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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I realize this is a strange question, but I'm looking for a down-to-earth school that is also very academically rich and treats students like individuals.  I'd prefer not to spend $40k/year -- but it's just barely possible for us to do that (with significant sacrifice).   I've toured some schools and felt that the environment of wealth was so unusual that I worried what it would mean for my kids socially as they got into the pre-teen and teen years (e.g. social status being based on clothes, cars, fancy trips to Europe, newest Iphones, etc.)  We are very fortunate in the grand scheme of things, but we do not travel in those circles and we don't want to.  We come from public school backgrounds in middle class environments, and both enjoyed great academic success, so we have some fear of spoiling our kids.
But, we have a child who is very bright and unhappy in her large public elementary school.  We need some more attention for her -- she probably could use some serious acceleration in many areas, but not others.  She's never going to be the first kid with her hand up.  She's smart, and a deep-thinker, but cautious and tentative.  She would be happiest as a big fish in a small pond, we think.  And we have another child who seems to be as academically inclined as kids get -- she could probably benefit from as challenging an environment as possible.  She would probably also do well long-term in public, but we think we'd like them to go to school together if possible.
I'm open to suggestions.   We're in Upper NW, but have some geographic flexibility.  [/quote]

Well you've described Barnesville to a T.  But that depends on what you mean by "geographic flexibility."  If it means you might consider moving, then it could work.  If it means you are willing to make a trek from where you currently live, well it's probably too far even by that standard.  The school doesn't tend to draw from further south than Rockville or northern Potomac because of its location.

But you sound a LOT like us.  We chose Barnesville in large part because we were looking for strong academics without some of the exclusionary and cutthroat vibes we got when visiting the schools further south in Potomac.  Barnesville has small classes and a ton of individualization.  And most importantly it had a nurturing, warm welcoming vibe that we picked up on upon first visit. Like you, we have been fortunate in our adult lives, both of us from public school middle class backgrounds, and the social environment at some of the high-power schools further south just wasn't ideal for us.  At Barnesville we have a small class of really great kids and they are all positive social influences for each other.  They're each different, a diverse mix of aptitudes and family backgrounds, but they are all sweet and bring something important and positive to the classroom.

And we couldn't be happier with the academics.  Our DD is very bright academically and has been given the opportunity to have a more advanced curriculum in some areas. At the same time, when kids need extra work on something (and most do, including ours), the school provides it.

We put off visiting the school for a long while, originally thinking it was too far for us.  But when we couldn't find what we were looking for further south, we decided to take a look and it was the best decision we ever made.  Thereafter we discovered that driving is a lot easier when one isn't fighting traffic closer in to the city.  I'd say it's a really obvious choice for you to look into, given your description, were it not for your current location.

Best of luck to you.[/quote]

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