<p>How do you think Roxbury Latin compares academically to Milton, Nobles, and Belmont Hill?</p>
<p>Roxbury Latin is at the top of the ladder for the Boston area schools with those that you’ve mentioned. Anyone who doesn’t agree isn’t educated on the subject (I’m serious here). Along with BB&N, they sit at the top. I would put RL a half a step above Nobles, and maybe a quarter step above Belmont Hill and BB&N.</p>
<p>It’s hard to compare RL because of its uniqueness. Its size is drastically smaller than the others. It is also not as sports-minded as the others. It also does not have a lot of flexibility of courses either as it is a very advanced curriculum already.</p>
<p>Not sure BB&N sits at the top. I thought Nobles and Milton both have better matriculation data.</p>
<p>Puckmom: Milton, Nobles, BB&N and Belmont Hill are all very fine schools. But academically, or by most any quantatitive statistical matrix including admission selectivity, SAT scores, SSAT, ISEE scores, yield, college matriculation via PrepReview, National Merit recognition etc. etc., I would agree with AlexMac, Roxbury Latin is unquestionably stronger. IMHO, more than just a quarter or half step.</p>
<p>Also, while sports are not paramount at RL, sports are a very important part of the culture there. RL teams actually do quite well and are extremely competitive in most sports within the ISL. </p>
<p>There is wonderful data by a fellow CCer on matriculation data for these schools floating around the site. I’ll look for it and post it when I find it…</p>
<p>These are the college matriculation numbers. The numbers represent fine research work done by one of our form members and was, in general, highly beneficial to me. </p>
<p>Many of the ISL schools discussed above are included.</p>
<p>: Boarding School Stats : Matriculation Stats</p>
<p>Let’s try it again…sorry.</p>
<p>[Boarding</a> School Stats : Matriculation Stats](<a href=“http://matriculationstats.org/boarding-school-stats]Boarding”>http://matriculationstats.org/boarding-school-stats)</p>
<p>To give you an idea along with the matriculation stats to place a school is the SAT scores. They are the following:</p>
<p>Roxbury Latin-2180
Milton-2070
Belmont Hill-2040
BB&N-2040
Nobles-2020</p>
<p>I’d draw two (maybe 3) lines to separate them; one between Milton and Belmont Hill, and another between RL and Milton, and if you want to, one between BB&N and Nobles.</p>
<p>Straight from Roxbury Latin’s Home Page: Critical Reading 730, Math 760, Writing 750 for the class of 2011.</p>
<p>AlexMac: Pretty close between 2040 and 2020…not sure I’d draw lines of differentiation based upon that…however, what do you make of the matriculation data?</p>
<p>The matriculation data for the schools are a bit different. Here we see a clear-cut difference from RL and the rest. On literally every category, RL is at the top for the schools mentioned above. Granted, the Harvard relationship of RL’s factors into this, but still, 25% going to HYPSM (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, the generally agreed-upon cream of the crop) is just amazing.</p>
<p>Aside from that, we see BH lagging behind BB&N and Nobles in a lot of the categories, sometimes marginal, sometimes bigger (although I’d still put BH above Nobles overall). In terms of Milton, it’s tough because although the numbers are the same or slightly above, they are still, among overall ranking, rank higher than the day schools on the boarding school list (if that makes sense) for the most part.</p>
<p>I’ll also throw up some other Boston area day schools:</p>
<p>-Thayer Academy
-Boston University Academy
-Rivers School
-St. Sebastian’s
-Commonwealth School</p>
<p>BUA and Commonwealth are very non-athletic schools. And I mean very.</p>
<p>Thayer, Rivers, and St. Seb’s are part of the ISL, but are regarded as sort of at the bottom of the pack for the league.</p>
<p>BUA and Commonwealth both have amazing SATs and college matriculation. BUA’s 50% range is 2120-2340, and Commonwealth’s is equally high. Granted, the schools attract kids willing to forfeit competitive sports to attend.</p>
<p>I recently looked at BUA’s and Commonwealth’s website. I was extremely impressed. Their reading lists for English look phenomenal, the expectations in Math and Science are great, and they really seem to have amazing academics. They’re a little far for me to commute, but if they’re within commuting distance for you, you should consider them.</p>
<p>
Roxbury Latin is on another planet than Nobles and Belmont Hill. If I lived within commuting distance of West Roxbury, I would apply to RL in a heartbeat. I personally think it’s one of the best private schools in the country. However, it’s insanely hard to get in. The smartest kid I know got waitlisted. It’s especially hard for ninth grade because they only take 10 kids. If you want to get in, you should definitely apply for 7th, if possible.</p>
<p>As an incoming BUA student, I can answer anyone’s questions about the application process at either BUA or Commonwealth.</p>
<p>If I had to guess an acceptance rate for RL, it would be hovering around the 3-5 % mark, it’s that competitive.</p>
<p>I agree with Ifax 108 on BUA and Commonwealth are great places for the right students.</p>
<p>Alex: Not sure that I’m putting Rivers at the bottom of the ISL anymore. They are gaining every year in stature. My vote goes to Lawrence Academy.</p>
<p>The RL acceptance rate is very low (Petersen’s ranks it the most difficult school to gain admissions in the country at 14% in 2009). Nobles was around 20%, Belmont Hill 35% and I am not sure about Milton and BB&N (although my guess is that they fall in between Nobles and BH). Groton and St Paul’s are other ISL schools with very low acceptance rates (both are mostly boarding). 2011 was a particularly competitive year as Roxbury Latin brought in only 56 new students to the school and acceptence figure was the lowest in school’s history which makes it under 14%, by how much, I don’t know. Acceptance into the 9th grade is more difficult but 7th grade is off the charts competitive as well. </p>
<p>Botton Line: Roxbury Latin is a wonderful school but have a plan B (for backup) when applying : )</p>
<p>As the parent of a recent BUA grad, I can also answer questions about it.
RL is a great school, but it is not a fit for everyone. Boys who are not willing to spend a lot of time in the standard set of school sports will not be happy. It’s very small, it’s single sex and it is quite traditional. There are a lot of very , very bright boys who just don’t fit there which is part of the reason for the low admissions rate.
BUA is a long commute for many of the kids, but there are some ways to make it easier.</p>
<p>Colonel: Haha me too. LA’s rep is getting worse from already lousy to excrutiating. The ban for the defending champs in football is part of that. Rivers is at the bottom of the schools listed, but at the bottom of the middle in the ISL. True, they’re getting better, but the Weston location means, at least from what I see, some snobby kids there. The only real reason why I’d go there now is there music program/conservatory. It is simply remarkable for what they are able to do with the surrounding colleges for some private lessons. Rivers’ academics are average I guess.</p>
<p>nemom- respectfully, based on this post and others that I have read from you on cc, you really don’t seem to have as sound of a grasp on the RL culture as you think. In many of your posts, you refer to RL as “not being for everyone” and being all about “fit.” Well, that can be said about any school, right? Also, in a past post, you have incorrectly stated that RL admissions people direct RL students to the most prestigious colleges possible which btw, could not be further from the truth. Now, you have drawn a relationship with RL’s extremely low acceptance rate (13-14%) and “very bright boys who just don’t fit.”</p>
<p>RL’s low acceptance rate is simply because there are more boys who want to attend (apply) than there is space for them at the school (admitted). In fact, recently (2007), RL had the highest yield (91%) of any private school in the country (Andover is second with 73.8% and then Exeter third at at 68.7%). This wide gap from RL to other schools further signifies that those who apply to RL DO very much want to attend RL over other private schools. So if the applicants and their parents don’t feel that “fit” is the issue why should you? </p>
<p>Perhaps you are trying to justify to yourself a past RL admission decision?</p>
<p>Colonel,
I am not trying to justify a past RL decision. My son is a graduate of BUA which was a fit. RL would not have been.
There are more applicants than slots at just about every school. RL does have a particularly high yield, and I have no doubt that nearly all the boys who attend really want to be there. Their slightly unusual admissions process (assuming it hasn’t changed recently) probably improves yield a bit by helping families decide, before applying, whether RL would be a good place for their boys. That’s a good thing. I believe their very generous financial aid may help too - I suspect that RL almost never fails to meet need - something not every school can do. ANd that’s great too.
I’m not sure what to make of your comment about college admissions. I think RL has an excellent college admissions staff. RL sends a lot of boys to well known schools. What’s wrong with that?
That being said, my point is simply that RL has a very strong and very particular culture. I know quite a few boys who all have the intelligence and drive and morals to succeed at the level RL requires, but who just don’t fit there. Some applied and did not get in. Quite a few more did not apply, after taking a good long look at the school. Parents who are just starting to look at schools, and who tend to just line up the numbers, then blindly assume that rigor is the only criteria need to think again. That’s not all there is to prep school.
I, do, in fact, have a pretty sound grasp on RL’s culture. I’ve visited, talked to various current and past teachers, parents and students. There are some current students who I knew quite well in their earlier days. I’ve even read Jarvis’s “With Love and Prayers”. And, on the whole, I like RL. In some alternative reality, with a gender change, I should have loved to have gone there.
Certainly I mean no offense - I’m sorry!</p>
<p>nemom- no offense taken and no apology necessary. I am glad that your son found BUA. It is truly a wonderful school and it sounds like he choose wisely. Also, your gender change angle is an interesting one for female applicants. I wonder if that would qualify as a “hook?” : )</p>
<p>Thanks for your response.</p>