<p>My son is attending a private 'prestigious' high school in West Los Angeles. It seems so hard for him to differentiate himself. EVERYONE is so motivated and scores high on the exams, etc... We pay over $35,000/yr for high school tuition, and we are beginning to think it might actually hurt his chances for to top university admission. Perhaps it makes more sense to attend a public high school for free and really SHINE. </p>
<p>We are on the fence regarding this but we are struggling with these thoughts...</p>
<p>For example, the UC's (Berkeley and UCLA) really mainly look at GPA. It is so MUCH harder to score a high GPA from my son's high school. We know other kids in LA who attend local free public high schools and have UW GPA's for 4.0, and it is really hard for our son to hit a 3.6.... He is in 10th grade now, but we are thinking of transferring him out to save money and have him succeed elsewhere...</p>
<p>Any insights on this??? </p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>A concerned Los Angeles dad who want the best for his son</p>
<p>If you’re pointing your S toward the UCs then I would agree. I think the exclusive private HS benefits kids who want a leg up on the top private colleges like HYPS (if they are actually feeder schools).</p>
<p>IMHO the purpose of attending an elite high school is to get a “better” education among peers.</p>
<p>To me, “better” means more individual attention from a faculty whose primary interest is in developing young minds, and quite possibly a more challenging curriculum, in an environment that is most conducive to learning. Additionally, I would be looking for the school to be involved in personal development in character and ethics. </p>
<p>I’m not sure that the typical – or even elite – public high school can provide that sort of education.</p>
<p>I feel your pain! My kids both went to a private HS (not the same as yours) and yes, the grading is very different than what you find in the public schools. I was a bit worried about this for my son who had to follow a sister who was very academically strong. It turned out well for him, as it actually motivated him to work harder, and I know he learned more. He went from his public middle school as a mediocre writer and came out of high school a very strong one. We don’t regret it because of the education he received, and he was able to graduate with a 3.8 uw and did get accepted to the UCs he applied to (in at Berkeley and Regent’s at UCSB). He went to Pomona College in the end, and was very successful. Would he have done so well at Pomona had he not had the education he received at his private HS? Who knows.
But that’s really the issue, DD. While he may find the grading easier, he’ll also find the instruction, for the most part, less rigorous. It’s up to you to decide which is more important, and what will serve him better in the long run.</p>
<p>We would prefer for him to attend HYP, or Stanford. But it is harder for him to shine at his current prep high school. I was using the UC’s as an example of how GPA is looked at.</p>
<p>I realize that HYP school look at the high school profile, but I also understand human nature as well and how they react to transcripts… a straight A student at a public high school may look better than one from a private prep school with a few B peppered into his transcript…</p>
<p>It would be helpful to check out your school’s Naviance scattergrams. In our community, private hs GPAs tend to be lower than public hs GPAs, but colleges take that into account. I also think standardized tests (like SATs) are the great leveler, and can be very helpful in admissions for kids with lower GPAs.</p>
<p>If you are concerned about how students at various high schools do in UC admissions and as UC students (college GPA and graduation rates), you may want to check the following, although its most recent data is from 2008-2009 (so you have to back to fall 2002 enrollees to get full college graduation data):</p>
<p>I can assure you from experience that the highly selective schools understand that many top students do not get straight As at academically rigorous private high schools. My son went to an east coast boarding school and hardly any students had all As and were encouraged to stretch and take classes that they might NOT get an A in! There were many acceptances to highly selective colleges. </p>
<p>The key is getting the best education and being well prepared for whatever college you attend.</p>
<p>My kids all went to private HS. They were not self-motivated enough to do well in public school. (They also didn’t attend a UC or HYPS.) All of them felt that they were better prepared academically for college than many of their college classmates and were ultimately appreciative of their private HS experience.</p>
<p>Another option for your to consider would be a different private HS. Some are more hard core competitive than others. I think there is a difference in approach between a Harvard-Westlake, and a Chadwick or a Crossroads, for instance. Something to think about.</p>
<p>Yes his private high school offers a very challenging environment, with small class sizes and lots of options, etc… Of course there is the ‘sense of privilege’ that can be picked up on as well. It’s not really real world.</p>
<p>It’s just that sometimes we feel that this expensive school might actually hurt his admissions to HYP etc…</p>
<p>It also seems like, for the purpose of gaming the college admission system and preparing the student to do well in college, the “optimal” high school (if not a “favored feeder” school) would be one where motivated top students are sufficiently numerous that the school offers rigorous college preparatory (including honors/AP/DE/etc.) courses for them, while also having a large number of less motivated students so that the motivated top students can get the coveted top 1-2% class rank for the most selective private universities, and not have grade deflation that will worsen chances at schools like UCs that emphasize GPA. (This, of course, assumes that the student stays motivated and does not pick up slacker habits from the less motivated students at the school.)</p>
<ol>
<li><p>How good is the public school? See the UC Statfinder link in #8 to see how students there do in UC admissions and as UC students.</p></li>
<li><p>Are there other private schools under consideration?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>For most families, $35K per year on high school education is not possible. But, if you have the money, it might be worth it. Public high schools have serious problems in most areas because they are severly underfunded and the environment is such that teachers go through the motions. </p>
<p>Taking a kid form an exclusive private to a big city public, where he would encounter kids who may or may not eat 10 times a week, could be quite a shock for him. </p>
<p>The good news is that we have plenty of public resources in this country to build missles and planes and stuff. I thought that would make you feel better. It doesn’t matter how much you pay in taxes you still have to fund your own son or daughter’s education or deal with whatever gang members and zombie, burned out teachers your child encounters at the local high school. It gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling doesn’t it?</p>
<p>I totally agree that you should check Naviance if you are concerned about acceptance rates. My kids went to a school similar to your son’s, and the average accepted GPA’s from their school were: Harvard 3.79, Princeton 3.66, Yale 3.92, Stanford 3.73. So obviously, many accepted students had lower GPA’s. Many kids with GPA’s in the B+ range accepted to top 20, highly selective schools. Those schools absolutely consider the high school. Though the UC’s sound like a big machine, GPA + SAT is all that counts.</p>
<p>But you have so much more to consider than that. The end product of what you get is far more important that what college they attend. There are so many fine colleges, and your kid might not even be interested in HYPS, especially since by his graduation they will probably be down to a 2% acceptance rate!</p>
<p>Figure out if it is worth the money (regardless of college acceptances). That is A LOT of money, and though we ended up paying 25K/yr ourselves, we feel it was worth it. Don’t know if I’d pay 35K/yr, but it depends upon your finances. Is your son happy, challenged, motivated, hanging out with students who inspire him? Or does he feel like it’s just so much competition that he is miserable, and this is not the right situation for him? Are there other schools that he’d be happy at? What are the public and cheaper high schools like nearby?</p>
<p>I think top colleges like/expect students who don’t come from financially stressed backgrounds to attend at least strong high schools where there is a reasonable peer group to compare against and where college prep curriculum is offered. That said, I think it’s important for kids to stand out somewhere to get those coveted letters of recommendation where teachers can really gush about them. We always stuck with the public schools in our community - but ours were strong, and my D got to attend a small magnet 6-12 where the teachers knew her well and wrote strong letter for her.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry overly on GPA per se - but I’d worry if you feel like your student isn’t able to get the recognition and personal support they will need. Also - it depends on whether you student is really happy at that school and feels challenged and fulfilled there. Self confidence and personal accomplishment will translate into strong essays.</p>
<p>Our rule was always to stay with public schools unless and until they weren’t meeting her needs – and we didn’t reach that point. She got into the top LAC’s she applied to and I think would have been a decent candidate for HYP if that was the direction she had chosen. It wasn’t.</p>
<p>The only choices for public high school would be Uni High or Pali High in West Los Angeles. We were thinking about moving to Calabassas for the high school though.</p>
<p>Also, regarding another private high school, we would consider another one. If we did that then we would be moving in the same direction.</p>
<p>I am just getting the feeling that the private school ‘thing’ might be over rated. But of course we haven’t tried public either. In Los Angeles they seem to be loaded with illegal immigrants so that is bad…</p>
<p>I have a friend in LA. The D just graduated from one on the private’s mentioned in this discussion. While not thrilled with the cost, his D receievd an outstanding education and is headed off to her dream school (yes one of those that many mention in all of the discussions).</p>
<p>My D will be entering her sophmore year at an academically chellanging private school here. As a family, we wish we didn’t have to write the tuition checks but after a full year of witnessing the differences between public school (where the D attended for 8 years) and private school, this may be one of our best decisions as a family:</p>
<ol>
<li>Every student at D’s private school will attend college, its just a matter of where.</li>
<li>Time management is stressed and the studnts are instructed how to manage their time - what an early tool & of great benefit .</li>
<li>Writing is stressed across the curriculum. Every student is taught how to express themselves on paper.</li>
<li>Study habits and skills are taught and re-enforced by the faculty.</li>
</ol>
<p>No, D is not the class # 1 or #2, not even close. If she is in the top 25% it will be a result of hard work and a great achievement. </p>
<p>The skill set taught in 9-12 grade makes the academic transition to college easier. The schools college counseling office tracks year 12 individual and class GPA in freshman year of college. As a group, year 12 and freshman year GPA as a class are within 3-4 hundreths of a point. </p>
<p>Individual GPS vary, and as expected the top students GPA may slip a bit as they may attend academic powerhouses. What is more interesting; the GPA’s of the bottom 25% of the class rise significantly freshman year of college from grade 12.</p>
<p>I’m not so sure. When I look at the students that we knew from middle school who went on to our public high schools, only the tippy-top kids actually were admitted to an HYPS type school. These were the kids who were in the top math groups, sometimes two or three years ahead, and who also were very involved in the community, sports, drama, etc. In other words, I don’t think the kids who wind up being picked from the public were any different than the ones that got in from our private. These kids would have done equally well at our private hs. The “second tier”, so to speak- the kids with basically all As but who weren’t really the super stars, went to great schools, but not generally HYP. </p>
<p>If you feel that your son is unhappy at school, maybe there is another private option that would work better. I also would try to find colleges that you and your wife would feel good about your son attending that aren’t quite as difficult to get into as HYPS. That’s a whole lot of pressure for a kid, with any gpa.</p>