Boston Area Private Day Prep Schools

@yuor28 - there are some 6-12 or 7-12 schools you could consider, along with K-12. Beaver Country Day starts in 6th. Sports are required (as at most private schools), but there is a variety of activities besides sports.

Beaver Country Day in Chestnut Hill is a great option, heavy into STEM, and arts. 6th-12th.

Regarding Nobles, a friend (who is one of the most down to earth people I know) lives in the area and friend’s entire family (siblings, spouse, kids) all attended some of the schools mentioned above as well as others frequently discussed in this forum, told us the school was filled with snooty, newly wealthy people who aspire to climb the social ladder. This does not affect the high quality of the education this school provides, however. I am one to make up my own mind about things, but since I trust this person implicitly we took his/her comments into consideration. This would not have been a good fit for us. To be fair, one would have to come to one’s own conclusions about the school after a visit.

This is a great thread ! @applehoney Thank you for starting this much needed thread !

@vwbug25 Yep, I’ve heard the same. But that doesn’t mean your kid wouldn’t find a great group of friends and do well there academically. My issue with the perception you mentioned had to do with there being a split in the community between the kids. It seems like the 7th grade entrance means those kids are “that” group and the later 9th graders round out the class with academics and sports so the overall picture is positive. Things to consider but everyone has to figure if this rings true.

@yuor28 That might limit his options somewhat. Only a handful of schools accept that age range. Also, what if he develops an interest in middle school that isn’t highly regarded ( or available) in his high school? I’d also consider that attending the same school for 6 years might not allow him to “redefine” himself in high school. My kiddo is really looking forward to meeting new people and “mixing it up” in high school. I totally get why you would not want to change schools, however. Makes it easier in many ways.

Our current school has middle school, I am just not too fond of it…So we are planning on trying to apply for other middle schools…if he does not get accepted - then he’ll stay in our middle school and try again for high school

To answer your question, here are the reputations:

Nobles - heavy sports culture, country club set, “kids drink protein shakes”, eventual MBAs
BBN - beehive of energy across classes, sports and extracurriculars, “kids drink coffee”, eventual PhDs/wide range
Concord - poets, actors and songwriters, personalities, “kids smoke pot”, eventual teachers, authors and journalists

Around Boston, Nobles is the most socially impressive brand of the three (right up there and just slightly behind Milton and Winsor/RL), but I wouldn’t send my kid to Nobles unless exceptional at sports, otherwise they will be at bottom of social ladder.

BBN is also seen around Boston as an elite school and feels the closest to “a classic high school experience on steroids”. Add some international students via Harvard faculty kids. That’s where I’d send my kid out of those three, but it all comes down to fit.

Concord is the least sports-driven and probably a shade less academically stressful than BBN or Nobles. A good place to bloom for kids who are sensitive to life and feelings.

Agree I’d pick BBN if I were picking a day school. Maybe even have a closer look at Winsor in hindsight. My daughter was accepted to BBN as a day student but eventually chose Choate. I have to disagree that Noble is the most socially impressive. We live in an affluent town west of Boston. Even in our town, Noble is not at all considered impressive among the day schools. Roxbury Latin, Winsor, BBN would top the list.

@bostdad2 You nailed it. OMG, spit my coffee out laughing.

very helpful, thank you!

@applehoney Please report back on your decision and your impressions after re-visit day. I always say one makes their own happiness so I believe your student could be happy at either of these schools. However, CA has always been considered more artsy and Nobles more sporty. I don’t know enough about BB&N. I think they have a new Head of School. It is also the only one with elementary school so I assume many of these kids have been together a long time.

I have gotten into BB&N and will post after my revisit day.

bostdad2 – nailed it… how would you or anyone compare Middlesex and Rivers for a 9th day student?

A few differences-
Middlesex is more academically intense.
Middlesex is predominantly boarding, Rivers is all day. That can make a big difference in the student’s experience and how much time they spend on campus. For instance, you’ll find international and out of state students at MX but not at Rivers.
Rivers starts in 6th so an incoming 9th grader will find that a portion of the class already knows each other. 9th is a major intake years so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue. MX starts in 9th so the whole class will be new.
Middlesex has Saturday classes, Rivers does not. At both schools varsity athletes will have Saturday games.
When we went for a revisit at Rivers many years ago there was little racial diversity. That may have changed over the years, but the population they’re drawing from (the wealthy western suburbs of Boston) is predominantly white.

My youngest is a total and complete non-athlete. The likes of Concord Academy or Cambridge School of Weston are the types of school that pique our interest. Looking for solid academic experience in Greater Boston with perhaps a less traditional slant. While an artsier community could work, we are looking more for an ABSENCE of super athletic culture-- no offense intended btw, as I have another child who is a 2-sport athlete. Cross-posted so forgive me if you are seeing this in multiple locations!

@grotonhopeful, you might want to check out the Commonwealth School and Beaver Country Day as well.

Visited Nobles, and was pleasantly surprised to see the incoming/accepted students clearly very diverse… seems like a break in the pattern of years past- might be connected to the new head of school… Sort of breaks up the country club scene we were hoping to avoid. That being said, DD loved the academics, but still could sense a cliquey atmosphere at first blush… jury is still out as she will visit CA and BBN over the next few days…

@applehoney - Remember, just because they accepted a diverse group, doesn’t mean that will be the group that ultimately enrolls. I would definitely also consider the makeup of the enrolled students.

@grotonhopeful - CSW definitely has a lack of athletic culture. Some of their teams are combined with CHCH because they can not come up with enough kids to field teams on their own.
CA has its share of athletes, but it’s my understanding that athletics are kept in perspective. They don’t have a hockey team or heavily recruit for basketball, which is almost heresy in New England. They play in a pretty non-competitive conference. I’m sure a non-athlete would have no trouble fitting in.

@grotonhopeful
Boston University Academy has no sports requirement- just PE once a week for 9&10 grade. Very academic and everyone takes some BU classes in 11th & 12th.

Commonwealth is very academic, also a bit artsy (required arts and required sports but low key sports school).