Another vote for garrison forest. Dd went for 9-12 but middle school always looked great as well.

Anonymous wrote:Baltimore school for the arts, which is a magnet. The kids who go there are amazing and their performances are near professional level. Seriously. I taught in a Baltimore private and as far as arts were concerned it didn't even compare. And it's free !

School for the Arts starts at 9th, OP is looking at 6th. Yes, it's a great school but only accepts 115 kids out of 1,000 applicants. And that's encompassing music, art, dance, theater etc as you audition for specific tracks. You have to be really talented, not just playfully talented.

Baltimore school for the arts, which is a magnet. The kids who go there are amazing and their performances are near professional level. Seriously. I taught in a Baltimore private and as far as arts were concerned it didn't even compare. And it's free !

Anonymous wrote:I would say Friends and possibly Maryvale and Roland Park Country School as safeties.
Park is a mixed bag in middle school.

RPCS and Friends are on par both academically and admissions wise… neither one is a safety for the other. Having said that, full pay at either of them isn’t particularly difficult. Friends admissions runs around 60%. Visit for sure.

Garrison or Bryn Mawr

Anonymous wrote:We're thinking about making a move from DC to Baltimore next year. Our daughter will start 6th grade in the Fall and we're wondering which schools we should look into. She is an average or slightly above average student who loves theatre, art, and creative writing. Personality wise she's kind, a bit sensitive, funny. Not sporty though she does like swimming and kayaking. We'd be very grateful for suggestions. Thank you!

Notre Dame Prep

(In Towson)

I would say Friends and possibly Maryvale and Roland Park Country School as safeties.
Park is a mixed bag in middle school.

I went to the Baltimore School for the Arts for high school.

Definitely visit all the schools you're interested in. I was skeptical of this advice before I took it, and there were definitely schools we crossed off the list after the initial visit and ones that felt instantly right. I'd also consider where you plan to live -- commutes and carpool lines can make a big difference in day to day life.

That said, I would also say Park and Friends sound like what you are looking for, with Park being more academic and Friends more spiritual (weekly meditation practice, e.g.).

Friends. Maryvale and NDP start in 6th grade if considering catholic school. you could also post in the Baltimore forum.

Park
RPCS
Friends

These are my recommendations in no particular order.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This fits Friends to a T. Also look at Roland Park Country School if open to all girls.

Admissions is underway and most of the open houses are now in the past, so worth reaching out to the schools for tours and shadow days. Deadlines are in January but most people I know are submitting now and getting the transcripts and scheduling the ISEE soon.

Thank you!! We need to get right on this. Any others we should consider, just to cover bases?

Saint Paul's School for Girls. A good option for nicely average to above average girls. May or may not be a good fit personality-wise but only one way to find out.

Park is know for creativity and is a very progressive school. Known for academics but I think there is room for a spectrum of kids. Fit is also important.

McDonogh is very popular, good range of kids but limited spaces. Coed. Has a fantastic theater but can't speak to the quality of student art programming (suspect Friends is better in this area).

Would not bother with Bryn Mawr, very highly academic.

Anonymous wrote:This fits Friends to a T. Also look at Roland Park Country School if open to all girls.

Admissions is underway and most of the open houses are now in the past, so worth reaching out to the schools for tours and shadow days. Deadlines are in January but most people I know are submitting now and getting the transcripts and scheduling the ISEE soon.

Thank you!! We need to get right on this. Any others we should consider, just to cover bases?

This fits Friends to a T. Also look at Roland Park Country School if open to all girls.

Admissions is underway and most of the open houses are now in the past, so worth reaching out to the schools for tours and shadow days. Deadlines are in January but most people I know are submitting now and getting the transcripts and scheduling the ISEE soon.

We're thinking about making a move from DC to Baltimore next year. Our daughter will start 6th grade in the Fall and we're wondering which schools we should look into. She is an average or slightly above average student who loves theatre, art, and creative writing. Personality wise she's kind, a bit sensitive, funny. Not sporty though she does like swimming and kayaking. We'd be very grateful for suggestions. Thank you!