Hey OP, because your school is so small, I worry that you have included too much info where someone could identify your kid. Maybe repost and don’t mention the current school.

How does you kid do in a loud chaotic crowd? Every change of class will be like that. That was the hardest part for my kid and left him rattled and exhausted by the end of the day. Also with ADHD is was very difficult for my kid to ignore the kid who talk all through class and goof off in the back. It's hard enough to stay focused in a quiet room. So I guess it depends on how your kid handles those scenarios.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a theater club or theater classes at J-R?

Yes, both.

But even really talented kids get shut of roles because the school is huge.

Hi OP, wondering if your kid started at Maret in 9th? I’ve heard it can take a year to adjust to a new school socially. That said, does your kid have any friends now at either school? If the problem at school is social, then I would pick a school where they already know people.

Anonymous wrote:I would do MacArthur just because it's smaller. But what makes you think you have the choice of either one? It's by address, do you have two addresses?

Why do you care? There could be so many scenarios here.

Anonymous wrote:I would do MacArthur just because it's smaller. But what makes you think you have the choice of either one? It's by address, do you have two addresses?

I'm not the OP but people do get divorced and so a kid could have two addresses to choose from.

Anonymous wrote:Is there a theater club or theater classes at J-R?

Yes, both.

Is there a theater club or theater classes at J-R?

I also have a quirky, emotional kid who doesn’t like doing homework. They’re at JR and it’s been a good fit. There’s homework, but not too much and it’s not too demanding. Every teacher has regular office hours, though the kid has to take the initiative to actually go. Socially JR is big enough that there is room to be anonymous, or to avoid/ignore the people you dislike. If there is a popular clique, my child seems to be totally unaware of their existence. Kids find their people through academies, sports, arts, and clubs, so help your child figure out how to get involved in some of those and they’ll start finding their people.

We've also been debating this for our son, from another similarly sized private to JR (our IB) so I can share what we've been talking about with friends who have kids there.

My biggest fear is that my kid being a quirky, emotional kid and pretty shy on top of all that he will struggle to fit in and just get lost in the crowd of kids, go unnoticed by teachers, etc. We hear regularly about the in-classroom disruptions and how they are problematic for kids that struggle to focus. Kids that are "on it" (from what we've heard) don't have a problem and can ignore, but I also worry that our kid coming from a smaller private would really have a hard time. And getting back in to the current -or another private would be a total crapshoot.

I would do MacArthur just because it's smaller. But what makes you think you have the choice of either one? It's by address, do you have two addresses?

We are considering moving our 9th grader from Maret to a public high school next year. She is quirky and emotional and doesn’t like doing homework. We like the small student/teacher ratio and daily office hours but the kid is unhappy socially. Will a public high school be a better fit? What can she expect socially? Are teachers able to provide additional support?