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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Thinking about applications to various schools next year and how to think about the later grades and whether to do K8 or K12. Not sure if there is any way to know this, but are the kids who enter at 9th grade typically the strongest academically in the more competitive schools? I mean, in a K12, does it generally track that the later the student enters, the stronger academically they have to be? Or does it not really work like that because the more competitive schools are really good at teaching the kids they have so they all kind of even out?[/quote]

Yes. It is very clear in everything not just academics. [b]The new kids entering in 9th grade push the lifers to the side. It is not even close.[/b] The most competitive schools are picking the very top students and athletes. [/quote]

+1000, the [b]arriving 9th graders[/b] have been chosen to cover a variety of niches and [b]many, many excel[/b][/quote]

Presence of parents with kids who entered a top school in 9th is strong for this topic!  LOL.

Reality is some of those entering in 9th will be among top in class, as will be many who are lifers/entered earlier.  Many of those entering in 9th will also be pretty strong academically but admitted for their athletic abilities in a particular sport or talent in robotics/music, etc.  At our top K-12, the vast majority of the kids at the top of the class (attending Ivies/Top Colleges) entered the school in the early (think 4th and lower) grades.  Contrary to what everyone wants to believe, the top privates are not just looking for academic powerhouses.  They want kids who will do well academically (they need to be able to handle the work), but are well-rounded and will contribute in other ways to the community, too.[/quote]

This is not our experience. The top academic students by 11th grade are all 9th grade admits. There may be one or two lifers in the high level classes but not many. The lifers and lower grade admits fall in a normal distribution intelligence curve.

Let’s face it. The lower schools are not teaching differential calculus in 5th grade. They are teaching basic grade level stuff. The academic demands and loads change in high school and this is where the separation takes places.

Look at the athletics. The athletic kids who are admits in 9th grade are clearly way better vs the existing kids. The “star” athlete in 8th grade is no longer the star. In many cases does not even make the team. The same thing happens on the academic side. You just can’t see it because you are not teaching and grading the classes.

These top schools are pulling from the whole region and have an admission rate of 3-5% for 9th grade without siblings preference. [/quote]

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