The title of this thread is pretty self-explanatory, but I created it to answer any qualms or questions you might have about the school. We know there are a lot of information about Groton on this forum but if you are seeking any updated information or can’t find what you are looking for, feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer or get you the answer.
As with all “Ask Me Anything” threads, all students/parents/alum/staff are welcome to chime in to answer questions.
Did your DC start as a freshman? If so, how was the integration of the 8th graders with all the new 9th graders? It feels like a drawback to my 9th grade DC that there is a chunk of kids who are old-timers already, compared to other schools’ 9th grade classes.
@Calliemomofgirls the grade 8 at Groton this year has 26 students and the grade 9 class has 85 students. If Groton keeps the same rations next year 2/3rd of the class will be new students for Freshmen. This said Groton is very welcoming of new students, our DC joined as a sophomore and within weeks was fully integrated into the school and had friends who had been there for 2+ years and a few that were new like him (DC did hang out with mostly new kids first few weeks), DC also has many friends in other grades mostly grade 11 and 12 as the grade 8-9 dorms are on the other side of Campus. Groton is a smaller school, it is very inclusive of all the students.
@Calliemomofgirls Groton grad here. The eighth graders are really excited to meet the new members of their form, and they’re a good resource to the newbies because they know how Groton rolls. I came in as one of three new sophomore girls, and on move-in day, a bunch of my formmates who were there for preseason came to my room just to say hi. Groton is small, and we were always excited to meet our new classmates.
Thanks for starting this thread.
I have seen much older threads on starting Groton 8th vs 9th grade and acceptance rates. Do you know if acceptance into 8th vs 9th grade last year (presumably the same for this coming year) is similar? I under the 8th grade class is much smaller but presumably less applicants.
Thanks @stargirl3! Did Groton feel too small by your senior year? (oh and it is it weird that I am fangirling that the CC-legendary stargirl has replied? :)) (jk) (kind of).
@Calliemomofgirls My friends and I were ready to leave by the end of senior year. Groton is small, but I wouldn’t say it felt too small. A teacher once said that that’s how it should be – by the end of it, we were ready to leave. (And no, not weird! )
In speaking with admission they told me that the number of applicants this year is very similar to last year. How this affects admission I have no idea.
As far as I know there is no acceptance rate broken down by grade and shared with parents. I’d apply to the grade appropriate for your child or have a direct conversation with admissions if you are flexible and want to know to which grade your child stands a better chance of getting an admission. From my conversations with all BS admissions offices, they are fairly straightforward and happy to answer questions.
@JJ2024 I don’t know if this is true or not and I don’t think anyone outside of admission would be able to tell you this. However all prep school admissions are judge on yields and try to make sure that has many people as possible accept their offer of attending the school. I also don’t think any school would admit you if you let them know they are your backup plan.
I will add that I think, if you live nearby, showing a lot of interest in a school is likely a boost to an otherwise good application. We went to a lot of games (winter sports although not my kids’ primary sports at the time) just to get a feel for the schools my kids applied to. I didn’t realize how much we were noticed until after kids were admitted.
3rd form appears to require 7 classes for at least part of the year. Is that correct? Assuming a 9th grade start, would there be the same 6-7 required course load for 10th grade due to the two year Latin/Greek requirement? Do most 11th and 12th graders similarly take more than 6 courses? Do some/many kids continue to take two languages in the upper grades (Latin/Greek and their modern language), or is that a rarity?
Most schools I am seeing have a 5+ course load, not a 6+. If Groton’s number of courses is indeed comparatively high, do you think there is proportionately less work per class and/or that Groton students probably do more work, on average, than students at other schools?
If you start in 10th you are exempt from the Latin requirement.
Starting in 8th/9th means two years of Latin and yes it means groton kids do more work than kids in comparable bs, Andover and Exeter included. 7 classes full year. There is absolutely NOT less work per class meeting than at other bs.
Older kids, at least seniors, sometimes drop down to 5 if they’ve fulfilled any art requirement.
@Pincite
Happy to help ?
I think the workload is out of control but the kids actually seem happy. I suspect that groton is nearing a tipping point with work and rigorous grading. Why go there when you can go to Exeter/Andover and have an easier time and just as good outcomes? I don’t know…
I understand Groton M10 decisions are given via their own school portal. Has anyone already received the link and login for this? We have not so not sure if this email comes on M10 itself or do I need to follow up with Admissions. Thanks.
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