in many ways, kids coming from our k-8 to a Big 3 were better prepared than their Big 3 classmates in 9th grade.

I posted the "crappy options" comment, and TBH I am happy with my kid's HS placement. But I also know from years at our K-8 that they are heavily invested in promoting the idea, especially to younger parents, that their grads go to great schools and that it "all works out." This is true, sometimes. But it's disingenuous too, because a lot of families I know are making the best of schools that they don't like that much.

Regardless, doing a big transition at 9th can be hard socially and academically, and I think it's easy to downplay what that'll feel like when you have a younger kid. I transitioned my younger kid out at 6th and it was just massively easier in every way. Plus I know that if the new school isn't a good fit, there's still the option of switching for HS. I loved our K-8 while we were there, but there is some risk in staying through 8th.

[Anonymous]

We have two kids we sent for the entirety through a very well regarded PP-8 school. One with excellent placement that sends graduates to the full spectrum of Big 3/5 elites to next tier private, public charters/magnates and religious HS. There is a strong culture of keeping kids through the full son of years. We loved the PP/Primary experience but found our kids would have been better suited to a larger, better structured MS and that the 8th grade year was far too focused on securing HS placement. We wanted to believe in staying we were doing the right thing for our children and community when it fact it was detrimental. If doing it again, I would pick a K-12 over a terminal 8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did the K-8 for our children and while we had a great experience the HS search was more involved than I ever anticipated and it overshadowed the whole K-8 experience. I don’t regret having chosen the K-8. However, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight I wouldn’t choose it again. Lesson learned for my next life.

You must have misspoken. There is no way that the brief process of applying to high school during Oct-Dec of the 8th grade year overshadows the experience of the entire preceding 8 years (kindergarten, first, second grade, etc).

— BTDT at Sheridan

Not Sheridan but I share the pp’s views. If you end up with crappy HS options its easy to start to question what the point of it all was. Because you start to wonder what else the school told you that you shouldn’t have believed.

From our k-8 HS search process and viewing results from several years at school, I'd posit that if a child ends up with (what others are sadly calling) crappy HS options, it may be that they would have never gotten into the "non-crappy k-12" the family is coveting for 9th grade? So, I suppose if you are going to really want a specific school in the long run, then it does make sense to apply early and often. It may not be the best match for your child though. We are very happy with our k-8 choice and have found that in many ways, kids coming from our k-8 to a Big 3 were better prepared than their Big 3 classmates in 9th grade.

I posted the "crappy options" comment, and TBH I am happy with my kid's HS placement. But I also know from years at our K-8 that they are heavily invested in promoting the idea, especially to younger parents, that their grads go to great schools and that it "all works out." This is true, sometimes. But it's disingenuous too, because a lot of families I know are making the best of schools that they don't like that much.

Regardless, doing a big transition at 9th can be hard socially and academically, and I think it's easy to downplay what that'll feel like when you have a younger kid. I transitioned my younger kid out at 6th and it was just massively easier in every way. Plus I know that if the new school isn't a good fit, there's still the option of switching for HS. I loved our K-8 while we were there, but there is some risk in staying through 8th.

We were big believers in the k-8 experience and sent our kids to the same K-8 school. I listened to what the school said about their outplacement, believed in the idea that middle school at a K-8 would be able to give more individualized attention to the kids, allow them to be leaders, and have a more positive middle school experience. We were fully committed to the K-8 model. What I learned from the experience at our K-8 is that every year you should be reassessing and thinking about whether the school still meets the needs of your child and your family. Nine years (K-8) or thirteen years (K-12) is a long time to be at any school. Not only will your child change, but the school you pick when your child is entering K will change as well. By the time our eldest graduated from their K-8 changes in the administration, the school structure, the teachers, and the makeup of our child's class had made for a very different experience than the one we had signed up for. As we applied our 8th grader out from the K-8 we toured a number of K-12s in the area. We were impressed with a number of their middle schools. We decided to look at these schools for our younger children and consider applying out. In the end we did apply them out, mainly because we realized that our K-8 had eliminated some of the unique traditions and features we valued and were a big part of why we had originally picked the school. The school had every right to change and I hope the changes work out for them. For us the changes that were made revealed that there were better middle school options out there for our kids, especially when you are paying tens of thoussands of dollars. Our kids are thriving at their new schools and we are happy we reassessed our commitment to the K-8 model and focused on what is the best place for my child now.

[Anonymous]

NP here. It's interesting to consider because we're now looking at PK for my oldest – and back in the day, I went to a K-8 and then was a new 9th grader at a K-12. I only know my own experience of course, but I would definitely recommend that path. When you're picking a school for a little kid, you're mainly just guessing as to what will work in the long-term and the admissions process is about the parents as much as a the kid. But when you're applying for 9th grade (or even 6th/7th), the kid is actually old enough to have an opinion. They have developed interests, challenges, and learning styles. You can make a really informed choice.

K-8's also have a clear endpoint (or even two if some kids traditionally leave in 6th or something) where you freely can explore your options and the school has a vested interest in helping you out. Whereas I know a number of kids who were unhappy at their K-12 and made the (right) decision to leave, but it was really tough on them. Basically, a kid is going to change so much that no single school is going to be a sure bet for 12+ years. And as a side note: the best middle/high school for your kid might be a 6th-12th or 9th-12th, so I wouldn't close off that possibility regardless.

[Anonymous]

Personally, I find that K-12 is too long, but that 9-12 is too short. My ideal is a K-3/4/5, followed by a 4/5/6-12. I agree that the MS experience can be sub-par when the admins are managing a full K-12 on one site, but I think it's often pretty good when the school (or campus) just has MS and HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I find that K-12 is too long, but that 9-12 is too short. My ideal is a K-3/4/5, followed by a 4/5/6-12. I agree that the MS experience can be sub-par when the admins are managing a full K-12 on one site, but I think it's often pretty good when the school (or campus) just has MS and HS.

That would be NCS or St. Albans

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I find that K-12 is too long, but that 9-12 is too short. My ideal is a K-3/4/5, followed by a 4/5/6-12. I agree that the MS experience can be sub-par when the admins are managing a full K-12 on one site, but I think it's often pretty good when the school (or campus) just has MS and HS.

That would be NCS or St. Albans

Not necessarily. Holton/Landon start in 3rd and expand in 4th & 6th. The school doesn’t have to start in those 4-5/6 grades-your kid can just start then.

At our school we have several girls in the grade that came from NPS in 7th and I think that’s a great split.

[Anonymous]

There's a lot of research about the benefits of k-8 vs other models in terms of promoting self esteem, confidence, etc. It seems to be the best model for middle schoolers.

[Anonymous]

We chose a k-8 for reasons posted earlier. More focus on younger years and ability to boost self esteem etc. we also chose the k-8 Because the middle schoolers would be free of influence of older teenagers in high school.
Some parents were worried and applied out early to avoid the 9th grade crush and not all those kids are thriving the same way our kids are.
Application process has been stressful (shadows, essays, SSAT prep and test) but the school has done an amazing job preparing students and holding parents hands in terms of keeping them informed and doing outreach.
We shall see what March holds for the majority of kids applying for private in 9th grade.
I don’t regret our decision on K-8 and our youngest will finish our at the school too in 3 more years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to explain to those who haven’t been at a K-8, how fundamentally different they are institutionally from a K-12. K-12s are going to be measured and judged principally by how good the high school is. So I t’s only natural that that is where the most institutional energy and attention will be focused. And high schools take a lot of resources and administrative attention to run well: beyond the academics, you’re talking about college counseling and placement, performing arts programs, athletics programs, sophisticated STEM programs (and the facilities to go with it), the list goes on.

Administrators, heads of school, boards of trustees only have so much time and attention to allocate. Sure, K-12 schools have division heads (as do most K-8 schools), but then they are one of several competing constituencies vying for institutional attention and resources. At a K-8 by contrast, there’s much more institutional ability to focus on every grade and every division, and to know that the entire institution up through the HoS and Board is focused on the lower and middle school experience. That may not matter to everyone, but it does make a noticeable difference when you experience it.

Do you have any experience sending your children to a K-12?

Not the PP, but yes. Two kids, one went through a K-8 and is now at a K-12. The other is at the same K-8 and will be applying out after 8th. So, while we didn't experience the brunt of the issue highlighted, we are in a position to see it. We are strong believers in the K-8 approach for many of the reasons cited. The high school search was stressful at times, but it was also a good learning and growth experience (for us and for our daughter) but the placement assistance and counseling provided by our K-8 was invaluable. I don't think it would be terribly controversial to state that if you were to compare 8th grade outplacement efforts between a K-8 and a K-12, the K-8 is much more interested in finding a good placement while the K-12 generally seeks to retain students for their own upper school.

But, none of this outweighs the particular fit of a particular school for your particular kid.