Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is going to Gonzaga next year, and I want to know where to put my expectations. He's a straight-A student in middle school and is a very hard worker. Is it common for smart kids to get all-A's at Gonzaga? I know that it's near-impossible at schools like Sidwell/STA.

Don’t be absurd if your kid does not get straight A’s there forget about college.

That is not an academic school.

take it from me, a GP alum

Anonymous wrote:My DS is going to Gonzaga next year, and I want to know where to put my expectations. He's a straight-A student in middle school and is a very hard worker. Is it common for smart kids to get all-A's at Gonzaga? I know that it's near-impossible at schools like Sidwell/STA.

Don’t be absurd if your kid does not get straight A’s there forget about college.

That is not an academic school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son went to what's considered an academically challenging middle school. He got all As in middle school and scored a 99% on the HSPT. He also has all As at Gonzaga. Freshman year was the easiest, Sophomore year harder, and Junior year the hardest yet. Gonzaga is filled with a number of smart, motivated boys just like my son. The AP classes are no joke. They are challenging.

Agree. Junior year is very hard.

My kids were also 98 and 99 HSPT, straight As at a challenging middle school. They have to work hard for those As at GZ.

I have had other parents tell me their kids really struggled Freshmen year. Different middle schools.

Jr. year is the hardest at every school. If your son is loading up on APs, (Chem, Physics, Calc, English, Foreign Language, etc.) then he will have 3-5 hours of homework per night and the expectations will be higher. It's still manageable, but achieving straight A's with this course load will require a lot of work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where did he attend middle school?

This is what matters.

Not really. Mine went to what this board thinks is an easy MS. Straight As all through to spring of junior year at GZ. If they are smart, they will have the grades at GZ regardless of the MS.

You can choose the easiest track if straight A’s is your goal.

Anonymous wrote:Where did he attend middle school?

This is what matters.

The kids there aren't very smart. It is a school for country club jocks who aren't smart enough for Prep.

Reviving this thread to get a sense of current 9th grade student experiences.

Anonymous wrote:My son went to what's considered an academically challenging middle school. He got all As in middle school and scored a 99% on the HSPT. He also has all As at Gonzaga. Freshman year was the easiest, Sophomore year harder, and Junior year the hardest yet. Gonzaga is filled with a number of smart, motivated boys just like my son. The AP classes are no joke. They are challenging.

Agree. Junior year is very hard.

My kids were also 98 and 99 HSPT, straight As at a challenging middle school. They have to work hard for those As at GZ.

I have had other parents tell me their kids really struggled Freshmen year. Different middle schools.

My sophomore has all As so far but he had a 99 HSPT and likes to learn just as much as he likes to get good grades. I think the Jesuits favor students who are engaged, curious and enjoy learning for the sake of it. Some teachers are really hard and none are giving away As. It takes a student who is both smart and motivated.
My son struggled a bit freshman year learning how to study. The grade on your transcript represents 2 quarters and a mid term (or final). So it's possible to get some Bs on your report card but still get As on your transcripts. Important distinction. My son doesn't have all As on his report cards.

It greatly depends on if he went to public or parochial. Honors Freshman English and Honors Freshman Bio are very challenging even for the most focused students.

Is he a Presidential Scholar?

My son went to what's considered an academically challenging middle school. He got all As in middle school and scored a 99% on the HSPT. He also has all As at Gonzaga. Freshman year was the easiest, Sophomore year harder, and Junior year the hardest yet. Gonzaga is filled with a number of smart, motivated boys just like my son. The AP classes are no joke. They are challenging.

It really does matter where they went to middle school.

My sons went to X middle school and the transition was easy. It’s odd people were like oh they went to X they will be fine and they were.

But the kids that struggled F year, the good students, were fine by S year.

Where did he attend middle school?

My DS is going to Gonzaga next year, and I want to know where to put my expectations. He's a straight-A student in middle school and is a very hard worker. Is it common for smart kids to get all-A's at Gonzaga? I know that it's near-impossible at schools like Sidwell/STA.