<p>Can anyone give me recommendations for the reputations and rankings of private schools near Boston? I am specifically interested in the reputations, acceptance rates and how well students like the school, of the following places:<br>
Belmont Hill School, Middlesex, BB&N, Nobles and Greenough, St. Sebastians, and Rivers.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>Nobles and Greenough is fantastic athletically.
I don't know much about the other schools.</p>
<p>Nobles acceptance rate is really low.
I hear that St. Sebastians is really great</p>
<p>What about Milton?</p>
<p>hellosunshine: Milton is too far from our house, unfortunately</p>
<p>It looks like you are considering schools in the ISL. Both of my sons applied to many of these same schools so I have some experience with them.
BB&N and Rivers are the only 100% day schools on your list--Nobles and Belmont Hill have a small boarding population(I think they have an option to board 5 days per week). All are fine schools, if you look at Boston Magazine rankings, BB&N would come out on top academically, closely followed by Belmont Hill and Nobles. I am not sure about Rivers as we did not look at it for my sons.</p>
<p>Belmont Hill is a boys school and very much a "jock" school in my experience
St Seb's is also an all boys school, catholic and definately a tier or 2 below academically from BB&N and BH. Sebs also has a "jock culture"</p>
<p>All these schools have low acceptance rates--will you be applying for finanacial aid ? In my experience BB&N is the most generous of all these schools aid-wise. Seb's does not give much aid at all.</p>
<p>You may also want to consider Commonwealth School and Boston University Academy. Both are outstanding academically.</p>
<p>Afan: I don't think eiher Commonwealth nor BU Academy would be a good fit for my son. He is very athletic and would enjoy a different environment.</p>
<p>momof2sons: Do you have any thoughts on BBN? It doesn't seem to get the high marks the other schools get, including St. Sebs, in terms of a place kids love being at.</p>
<p>Roxbury Latin School.</p>
<p>Your son could have strong academics and athletics at any of these schools. I don't know how you would measure "how well students like the school," other than if a lot of students were choosing to leave and I don't think that is a problem at any of them. At any school there will be kids who feel more at ease with the culture than others. A few potential happiness mis-matches could be if you live far from where many of the students do, or if your son ends up at a boys school and would prefer coed (or possibly the reverse), if he enters at a year when friendships are already cemented, or if the school feels too liberal or conservative for your son and family. I am not familiar with the notion of kids not being happy at BB&N. </p>
<p>To clarify what an above poster said, actually all of these schools are day schools except Middlesex. The small schoolweek boarding programs at a couple of the schools do not give them a boarding school culture. Except for Middlesex all of these schools start before high school and take a lot of their students in the middle school grades. Admissions will be competitive at all of them. Some of the schools may ask your son to apply to repeat a grade if he is on the younger side. </p>
<p>At all of these schools there are some students who are very strong academically and some who would be in the middle of their public schools. I agree that St. Sebs has the reputation of having a less academically talented student body on average. It has a strong Roman Catholic culture. For athletics it depends on your son's interests. For example, BH and Nobles offer a broader range of sports, while Rivers focuses more on the "big" sports.</p>
<p>I would not take the Boston Magainze rankings seriously. They change drastically every time.</p>
<p>These are all fine schools and, as always, what is most important is the right fit between the student, family and school. To that end, here's my take for what it is worth -- Belmont Hill and St. Sebs are indeed all boys and fairly traditional in their approaches although BHS is much stronger academically. Both have excellent athletic programs. ST. Sebs is Catholic and requires religious education although you certainly don't have to be Catholic to attend. Belmont Hill has one of the best headmasters in the business.
Middlesex is primarily a boarding school; it has Saturday classes and while it does have some day students, the schools runs as a boarding school. I do know kids who have been very happy there as day students tho. It is strong both academically and athletically and has a lovely campus (they all do!).
Nobles is a great school - on the preppy side for sure, strong emphasis on athletics but also academics. Kids there tend to be very happy on the whole - especially if they kind of "fit the mold." Visit and you'll see.
Rivers is a school that has changed enormously in the last 10 years and is now becoming much stronger both academically and athletically (their teams have done exceptionally well recently) and it is now as competitive in terms of admissions as the others although that was not true in the past. It has a suburban location and is smaller than the others.
BB&N is very intense academically, has an urban campus with a great new building. They are working on building their arts programs. Kids who enjoy the city love walking to Harvard Square.
Most important is to visit and get the sense of each school and to talk with those who have attended. Good luck!</p>
<p>More comments on BB&N--yes, it can be an academic pressure cooker--however, with one son graduated and one entering I have actually been pleasantly surprised at the supportive/nuturing climate and availability of academic support. They really do want you to succeed. The arts are quite strong there--the new arts wing is gorgeous! Sports are quite competive but there is a sport for all--you don't need to be a super jock to make a team and succeed. Most kids I know are very happy there</p>
<p>The student body is fairly diverse both ethnically and socio-economically---their financial aid department is the most generous of the ISL schools in my experience</p>
<p>And as simom said---you can't beat the location--down the road from Harvard Square, the Charles river at your doorstep</p>
<p>Very helpful.
Question: Does being a day student at Middlesex, and not living nearby (20 minutes away), mean a less enjoyable experience?</p>
<p>Also, in terms of college placement, do you have a sense of how these schools stackup?</p>
<p>My child is a very strong golfer, and plays baseball and basketball. Do any of these schools have much of a golf program?</p>
<p>I don't think living 20 minutes from Middlesex would be a problem. Golf is an ISL sport and I believe of the schools you mentioned, all but Rivers have teams. Typically, the teams are varsity only and have small rosters.</p>
<p>BB&N has a golf team and typically end up fininshing very strong in the ISL in baseball. Basketball is strong too</p>
<p>I would recommend contacting coaches at the school(s) your child is interested in. They can fill you in on the details of their programs and if strength in their sport will work in your child's favor in terms of admission</p>
<p>Sounds like you have a son or daughter at BBN. How have you found the school in terms of homework load, sense of community and overall culture? I know it's an elite school, but compared to Belmont Hill, St. Sebs, and Nobles, to name a few, I hear far less positive comments about "quality of life," and a sense of a welcoming community. We live very close to the school and my child is very academic, but is used to a school environment with a very warm and traditional culture. Frankly, it's been a joy to be a part of it. </p>
<p>Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Yes, my eldest is a BB&N grad and youngest will be entering this fall.</p>
<p>Homework load: 9th, 1oth grade --about 2-3 hours a night, 11th-12th there will be 3-4 hours a night. Expect more during exams, or if a long term assignment is due. There is no homework assigned over religious holdidays or vacations which is quite a change from our local public school. It is nice to have a Thanksgiving or December break with no project or homework looming over the family</p>
<p>Culture-wise--I would say it is quite liberal politically. I find the school pretty diverse from a socio-ecomonic point of view. There is some elitism, but I think you will find that at any private school. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the peers of my son's parents were not only physicians, lawyers, CEOS, but also many, many teachers, police officers, nurses, secretaries. Our family is solidly middle class --we were welcomed by all. My eldest found a nice group of friends with roots in all walks of life---much different than his experience at public school which was more cliquish.</p>
<p>When my eldest entered, I was concerned about the academic pressures--There are many bright students at BB&N and many for whom the goal of an Ivy education is paramount. My son is a pretty laid back kid who is happy getting Bs and having alot of fun versus studying till the wee hours of the morning to get an A. He was supported and nutured by the faculty in a way that I did not expect. The relationship the student and parents develop with faculty, especially the faculty advisor is intimate and they truly will have your child's best interests at heart.</p>
<p>Visit the school and speak with the faculty and current parents...you may be pleasantly surprised</p>
<p>Good luck</p>
<p>B.B.and N has become a football powerhouse in the ISL over the past four years. Baseball was already the premier program producing numerous college level players in all divisions. Nobles is much smaller and dominant in girls’ sports. The academic pearl remains Roxbury Latin. By far the most selective of all the independent day schools this all male bastion of excellence across the spectrum stands all by itself at the pinnacle. Lesser places such as Rivers and Thayer battle with St. Sebs for the remaining wannabees from the affluent burbs.</p>
<p>“I agree that St. Sebs has the reputation of having a less academically talented student body on average. It has a strong Roman Catholic culture.”</p>
<p>Love how those sentences are strung together! Gee, do you suppose there’s a correlation there?! Oh those Catholics have such second-rate minds…pffft.</p>
<p>Oh, mom of 2, did you say “definAtely”!!! How can I take you seriously now?..</p>
<p>While I agree that BBN does offer good academics, athletics, and arts programs, it’s distinguished mostly by its athletics. Although it is a great school, I wouldn’t say the academic pressure there is the most intense compared to some schools that get mentioned here. The amount of work MomofaKnight mentioned seems to confirm this (at least to me.) In terms of private day schools, I’d say that Rox Latin is most definitely the most academically-inclined (can’t think of a better word) institution. </p>
<p>And yes, politically, it’s very liberal. No surprise there–it’s in the Peoples’ Rep. of Cambridge.</p>