Boarding School Rankings.

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Got these rankings from an old thread and kind of modified them..what do you think? Is it accurate?</p>

<p>1
Phillips Exeter Academy</p>

<p>2
Phillips Academy Andover</p>

<p>3
St. Pauls</p>

<p>4
Deerfield Academy</p>

<p>5
Groton School
6
Choate Rosemary Hall</p>

<p>7
Lawrenceville Academy</p>

<p>8
Hotchkiss School</p>

<p>9
Milton Academy</p>

<p>10
Middlesex School
11
Concord Academy
12
Peddie School
13
Thatcher
14
Loomis Chaffee</p>

<p>15
Taft School</p>

<p>16
Cate School</p>

<p>17
St. Andrews</p>

<p>18
St. Mark's School</p>

<p>19
Westminster School</p>

<p>20
Emma Williard</p>

<p>21
Woodberry Forest School</p>

<p>22
Episcopal High School</p>

<p>23
Webb school (CA)</p>

<p>24
Miss Porter's School</p>

<p>25
Blair Academy
26
Mercersburg Academy</p>

<p>27
Asheville School</p>

<p>28
Hill School</p>

2

<p>I used average sat,SSAT,Acceptance rate,Matriculation, AP courses, Average class size,Endownment per student. However, focused mostly on the academic parts less on endownment per student.</p>

3

<p>No more ranking!! It means NOTHING in the long run.</p>

4

<p>This exercise is hair splitting, at best. Still, my one cent here on the Top Ten is as follows, for whatever it is worth (which is worth next to nothing, as are the other opinions here, IMHO): </p>

<ol>
<li>SPS</li>
<li>PA</li>
<li>PEA</li>
<li>THS</li>
<li>DA</li>
<li>Groton</li>
<li>L’ville</li>
<li>Milton</li>
<li>Choate

<ol>
<li>Middlesex</li>
</ol></li>
</ol>

<p>(Disclaimer: My son attends Hotchkiss and we are incredibly impressed and pleased with it.)</p>

5

<p>The rankings are sensible.</p>

6

<p>seriously people ranking mean nothing and either does picking a boarding school based on there past college matriculation, FYI schools cannot make students matriculate to IVY’s so stop looking to get into a school because of there college matriculation, that is a stupid reason and it will not get you anywhere, you pick a schools that feels right for you and one that you wont grow out of, stop making these stupid threads about rankings its meaning less</p>

7

<p>Agreed…Don’t rank schools - the ones that are the best are the ones that are the best for YOU!</p>

8

<p>Look, it seems everyone on here complains about rankings? Does it really hurt just to see which schools have the best stats? Please warrior, bamagirl, and billie, please just let them be. And to toombs, your rankings sound sensible, as thematrix said.</p>

9

<p>you cant really rank a schools on stats though because every school has different strengths and something that is important to one person may not be imporant to another for example- a school may have amazing sat’s scores but if you are more interested in going to a school that has a small boarding community the sat scores dont really have anything to do with a small school. another example is a school may have a very good university matriculation such as all there students go to IVY’s but you are looking for a school that offers alot of sports options the school that sends alot of kids to IVY’s may not have what you are looking for.
Essentially what i am trying to say is that you cant really rank a boarding school on what stats “you” think are important because though stats may not be important for someone else boarding school is very personal and it should “fit like your favorite sweater”. Some people may rank a school of SAT’s, SSAT’s, Matriculation, and Endowment, but another person may rank schools on campus, teachers, community, and athletics. they will rank it on what is most important to “them”.</p>

10

<p>Exactly. But you may not be able to rank a school by stats, but you can rank stats. Which is what they are doing. So just chill.</p>

11

<p>What Every Floats Your Boat I Guess.</p>

12

<p>Not only does every school have different stats, but you presuppose that low stats means the students don’t qualify for a top school, versus the school may emphasize a broader reach of colleges.</p>

<p>For instance, do we really think that a school is a lower tier if the students aim for Stanford? Cal Tech, U. Michigan?</p>

<p>I see so many people get their hearts set on such a narrow band of schools because it’s such a New England prep thing. But really - I have a kid going to Taft and frankly, she’s IVY league material now. Doesn’t mean she will want to go there.</p>

<p>So judge strength of academics (research, classroom observation, etc.) Look at their summer reading lists, the level of international and national service work, the number of certified teachers, the graduation rates, etc.</p>

<p>Stats are meant for people who are looking for an instant answer and little work on their own. SPS, PEA (my alma mater) and PA are hard schools, but look better on paper because discussions like this drive so many kids to the school the students are self-selecting (those who have already identified IVY’s as a goal) and makes the yields look even lower. It’s a self-serving, vicious cycle - but in the end, means little.</p>

<p>If you’ve got the “stuff” to get into an IVY and are accepted into any decent boarding school, don’t worry. If you don’t - no amount of HADES training will change that.</p>

13

<p>I agree with some of that, i know alot of kids from HADES school are IVY material but they choose to go to another college for the program that best fits there needs. But honestly speaking HADES can turn an average student into a IVY scholar in the 4 year program alot of schools have a way of molding and assimulating students into there programs and brining them up to there level.</p>

14

<p>I see what you’re saying, ExieMITAlum, but really- who has the “stuff” to go to an Ivy League at the age of 12?</p>

15

<p>

</p>

<p>You’d be surprised. By “stuff” I mean aptitude, proactiveness, development of their “raw material”, not necessarily coursework. Kids are already “on track” in one way or another - even in spotty schools because they have a knack for identifying unique opportunities and excelling at them.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>But that’s my point, HADES has become so selective they don’t take “average” kids - even if the admitted students think they are. Hence self-selecting and the BS process is self-fulfilling. </p>

<p>Compare that to a public school that has to take everyone that applies. Even then, a kid predisposed for an IVY tends to rise above the noise and the chaos - which is why looking at the IVY stats and seeing the predominant influx of public school students is life affirming.</p>

<p>And realizing that not every kid that goes to a boarding school is IVY material or even wants to be. Because it’s better to be happy at a college that fulfills all your needs, than one that fulfills only the need for prestige and name recognition. </p>

<p>Which is why stats are limited. A lot of other data to allow for full analysis of those stats is not reported - for a reason. It’s all about prestige and driving the students in bulk to a school that knows it will reject 90% of them. And it’s working right?</p>

16

<p>Exie you “claim” your 12 year old daughter has the “stuff” to get into an IVY keep on dreaming there buddy it aint going to happen, maybe you can say that when she is 16 or 17 but 12 years old not a chance.</p>

<p>And i didnt mean average as in plain or average i meant that they are able to get into a great BS but there not nessesarly IVY material not every student who goes to HADES is IVY “stuff”…</p>

17

<p>Hey guys,
I understand what you guys are saying, about rankings and all. Yes the school that fits you is the best, but their people who use rankings to see what schools fit them. Also there is a reason why people rank colleges, thats the same reason i rank prep schools. I mean i dont see any one yelling at u.s news or newsweek? I f you do not like it its fine…but to some its helpful</p>

18

<p>Kitan,</p>

<p>Not necessarily. The most disturbing trend is that I see parents pushing their children to consider schools based on stats rather than what fits them. When I was in school there were multiple suicide attempts for that reasons. Parents want what is perceived to be the best - not realizing that the school that might maximize their child’s potential may not be the one perceived to be the most popular or with the highest IVY matriculation stats. And despite saying schools want a diverse student body - stats are easy to manipulate by cherry picking students who are already on an IVY trajectory (i.e. doing activities that - if continued - fit an IVY profile).</p>

<p>On another thread a student is stressing out because a parent wants them to “load” up on specific classes. Which makes me wonder if the student picked the school because it was the best fit - or because it fulfilled a parent requirement.</p>

<p>See what I mean? Likewise, a lot of applicants on CC debate what school is better - some never having set foot on a campus and relying on data from other equally uninformed students.</p>

<p>Exeter, for instance, is a “you love it” or “you hate it” kind of place. Not much in between. So one poster will say they love it, another student will call it “Azakaban.” Some parents say it struck them as “cold.” Others will say they had a warm and fuzzy feelings.</p>

<p>So stats - like all math - can be manipulated to prove a specific point. A more interesting stat would be “how many applied and how many were accepted out of that pool?” If a school had a 30% matriculation to IVY or HYPM but a 100% application rate, that would mean 70% were rejected? Or chose not to go. And if the stats were broken down by percent who matriculated to BS from a private school, versus percent who matriculated to BS from a public school. OR % HYPM legacy.</p>

<p>See the difference. The internet started a feeding frenzy and at $50/student created application pools that are hard to sort through and hence a “sellers” market when there used to be more of a balance between buyers and sellers.</p>

<p>So that’s my points. Parents use stats to determine “fit”. But really its more to establish a dream goal for college. Because little in the stats tell about personality and day to day living - or classroom prowess.</p>

<p>I’ve also seen parents use boarding school stats hoping to “fix” their students or motivate them. To make an IVY eligible kid where the raw material doesn’t already exist. Those kids crash and burn. Some flunk or transfer or get kicked out. That doesn’t work either.</p>

<p>But to each his own. It’s kind of sad given that 80-90%, again, aren’t getting a shot regardless of the motivation, and good schools that are under-recognized go ignored - which gets worse because their yield is high and is interpreted as being “undesirable” or “easy.”</p>

19

<p>Most of the parents that only care about sending there kids to IVY’s are the typical “asians” who want there kids to attend IVY’s and become a doctor. These are the people who “only” look at the stats and do not do any in depth research of there own, good news is that this is becoming less and less typical because the parents are finding out how competetive these schools are getting and that they only accept a number of internationals from specific countrys.</p>

20

<p>i personally think rankings should be in accordance to the individual, not the general public</p>

<p>but for those that are so statistic heavy…here is a link to the Boston Magazines’s best private day/boarding schools in Massachusetts…you will find that when based on statistics, schools can be “ranked” in many different ways…</p>

<p>[Private</a> Schools Chart - Boston Magazine](<a href=“http://www.bostonmagazine.com/boston/private2009]Private”>http://www.bostonmagazine.com/boston/private2009)</p>