Anonymous wrote:Pyle. The commute sucks.

💯

Anonymous wrote:My kid got into Eastern but we kept him at his home school (not Pyle) and I have no regrets. Being far from the school would have put more stress on the family than the benefit of the advanced classes.

+1000

Pyle. Friends are so important.

My kid got into Eastern but we kept him at his home school (not Pyle) and I have no regrets. Being far from the school would have put more stress on the family than the benefit of the advanced classes.

Anonymous wrote:How does he feel about it, OP? Our kid expressed a strong preference to stay at home MS to be with friends and avoid a very long bus ride. We let her decide.

We've talked to him about it and he's interested but nervous about the potential change. We won't force him to do it and are laying out the pluses and minuses (thanks to those who have commented!) so we can consider it as a family. He's worried about leaving friends but likes the curriculum of the magnet a lot.

Anonymous wrote:What does HE want to do? Either choice is fine.

One of my kids stayed in his home school, one did middle school and high school magnet. Both were fine. The magnet kid got a better education. The home school got to walk to and from school and go over to friends' houses more easily.

His friend group could change in middle school even if he goes to the home school.

forgot to add - the home school kid did more activities. it was just easier for him to stay after and do activities. there was no late bus convenient to our house for the magnet kid so if he stayed late, he had to wait around for us to pick him up after work after his activity was done. He did not like that, so he tended not to do many activities. I think that was a big negative.

Pyle. The commute sucks.

What does HE want to do? Either choice is fine.

One of my kids stayed in his home school, one did middle school and high school magnet. Both were fine. The magnet kid got a better education. The home school got to walk to and from school and go over to friends' houses more easily.

His friend group could change in middle school even if he goes to the home school.

How does he feel about it, OP? Our kid expressed a strong preference to stay at home MS to be with friends and avoid a very long bus ride. We let her decide.

Quirky. Above.

The magnets are mainly for bragging rights.
Being able today things like “ offered a spot”
Your smart kid will be fine at Pyle. Their social like matters too so much at this age, if he’s quickly but has a group of friends I would prioritize that.

Not a Pyle family, but our kid really likes Eastern despite the crazy bus commute that they take daily. Administration is very communicative. You can always go back to home school if it’s not a good match.

Anonymous wrote:There aren't as many Pyle families at Eastern because of the commute, but the program is well worth the commute in our opinion. Eastern does a good job of communicating with the magnet families and provides a directory of those who opt-in, so you can easily find families to carpool with to ease the commute.

We haven't regretted our decision one bit and our child is thriving.

Thank you! The bus seems really brutal and carpooling a better option. Appreciate the input.

There aren't as many Pyle families at Eastern because of the commute, but the program is well worth the commute in our opinion. Eastern does a good job of communicating with the magnet families and provides a directory of those who opt-in, so you can easily find families to carpool with to ease the commute.

We haven't regretted our decision one bit and our child is thriving.

Our DS has been offered a spot at the Eastern MS magnet. He has been looking forward to Pyle until this point - he's already picked his electives and is getting excited about the school. I think that he could thrive in the magnet as he's a kid who loves reading and history and scores well/has great grades. The two biggest concerns are commute and social - it's a long bus ride from here and he's got a group of friends he really likes (and is a bit quirky so we were happy he found that group this year in fifth). He also has an IEP but has been thriving in his home school and I've heard mixed things about the IEP/504 implementation at Eastern.

If anyone has faced a similar choice, I would so appreciate your input on whether you took the spot or not, what factored into the decision, and any hindsight...