Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 19:19     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:

I’m also wondering—does Hunter’s curriculum truly cater to gifted children, or is their strong college placement more about selecting top students early on? I’ve heard that the most successful students at Hunter High tend to be those who test in at 7th grade rather than those who stay from K through 12. Is that true?


Totally true and I even had a Hunter teacher say almost those exact words to me last year. That's no one fault- it's just that you cant identify elite talent as well at K vs 7th.


It's no one's fault, but it does make you question the purpose of the elementary school. I personally think the elementary school should only admit low income students from low SES zip codes. There's a case for a free school that can potentially "catch" gifted kids before they slip through the cracks of a poor educational system. I don't see the purpose of offering a free education to parents who can afford Dalton, or live in the PS 6 zone. Sorry.


Well, Hunter's purpose is not charity - isn't it research? And all kids in this country are offered a free education...
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 19:00     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:

I’m also wondering—does Hunter’s curriculum truly cater to gifted children, or is their strong college placement more about selecting top students early on? I’ve heard that the most successful students at Hunter High tend to be those who test in at 7th grade rather than those who stay from K through 12. Is that true?


Totally true and I even had a Hunter teacher say almost those exact words to me last year. That's no one fault- it's just that you cant identify elite talent as well at K vs 7th.


It's no one's fault, but it does make you question the purpose of the elementary school. I personally think the elementary school should only admit low income students from low SES zip codes. There's a case for a free school that can potentially "catch" gifted kids before they slip through the cracks of a poor educational system. I don't see the purpose of offering a free education to parents who can afford Dalton, or live in the PS 6 zone. Sorry.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 10:50     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Avenues is a good safety school, nice curriculum but because they need to fill many seats I would say the student body isn’t very academic. I would choose schools like Allen Stevenson, Buckley, St. David’s, Poly prep, fieldston. Those are all “2nd tier” but really still very very good.

None of those are pressure cookers.


So those 2nd tier schools that you mentioned above are not competitive and getting a spot is relatively easy and straightforward?


Are we talking kindergarten? Most of the private schools are not "pressure cookers" in the elementary years, and the handful that have that reputation ramp things up in middle and high school. The schools mentioned by PP are not "easy" to get into. If that's what you're looking for, then consider schools like Dwight, Avenues, Calhoun, and Trevor Day.


And if you want something in between those in terms of likelihood of being admitted, look at LREI, Columbia Grammar, and Grace Church. If you're open to K-8, then consider Town--it flies under the radar, but it has a solid reputation.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 10:45     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Avenues is a good safety school, nice curriculum but because they need to fill many seats I would say the student body isn’t very academic. I would choose schools like Allen Stevenson, Buckley, St. David’s, Poly prep, fieldston. Those are all “2nd tier” but really still very very good.

None of those are pressure cookers.


So those 2nd tier schools that you mentioned above are not competitive and getting a spot is relatively easy and straightforward?


Are we talking kindergarten? Most of the private schools are not "pressure cookers" in the elementary years, and the handful that have that reputation ramp things up in middle and high school. The schools mentioned by PP are not "easy" to get into. If that's what you're looking for, then consider schools like Dwight, Avenues, Calhoun, and Trevor Day.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 05:36     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Avenues is a good safety school, nice curriculum but because they need to fill many seats I would say the student body isn’t very academic. I would choose schools like Allen Stevenson, Buckley, St. David’s, Poly prep, fieldston. Those are all “2nd tier” but really still very very good.

None of those are pressure cookers.


So those 2nd tier schools that you mentioned above are not competitive and getting a spot is relatively easy and straightforward?


They are still hard to get into.
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2025 23:01     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:Avenues is a good safety school, nice curriculum but because they need to fill many seats I would say the student body isn’t very academic. I would choose schools like Allen Stevenson, Buckley, St. David’s, Poly prep, fieldston. Those are all “2nd tier” but really still very very good.

None of those are pressure cookers.


So those 2nd tier schools that you mentioned above are not competitive and getting a spot is relatively easy and straightforward?
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2025 21:16     Subject: Re:Best private schools in NYC?
K-8 also worked out really well for us. My child is now at a TT all girls (B, C, S) and doing really well. We would have never taken that route directly at K, but in eighth grade, she was ready to make some of her own choices about where she would fit in socially and academically.
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2025 20:48     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:I know the answer to this will differ a bit from every family, but is Allen-Stevenson really "worth it" compared to schools like Trinity, Dalton, Collegiate, Horace Mann, in terms of the education and how they set the children up for later in life?


It's a K-8, so when it's time for HS you get to reevaluate what kind of school is a good fit for your child. "Worth it" depends on your financial situation and other school options. My DCs went to a progressive K-8 and then onto Spence and Horace Mann, respectively, for HS. It was "worth it" because they both had a wonderful experience in their early school years, and if I had to go back I'd make the same choices for them. I don't think they were at any disadvantage not attending the same school from K-12, and it's quite common for kids who start out at those schools to end up elsewhere along the way.
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2025 13:09     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Avenues is a good safety school, nice curriculum but because they need to fill many seats I would say the student body isn’t very academic. I would choose schools like Allen Stevenson, Buckley, St. David’s, Poly prep, fieldston. Those are all “2nd tier” but really still very very good.

None of those are pressure cookers.
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2025 13:00     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
I know the answer to this will differ a bit from every family, but is Allen-Stevenson really "worth it" compared to schools like Trinity, Dalton, Collegiate, Horace Mann, in terms of the education and how they set the children up for later in life?
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2025 10:31     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:

I’m also wondering—does Hunter’s curriculum truly cater to gifted children, or is their strong college placement more about selecting top students early on? I’ve heard that the most successful students at Hunter High tend to be those who test in at 7th grade rather than those who stay from K through 12. Is that true?


Totally true and I even had a Hunter teacher say almost those exact words to me last year. That's no one fault- it's just that you cant identify elite talent as well at K vs 7th.
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2025 16:51     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote: So, I’m wondering: are TT private schools only marginally better than Hunter, or is there a significant difference?


There is a significant difference in resources. Is it better to be a big fish in a small pond (Hunter) or a small fish in a big pond (TT private)? At Hunter, you can use the money that would have been spent on tuition and fundraising contribution to make your child distinguished (arts, music, tutoring, sports, foreign language, world traveler, etc... is going to require money).
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2025 15:14     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:I’m another parent here trying to decide between Hunter and a TT private school. Like the earlier poster, we’ve gotten very positive feedback from our top-choice private school, according to our preschool director. The odds of getting into Hunter are still long, but I can’t stop comparing the two schools lately.

As an immigrant family where both parents work full-time and with no support from grandparents, the $65k per year (plus inflation) for private school over 13 years is a big cost for us. We can afford it, but it’s hard not to think about how that money could be better used—maybe for college or even to help our child later in life. That said, we really like the environment of our top-choice private school and would be very happy to go there if Hunter doesn’t work out.

Our ultimate goal is to find a school where our child will be both intellectually challenged and grow into a socially and emotionally mature individual. Hunter feels so mysterious to us—we barely know anything about the school beyond what’s publicly available.

So, I’m wondering: are TT private schools only marginally better than Hunter, or is there a significant difference?

Thank you so much to anyone who can share their insights—it would be a huge help!


OMG do not pay for private elementary school if it's a stretch for you and your kid gets in to Hunter. That's absurd.
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2025 14:50     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on well balanced schools in NYC? (Not pressure cooker, good socially, but still decent exmissions)?


Would UNIS or Avenues fit the bill?
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2025 14:34     Subject: Best private schools in NYC?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on well balanced schools in NYC? (Not pressure cooker, good socially, but still decent exmissions)?


I am curious as well. Would Friends Seminary fall in this category?


Not really. Friends is notorious for excessive amounts of homework. When we toured with DD years ago, they gave the kids a surprise assessment as part of the interview process---thought that was telling.