Best K-8 Schools?

[Anonymous]

There are a couple of posters disputing that statement about 2T’s. As far as red shirting summer birthdays: that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, most people would rather have a socially mature kid and a TT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a couple of posters disputing that statement about 2T’s. As far as red shirting summer birthdays: that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, most people would rather have a socially mature kid and a TT.

It’s a difficult choice for parents to make if (a) they’re already socially keeping up with their older peers; (b) academically ahead; (c) no guarantee of TT admission the following year

[Anonymous]

I'll bite. I know lots of speyer families. It's what the other poster said already, but to say it more explicitly - why would someone end up at speyer over a TT school? Usually some combo of:
- kid is smart but not "ready" for TT in some other way (summer birthday, ESL, social issues etc)
- Parents just want acceleration above all else
- Parents were not savvy enough to navigate the system and get into TT (didn't send to feeder preschool, didn't write first choice letter, etc)
- Parents were unappealing to TT school for some reason (eg annoying)
- Kid is SO smart they were bored out of their mind at TT and transferred to speyer. (Most kids smart enough to get into speyer would be just fine at a TT but some kids really need the acceleration)

And then why would you choose TT over speyer if you have a smart kid? More focus on extracurricular/well roundness while still getting to a similar place academically by the end of high school. And also resources/reputation etc etc.

I'll say the parents I know are an even split between 1) at speyer because couldn't get into TT, 2) at speyer by choice, 3) at TT. Many even have one kid at speyer and one at TT.

[Anonymous]

Adding that Speyer is definitely turning down even smart kids!

[Anonymous]

We toured a lot of the TT schools (and I've worked at a few as an adjunct arts TA over the years) and frankly were underwhelmed with most of their ability to differentiate learning in the lower grades. Kids that wind up there often in K are not the smartest kids but kids of very rich connected parents who have had to the tutoring to do ok boasting at the kinda bright things they know, not actually gifted kids. Their high school programs is where gifted kids can shine (and many matriculate into them then.) If your kid is reading chapter books at 4 and advanced math, the TTs don't have the infrastructure to meet them in their lower schools. They want the 4 year old who reads CVC words and can do basic addition and is really proud of it. Speyer is a place for the former. Also, lets face it, the concept of "top tier" is a construct and perception deeply protected by a group of people who cling to it for self worth. Every year approx 1/2 the class from Speyer goes to a TT high school. Different kids need different things. Be ok with that.

[Anonymous]

Impressive how you managed to put "top tier is a construct" and "1/2 the class from Speyer goes to a TT high school" in consecutive sentences.

[Anonymous]

It is a construct. I use it to explain where they go for you to understand a certain group of schools. This whole thread keeps trying to say that Speyer kids just didn't get into these other schools and 1. I'm explaining to you that that is just not true and 2. Often many of them go to the high school versions.

The point is there is nothing less than going on here. Just different.

[Anonymous]

Trying to get this back on topic: if your kid is smart but not smart enough for Speyer, or not interested in Speyer, or not a good fit for Speyer, what are the other top K-8 schools academics-wise?