<p>Who are "sending" kids to boarding schools? </p>
<p>Are you:
1. From an area with no acceptable public school option? I know this could be subjective, but usually you have an idea when you mention your school would most living in the area know it's one of the best, or above average, or not so good... let's say above average is acceptable.
2. No private day school commutable.
3. Wasn't able to get in a good private day school, or the day school didn't offer enough FA as the boarding school did.
4. Family reasons (divorced, single parent, moving abroad, etc.).
5. Other - specify</p>
<ol>
<li><p>From an area with no acceptable public school option? Above average rural PS HS. Good teaching staff.</p></li>
<li><p>No private day school commutable. No private options within 40 miles.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The local PS is one of the best in the state, but since the state is tanking economically, class sizes are through the roof.</p>
<ol>
<li>Other: Societal?? Drugs, promiscuity, laziness amongst large numbers. Symptom or cause?</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li> Many believe our local public high school to be excellent. We do not. Its accreditation is on probation at present. The last official report, from ~10 year ago, noted severe problems with the physical plant, and a lack of challenge for high achieving students. Since that time, enrollment has increased, the high school has not been expanded, and high achievers are not a priority for the school committee. The high school will not lose its accreditation, but that doesn’t mean that the problems noted in the report don’t exist.</li>
</ol>
<p>Many parents believe that extracurricular activities will “get our kids in” to college. We do not share that belief. If we had not found our child’s BS, we would have moved to a nearby town which offers honors level classes in the humanities.</p>
<p>2/3 Nearby private day schools are extremely competitive in admissions. Child wanted to board. Working parents and other children in the family would have made commuting to a day school difficult at best.</p>
<ol>
<li> Other: agree with wcmom. Entitled behavior by affluent peers at the public high school. Drugs, laziness and theft. Large houses, parents often away on weekends, teens with cell phones, cars, and money.</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>Crummy public school - gangs, teacher assaults etc.</li>
<li>The only private schools are religious, expensive, and do not have adequate academics. They also do not offer any financial aid.</li>
</ol>
<p>Are you:
1.** From an area with no acceptable public school option? **</p>
<p>College Prep High school (public option) is nationally recognized with IB and AP options. On Newsweek’s top 100 list. Daughter would do fine. She wanted more rigor, more international exposure, smaller class sizes, and the self-reliance associated with living on campus.</p>
<ol>
<li>No private day school commutable.</li>
</ol>
<p>Several private schools commutable - most considered extremely elitist with minimal diversity and coursework not competitive with boarding school resources. (i.e. give the illusion of “prep” but reading matriculation stats see high number of community colleges and regional or in-state colleges)</p>
<ol>
<li>Wasn’t able to get in a good private day school, or the day school didn’t offer enough FA as the boarding school did.</li>
</ol>
<p>Initially turned down by top ranked local private school. Although it did change its mind and offer us a spot when a board member found out we were “full pay” and pointed out to the committee that she was “good enough” for top NE boarding schools. We held back a deleted expletive and ignored their renewed interest.</p>
<ol>
<li>Family reasons (divorced, single parent, moving abroad, etc.).</li>
</ol>
<p>None of the above.</p>
<ol>
<li>Other - specify</li>
</ol>
<p>Sometimes a child is ready to fly away from the nest and stretch their wings early. This was that time. A summer at Exeter and making friends from all over the world meant no going back. She identified the schools, did her own paperwork, coordinated transcripts and recommendations, made her own interview appointments, helped with air and hotel arrangements and made us promise to not interfere. That’s when we knew she was ready to be on her own - and the schools she visited saw it too.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>No; we have some pretty good magnet schools in our area that have a fair reputation of placing kids in top colleges around the country.</p></li>
<li><p>No; we have numerous private day schools in our area, some of which are quite rigorous. (The AP US History course that my son took at one of these schools was so good that it helped him score a perfect 800 on the SAT II test for this subject.)</p></li>
<li><p>No; my son spent four years at a top private day school and was on the honor roll routinely.</p></li>
<li><p>No; we have no family issues.</p></li>
<li><p>So why did my son leave a very good private day school and go to a great BS? He broke his back and missed a full year of athletics. Because the athletic association overseeing his private school and all other schools in our state refuses to give kids medical red-shirts or another year of eligibility to play sports if they suffer serious and prolonged injuries, my son applied for enrollment last year to several top BS’s as a repeat 10th grader. A great boarding school accepted him, and he is now playing and starting on varsity teams at that school and making honor roll. His tale so far is a wonderful lemon-to-lemonade story. Thank God for BS’s!</p></li>
</ol>
<p>toombs61, You said that there are several excellent day schools in your area. Could another Day School be a solution to your athletics issue instead of a BS?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Few acceptable public options, and children there are “cut-throat” for the grades, very few really care about true-learning. Large city, best schools other side of town.</p></li>
<li><p>Private days school, most far away but close one, no safe passage to travel back and forth.</p></li>
<li><p>Didn’t apply to day school, see #2.</p></li>
<li><p>Divorced mom, not able to supply transportation to and from high school activities and EC’s.</p></li>
<li><p>Academic challenge with kids like my d. Small class size, able to try new activities. Other option was college in the fall. Though academically ready, she is only 14.5years old. I wanted her to have a high school experience.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>pulsar, I know of no private school, day or boarding, excellent or not, near or far, in my state that is not subject to the high school association that prevents students from repeating grades in order to recapture a year of athletics lost to serious injury. If we had found such a school, my son would have probably tried his luck at the top NE BS’s anyway. Once we knew that he had to leave his private day school in order to recapture his lost year of athletics, we decided to look far and wide for the best schools in the country no matter where they were.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>No acceptable public school option?
Local public school is your average American somewhat rural public school. </p></li>
<li><p>No private day school commutable.
Private day schools are far enough away to be a big challenge in terms of commuting. </p></li>
<li><p>No FA at a good private day school, or the day school didn’t offer enough FA as the
boarding school did.
Boarding school offered better FA package then possible commutable day school
could.</p></li>
<li><p>Family reasons (divorced, single parent, moving abroad, etc.).
Not Applicable</p></li>
<li><p>Other - specify
Son has spent 10 years in a fantastic independent school environment. We wanted<br>
him to continue to learn that sort of academic environment.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>When we started BS we had no acceptable public or private option for high school. After freshman year we moved to a place with both excellent public and private options. We chose to stick with BS mainly because it helps our son develop independence and become more responsible in a way he would be unlikely to do going to school at home.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Our public school is top ranked in our county. I moved to this town 6 years ago for the schools. Problem is if you are not high honors or special ed you are part of a hugh abyss. Also most of the school budgets in our state did not pass this year and the future of some of the great programs is questionable.</p></li>
<li><p>Great private day schools but didn’t apply.</p></li>
<li><p>Didn’t apply to day school - my daughter wanted boarding school.</p></li>
<li><p>n/a</p></li>
<li><p>We starting looking at boarding schools in November. Quite frankly we sort of fell into the process. I never would believe any of these schools would be affordable for my daughter to go. Two of my daughter’s friends went to boading school this past September and took my daughter with them the December before to help scrimmage their JV basketball team. She was totally hooked! I am very proud that she did all of the leg work herself, studied hard for the SSAT, visited 7 schools, applied to six, and she got into 5 (waitlisted at #6).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>PS is a Blue Ribbon school, but as a student, I felt like I was falling through the cracks. Lots of support and $ for special needs students and Gifted students. The no child left behind act works for them, but I was a kid in the mid to upper range of my class. I felt invisible. I didnt make trouble, I made good grades and I was just moved along to the next level. Even though I was an honor roll student, if I earned below a 90 average, I could not move up to honors classes.
I transfered to a private boarding school as a middle school day student. Smaller classes helped me move to the top 10%. I<code>m now applying to some of the top boarding schools in NE. I</code>m lucky my folks are giving me this opp.
Oh one more very important issue, my public HS dropped football and cheerleading due to budget cuts. HS without a homecoming!</p>
<p>PS is a Blue Ribbon school, but as a student, I felt like I was falling through the cracks. Lots of support and $ for special needs students and Gifted students. The no child left behind act works for them, but I was a kid in the mid to upper range of my class. I felt invisible. I didnt make trouble, I made good grades and I was just moved along to the next level. Even though I was an honor roll student, if I earned below a 90 average, I could not move up to honors classes.
I transfered to a private boarding school as a middle school day student. Smaller classes helped me move to the top 10%. I<code>m now applying to some of the top boarding schools in NE. I</code>m lucky my folks are giving me this opp.
Oh one more very important issue, my public HS dropped football and cheerleading due to budget cuts. HS without a homecoming!</p>
<p>D needed more than good private day school and top PS. She has thrived in the small class size, great social life, top athletics and community spirit. However, she would have thrived at local day school too. . . .</p>