Anonymous wrote:my neighbors kid took a private bus from Brooklyn to NEST. my kids went to the very good private down the block. I was never ever jealous of the education they were getting at NEST.

I'm not saying it's not great, it is .. but it's not better than the PS29s or 321s or 58s of the world. What are your local public options? Having local friends is a lifelong gift. My kids are in college and that community of kids and their parents is my community too.

As a former citywide G&T parent, I would recommend NEST. First, the student population will be diverse - not all ultra-wealthy kids. Their principal is excellent. Citywides are unique schools and that creates its own particular community. My children are still in touch with their friends from G&T. I'm still in touch with my parent friends. Having friends in different neighborhoods, rather than all local, does not at all preclude strong bonds between the kids or parents. I also disagree with the opinion of PP that NEST is no better than a good public. The citywides are in essence honors schools. That produces a different environment than a general education program. My advice to parents whose kids didn't attend a citywide, or any public school for that matter, but feel the need to comment about said schools - stay in your lane.

PP may not have been jealous of the education the neighborhood kids were getting at NEST, but they did receive an excellent education and for a fraction of the tuition of the "very good private". There are many kids who go from citywides, and other public schools, to private for middle school and high school anyway.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NEST has the best college placements of any non-SHS. And it's not a grind. I was devastated that my DS didn't get a spot there for high school.

The current NEST students are products of the old pre-De-Blasio admissions system, so as with pretty much every non-SHS high school, their college admissions numbers have little relationship to what current students can expect.

i think the current 11th graders are the last set of kids that didn't get Deblasioed with unqualified kids coming into the school in 6th and 7th grade.

it will be very interesting to see how the current 10th graders end up doing for college placements - since i believe that a chunk of the kids didn't have to test into the school.

There has been an entrance "test" for the HS for a few years - an essay written at home "by the student"

The essay grading is very arbitrary. And I believe there is some balance between essay score and lottery number though I'm not totally clear how that works - they are very cryptic.

Yup. I know several highly educated people with Ivy League liberal arts degrees who basically wrote the essays (though were very careful to make it sound like it was written by a kid) and got remarkably low scores.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NEST has the best college placements of any non-SHS. And it's not a grind. I was devastated that my DS didn't get a spot there for high school.

The current NEST students are products of the old pre-De-Blasio admissions system, so as with pretty much every non-SHS high school, their college admissions numbers have little relationship to what current students can expect.

i think the current 11th graders are the last set of kids that didn't get Deblasioed with unqualified kids coming into the school in 6th and 7th grade.

it will be very interesting to see how the current 10th graders end up doing for college placements - since i believe that a chunk of the kids didn't have to test into the school.

There has been an entrance "test" for the HS for a few years - an essay written at home "by the student"

The essay grading is very arbitrary. And I believe there is some balance between essay score and lottery number though I'm not totally clear how that works - they are very cryptic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NEST has the best college placements of any non-SHS. And it's not a grind. I was devastated that my DS didn't get a spot there for high school.

The current NEST students are products of the old pre-De-Blasio admissions system, so as with pretty much every non-SHS high school, their college admissions numbers have little relationship to what current students can expect.

i think the current 11th graders are the last set of kids that didn't get Deblasioed with unqualified kids coming into the school in 6th and 7th grade.

it will be very interesting to see how the current 10th graders end up doing for college placements - since i believe that a chunk of the kids didn't have to test into the school.

There has been an entrance "test" for the HS for a few years - an essay written at home "by the student"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NEST has the best college placements of any non-SHS. And it's not a grind. I was devastated that my DS didn't get a spot there for high school.

The current NEST students are products of the old pre-De-Blasio admissions system, so as with pretty much every non-SHS high school, their college admissions numbers have little relationship to what current students can expect.

i think the current 11th graders are the last set of kids that didn't get Deblasioed with unqualified kids coming into the school in 6th and 7th grade.

it will be very interesting to see how the current 10th graders end up doing for college placements - since i believe that a chunk of the kids didn't have to test into the school.

In D2 with a decent (3.5?) 4th grade GPA you’re pretty much guaranteed a spot in the Baruch or Wagner screened programs, which are quite good.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the benefit of not having to apply to MS is a great perk. But for HS, a lot of kids leave anyway. all k-12 schools, private or public, lose a lot of kids in high school. and those that stay can feel pretty over it mid-way through high school. it's just a long time to be in one school.

so .. how much is missing the headache of MS admission worth? for us, not that much .

If you are in D2 or D3 there is really no risk. All the middle schools are fine.

In D3 your odds are very good to have a decent middle school. But the bottom 20% or so it starts getting iffy. Computer, WESS and Booker are all very good (though very different from each other). Lafayette is fine. I guess Mott Hall is acceptable. And Center School takes some kids in 5th grade (personally not a fan but I know many who are). If your lottery number starts at roughly C or later you are going to sweat it out.

Anonymous wrote:I think the benefit of not having to apply to MS is a great perk. But for HS, a lot of kids leave anyway. all k-12 schools, private or public, lose a lot of kids in high school. and those that stay can feel pretty over it mid-way through high school. it's just a long time to be in one school.

so .. how much is missing the headache of MS admission worth? for us, not that much .

If you are in D2 or D3 there is really no risk. All the middle schools are fine.

I think the benefit of not having to apply to MS is a great perk. But for HS, a lot of kids leave anyway. all k-12 schools, private or public, lose a lot of kids in high school. and those that stay can feel pretty over it mid-way through high school. it's just a long time to be in one school.

so .. how much is missing the headache of MS admission worth? for us, not that much .

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NEST has the best college placements of any non-SHS. And it's not a grind. I was devastated that my DS didn't get a spot there for high school.

The current NEST students are products of the old pre-De-Blasio admissions system, so as with pretty much every non-SHS high school, their college admissions numbers have little relationship to what current students can expect.

Yeah the first "lottery" G&T kids will only be going into 4th grade this year. It will be interesting to see the outcome of this experiment once they are high school age.

Anonymous wrote:NEST has the best college placements of any non-SHS. And it's not a grind. I was devastated that my DS didn't get a spot there for high school.

The current NEST students are products of the old pre-De-Blasio admissions system, so as with pretty much every non-SHS high school, their college admissions numbers have little relationship to what current students can expect.

NEST has the best college placements of any non-SHS. And it's not a grind. I was devastated that my DS didn't get a spot there for high school.

There is no more OLSAT exam. Gifted & talented is now a lottery (no matter how much certain parents wish it wasn't).

Anonymous wrote:my neighbors kid took a private bus from Brooklyn to NEST. my kids went to the very good private down the block. I was never ever jealous of the education they were getting at NEST.

I'm not saying it's not great, it is .. but it's not better than the PS29s or 321s or 58s of the world. What are your local public options? Having local friends is a lifelong gift. My kids are in college and that community of kids and their parents is my community too.

Completely agree on having local friends and I also think that making a 5 year old travel far for K is horrible. But the one plus of NEST over the other schools you mentioned is that if your kid starts there, they are set through 12, which is huge. Not sure if it is worth a long commute but for those who aren't too far from it, it is a major perk.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When do you have to sign your enrollment contract by for the hill school? It’s my impression if you don’t pay/attend after a certain date, you will be sued.

No, you lose your deposit.

that’s incorrect, yes you will lose your deposit but the fine print states that if you withdraw after a certain date, typically in the late spring, you are financially responsible for the entire tuition