Anonymous
Post 01/28/2026 14:27     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Kid got into Regis yesterday. He's applying from public middle school, feels good about SHSAT, and has a couple applications in at privates - which I don't think we'd do unless we got a lot of aid. I dont really want to out myself further, but let's say top privates. Unlikely to get in anyway probably

I'm leaning into Regis and just skipping the rest. I think Regis over Stuy (he's not a stem guy) and I'm just not sold on the value of private when we've got college in the not so near future. Also, as an UMC family, not sure how the social dynamics work at a $$ private.

Issue is we literally dont know a soul at Regis so hard to get intel. He'll do a shadow day.
Anonymous
Post 01/28/2026 12:40     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
💯 Dalton has that competitive culture, a good portion of the students are ambitious and studious so it’s inevitable.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2026 20:38     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Question for Dalton parents - does it have the same competitive culture in older grades as other TT schools (thinking HM and Trinity)? If not, how does the school diffuse this? The students are obviously high achieving and ambitious at all of these places.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2026 16:58     Subject: Re:Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:Which 3T are you referring to that counsels out actively?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote: Re: AS - I have a kid at a similarly thought of school. People look down on it. But I have friends at all the TT schools and we compare notes all the time. The curriculum is identical. Yes, the school has more neurodiverse kids but a lot of them are very smart. And guess where else has a lot of neurodiverse kids? Trinity! When you take all siblings and a good share of legacies, you get a lot of neurodiversity because you don’t get to choose what the siblings are like. AS seems like a lovely place and even in the non-TT private schools, all of the kids get tons of individualized attention that you won’t get at PS6. Re exmissions, if you got to St. Bernard’s you would be in a pool with a lot of legacies. So even a very strong kid can get passed over. If he’s in the top 10% at AS, he might actually have a better chance at top high schools. I have worked in admissions consulting and seen this play out. It’s like trying to get into Princeton from Trinity — once they take all the legacies they are done with the school unless they you are a URM.



Helpful comment!

Can you speak more about the neurodiversity at Trinity?

I didn’t realize St Bernard’s legacy at the high school level would hold so much weight but makes sense.


The most challenging child I know goes there. They were a sibling admit. I respect a strong sibling policy. It makes sense to keep kids together. But to say there is not neurodiversity at the TT schools is absurd. I’d actually say Trinity supports it better than some other schools because they are so well resourced. Our 3T school counsels kids out pretty actively. My friend’s kid would have been out of there by the end of 1st grade.


I’m not naming my kid’s school in a forum focused on TT schools (I have another in a TT), but I find it as weird as you do. They counseled out 5 kids in four years for things like dyslexia and ADHD (not a mild case). I think it’s partly because they don’t have the budget to staff up in learning support.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2026 20:24     Subject: Re:Best private schools in NYC?
Which 3T are you referring to that counsels out actively?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote: Re: AS - I have a kid at a similarly thought of school. People look down on it. But I have friends at all the TT schools and we compare notes all the time. The curriculum is identical. Yes, the school has more neurodiverse kids but a lot of them are very smart. And guess where else has a lot of neurodiverse kids? Trinity! When you take all siblings and a good share of legacies, you get a lot of neurodiversity because you don’t get to choose what the siblings are like. AS seems like a lovely place and even in the non-TT private schools, all of the kids get tons of individualized attention that you won’t get at PS6. Re exmissions, if you got to St. Bernard’s you would be in a pool with a lot of legacies. So even a very strong kid can get passed over. If he’s in the top 10% at AS, he might actually have a better chance at top high schools. I have worked in admissions consulting and seen this play out. It’s like trying to get into Princeton from Trinity — once they take all the legacies they are done with the school unless they you are a URM.



Helpful comment!

Can you speak more about the neurodiversity at Trinity?

I didn’t realize St Bernard’s legacy at the high school level would hold so much weight but makes sense.


The most challenging child I know goes there. They were a sibling admit. I respect a strong sibling policy. It makes sense to keep kids together. But to say there is not neurodiversity at the TT schools is absurd. I’d actually say Trinity supports it better than some other schools because they are so well resourced. Our 3T school counsels kids out pretty actively. My friend’s kid would have been out of there by the end of 1st grade.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2026 19:25     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
When our family toured all the TT middle schools a few years ago coming from a downtown 2T school, far and away the warmest community was Chapin, Spence felt a bit sterile. Sacred Heart girls seemed sweet but a bit too conservative for our downtown kid. The girls seemed polite and so considerate of each other, however.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2026 16:12     Subject: Re:Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote: Re: AS - I have a kid at a similarly thought of school. People look down on it. But I have friends at all the TT schools and we compare notes all the time. The curriculum is identical. Yes, the school has more neurodiverse kids but a lot of them are very smart. And guess where else has a lot of neurodiverse kids? Trinity! When you take all siblings and a good share of legacies, you get a lot of neurodiversity because you don’t get to choose what the siblings are like. AS seems like a lovely place and even in the non-TT private schools, all of the kids get tons of individualized attention that you won’t get at PS6. Re exmissions, if you got to St. Bernard’s you would be in a pool with a lot of legacies. So even a very strong kid can get passed over. If he’s in the top 10% at AS, he might actually have a better chance at top high schools. I have worked in admissions consulting and seen this play out. It’s like trying to get into Princeton from Trinity — once they take all the legacies they are done with the school unless they you are a URM.



Helpful comment!

Can you speak more about the neurodiversity at Trinity?

I didn’t realize St Bernard’s legacy at the high school level would hold so much weight but makes sense.


The most challenging child I know goes there. They were a sibling admit. I respect a strong sibling policy. It makes sense to keep kids together. But to say there is not neurodiversity at the TT schools is absurd. I’d actually say Trinity supports it better than some other schools because they are so well resourced. Our 3T school counsels kids out pretty actively. My friend’s kid would have been out of there by the end of 1st grade.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2026 12:43     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Has anyone read Michael Wolff’s wife’s Substack articles about her daughter being bullied at Spence?


I always thought we wanted Spence for our daughter but after going through the admissions cycle and collecting insight from the parent communities, seeing how miserable the students seemed on the school tours and listening to the various podcasts, we couldn’t do it, especially for middle school. Not a girl’s girl culture at ALL and so much online nastiness.


What podcasts did you listen to?


“All Each Other Has” podcast and Our Amagansett House Substack.


I’m a Trinity alumn so I was interested in listening to All Each Other Has. Wow, absolutely nothing changed in the 20 years between the time I graduated and they attended. Such a toxic place.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2026 10:53     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
I read “our amagansett house” posts on Spence and the way they handle bullying and their family’s experience felt the same as what we experienced at Avenues. Complete gaslighting and no accountability. Private schools are often intimidated by their demanding parent community and are often scared to actually hold children accountable for terrible behavior. I think for that reason you have to REALLY try to get a feel for the type of parent community attached to your desired school.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2026 00:04     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Has anyone read Michael Wolff’s wife’s Substack articles about her daughter being bullied at Spence?


I always thought we wanted Spence for our daughter but after going through the admissions cycle and collecting insight from the parent communities, seeing how miserable the students seemed on the school tours and listening to the various podcasts, we couldn’t do it, especially for middle school. Not a girl’s girl culture at ALL and so much online nastiness.


What podcasts did you listen to?


“All Each Other Has” podcast and Our Amagansett House Substack.


Thank you for following up.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2026 23:11     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Has anyone read Michael Wolff’s wife’s Substack articles about her daughter being bullied at Spence?


I always thought we wanted Spence for our daughter but after going through the admissions cycle and collecting insight from the parent communities, seeing how miserable the students seemed on the school tours and listening to the various podcasts, we couldn’t do it, especially for middle school. Not a girl’s girl culture at ALL and so much online nastiness.


What podcasts did you listen to?


“All Each Other Has” podcast and Our Amagansett House Substack.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2026 19:09     Subject: Re:Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote: Re: AS - I have a kid at a similarly thought of school. People look down on it. But I have friends at all the TT schools and we compare notes all the time. The curriculum is identical. Yes, the school has more neurodiverse kids but a lot of them are very smart. And guess where else has a lot of neurodiverse kids? Trinity! When you take all siblings and a good share of legacies, you get a lot of neurodiversity because you don’t get to choose what the siblings are like. AS seems like a lovely place and even in the non-TT private schools, all of the kids get tons of individualized attention that you won’t get at PS6. Re exmissions, if you got to St. Bernard’s you would be in a pool with a lot of legacies. So even a very strong kid can get passed over. If he’s in the top 10% at AS, he might actually have a better chance at top high schools. I have worked in admissions consulting and seen this play out. It’s like trying to get into Princeton from Trinity — once they take all the legacies they are done with the school unless they you are a URM.



Helpful comment!

Can you speak more about the neurodiversity at Trinity?

I didn’t realize St Bernard’s legacy at the high school level would hold so much weight but makes sense.


I’d have to imagine those boys K-8s would admit someone with parents who went to Andover or Collegiate or wherever so long as they knew they’d enroll. It’s such a big advantage.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2026 19:00     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How detailed is the feedback usually? We are at a public pre-k so we don’t get feedback but one school did kindly offer quite detailed comments when we asked. So I’m curious how much detail PSDs usually go into and how accurate they usually are, especially since we are considering private preschool for our younger child


It depends on the school. Some give a lot of feedback. Some have signal phrases that preschool directors understand based on years of exmission cycle results. Some blatantly say "we want them" or "it's a no" or "too young."


Interesting… does anyone know how are the exmissions results of unconnected preschools like IPS, Petits Poussins, Goddard, garden house, play garden? These are a few that I understand provide exmissions support


IPS great exmissions and can help you stand out if unconnected. Alyssa does a great job with exmissions


IPS and garden house are definitely hip to this process
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2026 18:55     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How detailed is the feedback usually? We are at a public pre-k so we don’t get feedback but one school did kindly offer quite detailed comments when we asked. So I’m curious how much detail PSDs usually go into and how accurate they usually are, especially since we are considering private preschool for our younger child


It depends on the school. Some give a lot of feedback. Some have signal phrases that preschool directors understand based on years of exmission cycle results. Some blatantly say "we want them" or "it's a no" or "too young."


Interesting… does anyone know how are the exmissions results of unconnected preschools like IPS, Petits Poussins, Goddard, garden house, play garden? These are a few that I understand provide exmissions support


IPS great exmissions and can help you stand out if unconnected. Alyssa does a great job with exmissions
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2026 18:54     Subject: Re:Best private schools in NYC?
Re podcasts - there’s a Trinity alum mentioned on this thread, also Jose makes a lab for Dalton.