Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be fair they can’t accept everybody.

Anonymous wrote:We were surprised to get a rejection from both Friends and Grace (K). Are we alone here?

I think there is an impression that non-TT schools basically take pretty much everyone, but this definitely isn't the case. I know a very smart, nice kid from a very strong feeder who was rejected for HS at one of these schools. I don't know what their admissions rates are. In another thread someone noted that Packer publicly discloses theirs and they reject more than they accept. So there are no guarantees in this process, and Friends and Grace in particular are likely just getting more difficult to get into.

I'm not sure why there would be that impression. All these schools get tons of applicants and for HS Packer, Friends and Grace all take around 40-45. I'm sure they are all rejecting way more than they are accepting. These schools are getting more popular with families that live farther downtown and/or don't want an intense pressure cooker or the drama that sometimes comes with the TT schools.
I also think Grace is probably pretty difficult to get into for K. It's very popular among rich downtown types. There are a lot of celebrity kids at Grace.

Anonymous wrote:To be fair they can’t accept everybody.

Anonymous wrote:We were surprised to get a rejection from both Friends and Grace (K). Are we alone here?

I think there is an impression that non-TT schools basically take pretty much everyone, but this definitely isn't the case. I know a very smart, nice kid from a very strong feeder who was rejected for HS at one of these schools. I don't know what their admissions rates are. In another thread someone noted that Packer publicly discloses theirs and they reject more than they accept. So there are no guarantees in this process, and Friends and Grace in particular are likely just getting more difficult to get into.

But straight rejection vs WL?

To be fair they can’t accept everybody.

Anonymous wrote:We were surprised to get a rejection from both Friends and Grace (K). Are we alone here?

We were surprised to get a rejection from both Friends and Grace (K). Are we alone here?

Anyone with middle schoolers at Grace who can comment?

We've applied to both Grace and Friends for high school so I don't have too much info on lower grades. On the surface Grace lower school seems more traditional and Friends a little more progressive. Grace lower school requires uniforms. I think Grace has flashier families and for us that was sort of a negative. I noticed several famous for being really rich types at admissions events. I will say that I thought Grace had a warmer vibe and the head of school is great. I do think a number of kids leave Grace after 8th but my understanding is that more kids are staying every year.

All of my interactions with Friends during the admissions process have left me sort of cold and if my kid ends up there I think I'll be spending a lot of my time rolling my eyes. I do know people that love Friends so we will give it a serious look if admitted.

Anonymous wrote:Grace is really on the up and up. My friend whose kids go there absolutely love it! Have heard amazing things about the new head of school, also.

Lol
No it is not

Does anyone have details on Grace after school options? Friends had a lot of details available, so I’m curious about how Grace compares.

We have good friends who had that choice for HS. Tough call but they went with Grace. Head of School is a superstar - brilliant, high EQ, very approachable. Curriculum does a better job of mixing focus on fundamentals with flexibility.

Exmissions are improving - historically it attracted a fair number of downtown artsy types not gunning for Ivies so some of the colleges don't look great, but highly motivated kids can get Ivies if they want them, without the stress of being at a TT school. The HS is still fairly new and they are very thoughtful in incorporating the best aspects of different schools while not trying to be too creative.

Friends is also great. They refuse to give up on the woke stuff (I'm a Dem). TBD on the new Head of School.

Grace is really on the up and up. My friend whose kids go there absolutely love it! Have heard amazing things about the new head of school, also.

Think Grace is on the rise for K with families with smart kids we know this year choosing it over uptown options. The new head of school plus many people preferring to stay downtown from Tribeca/the Village seem to be increasing its popularity. I haven’t heard the same thoughts from peers who visited Friends, but admittedly we didn’t tour it.

I did find Friends to be overwoke too. But not sure how or if that translates into the curriculum. Also leaning towards Grace. Grace head of school is so inspiring.

We’re in the same boat. Leaning to Grace. Friends college admissions are great but I found the juxtaposition of the Quaker simplicity and the multimillion dollar art installation off-putting. Maybe that’s a silly thing to decide on but otherwise I think they’re similar.

Does anyone have any thoughts on Friends Seminary vs Grace Church downtown schools for K? We liked both and hard to decide.