Middle

Middle school, four years is notvery long to make friendships etc

Anonymous wrote:We moved to private for middle. We have a great public middle school option but the school is huge. We also know the middle school years are tough under the best of circumstances. We thought a small private for middle school would offer a more supportive experience and it really has.

This is what we are doing for DD. DS started in HS and we feel he would have been better prepared for the rigor if he started in MS.

Anonymous wrote:Definitely middle school. Even if I had to pick one and not the other, I would say private middle school and public high school.

This is our plan. We might continue in private for HS but we are hoping to do public as our neigborhood HS is excellent.

In a few years I will be able to give you a more educated response. One of my grandsons started Sidwell in 9th and his cousin is starting in 6th. The academic transition for the older boy was difficult, but after about 6 months he felt at home. He had no problems socially. We are about to have our family's first middle school experience at a private,

Definitely middle school. Even if I had to pick one and not the other, I would say private middle school and public high school.

I teach in a K-12 MS; socially, it can be hard for a kid to start in MS. Usually a bigger cohort enters in 9th and by then, the lifers are eager for new faces. Also, high schoolers are generally more involved in activities, so it's easier to get to know other kids with shared interests. OTOH, academically, if you're concerned that your child might need some shoring up for high school, then moving him/her at MS might make sense. And, as a PP noted, a lot depends on what your option is for public MS.

At our Baltimore private, it seems like the kids who got in at the HS level are all extremely bright and accomplished. The middle school kids who were admitted were more about "potential" and less about "demonstrated ability." Since it turns out my kid was not wildly motivated to achieve in MS, they would not have been admitted for HS, based on the classmates I see. YMMV.

Our child moved to a K-8 for middle then onto private HS. It meant two application processes by it worked well. I think our DC was prepared to be his own advocate and an independent worker in HS largely because of the K-8 experience. So if you can swing it (we barely could!), we thought private MS was a great experience. Good luck!

Middle, if you can afford it. The greater attention is critical for many students at that age.

If you can afford it I would say MS. That's when some of the privates really start to ramp up.

We moved to private for middle. We have a great public middle school option but the school is huge. We also know the middle school years are tough under the best of circumstances. We thought a small private for middle school would offer a more supportive experience and it really has.

It totally depends on what your public MS option is. Those can be hard years for all kids, but more slots are available at 9th if you have a good public school option. If you like your public school is reasonable, you could go tour the MS/HS of the privates you are interested in and apply to your DC's top choice or two. That gives you one more opportunity for your DC to get in, but doesn't commit you to a MS/HS that you don't love.

My boys will move to private school either at middle school or hs. Any opinions on which time is better to start? Where should we be looking in DC or Bethesda?