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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have a quirky 10 year old DD and exploring schools to apply to for either 5th or 6th.

I am going to open houses and also talking to friends with kids at target schools. My friends suggest that some schools have a reputation for being better for quirky girls. Is this really a thing? Like some school are better for athletic kids, or kids who are artistic, or whatever? Don’t most of these schools have a mix of kids?

I guess I am wondering if there really is a different (in terms of personality or interests) pool of kids who go to Sidwell vs. GDS vs. Holton? (Just examples)

FWIW, when I say quirky, to me it means my DD has strong interests in some fairly narrow areas - for example, she loves history, her sport is a martial art, and she sews and reads for fun. She also plays video games, etc., - are there really schools which are a better fit for “girls like her”? [/quote]

I think you are misunderstanding what your friend is saying in terms of "best for." Yes, most schools, really all schools, have a mix of personalities and kids with varying interests. However, as a parent of kids who might fit in the category of kids with less mainstream interests, it is clear that there are some schools where the vibe and social scene can be brutal to such kids, and other schools where our kids can happily be their awesome selves without being targeted by mean kids because of their unique interests and even clothing choices. This gives them the time and space to grow confidently into their best adult selves. Those schools are clearly, in my book, "better for quirky kids," than other schools, even while the same school might also a great place for artists (due to its art facilities and offerings), or athletes (maybe due to its facilities or coaching or because its a place where a given athlete is most likely to get to play), scholars (due to the advanced classes), and whatever.

The flip side, the school that are socially brutal to otherness, might be good for a lot of things, but at what cost to a kid who is not a crowd follower? What happens to a young kid in these formative years when surrounded by a peer group that rejects who they are and what they love? Usually they either bury themselves and conform to the crowd, they develop a negative self image and maybe even mental health problems like depression and anxiety, or they "rebel against the normies" and go way into the realm of "otherness." I don't think any of those outcomes are the best we hope for in our kids. What makes a school community lean one way or another is a mystery to me, but it's there, and if we could figure it out, maybe we could heal a lot of the world's ills.[/quote]

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