<p>Nobles is pretty good when it comes to ISL ivy league matriculation, but I believe SPS has got the title when it comes to the ISL. But in terms of only MAssachussetts, Nobles is up there.</p>
<p>There are a lot of flaws in the system. Schools which did not provide SATs are ranked unnaturally low. I suspect there is some inaccuracy in the SATs as well since one school reported that their average for all three sections was exactly 700 which seems rather unlikely.
Boston University Academy, as previously noted, is down-ranked because of the lack of AP classes. But , consider that the average BUA junior takes four one semester college courses, and the average BUA senior takes six.
The ranking also merely considers the number of sports offered without regard to which league or leagues a school is part of.
So, if you are just starting to look, this listing will tell you a few things, but take it all with large grains of salt.
The best school is the school that works for you.</p>
<p>Kudos to nemom for that post. I couldnât agree more.</p>
<p>The danger inherent in rankings is that attempting to assign a score to each school is turning something completely subjective into something objective. How much one enjoys and gains from his or her high school experience has little to do with the average SAT score of the institution or how high the endowment is - itâs the intangible things that itâs just not possible to quantify with statistics. Boston.com simply isnât able to rank schoolsâ enjoyment factors, notable alumni, or impact on studentsâ lives, so it does the only thing it can objectively do - score schools based on hard statistics. And, surprise surprise, statistics alone donât (or shouldnât) satisfy anyone in the market for a new school.</p>
<p>Thanks Tom. Iâll add that the head at BUA says âItâs like trying to say which ranks higher - red or blue.â It does take some work to judge the rigor of a school, but some time spent looking at information generally available on school websites generally does the trick. Boston Magazine did some research, yes, but not very much. Families can do more and better.</p>
<p>LangdonCarson said: " . . . it appears to me that they have done a bit of research before they posted statistics . . "</p>
<p>They were too lazy to do the research . . . if theyâd opened one book - Peteresenâs 2010 prep school review - they would have information they listed as ânot availableâ </p>
<p>For example, in that book Roxbury Latin has 14 AP courses listed and they provided RLâs median SAT results. I guess they didnât have 5 minutes to spare . . .</p>
<p>Kei</p>
<p>Published here [Private</a> Schools Chart - Boston Magazine](<a href=âhttp://www.bostonmagazine.com/boston/private2009]Privateâ>http://www.bostonmagazine.com/boston/private2009)
BB&N now is #5.</p>
<p>It is somewhat baffling that they refuse to give a corrected ranking to RL, even though they have new SAT and financial aid data listed now.</p>
<p>Weâre looking at private day schools for our son now for 9th grade and Iâm totally confused.
Our list that we can âget toâ from where we live is: Nobles, Milton, BB&N, Rivers, Concord
and Belmont Hill. Visited St. Sebâs open house and did not like it. Our son is academic and likes school; not a nerd, but not a jock either. Looks like some schools only offer varisty or junior varsity sports. Schools such as Commonwealth and BUA and Newman look interesting, but getting into Boston and back every day would be difficult from where we are. Any thoughts on the schools Iâve listed above. Definitely want to avoid any schools that put the focus on sports. TIA.</p>
<p>Also, one more thing. Isnât St. Markâs in Southborough pretty much a boarding school? I thought I read the ratio was 80% boarding, 20% day. Is that about right? We have avoided including it in the mix for that reason. In addition, somebody said donât even try Roxbury Latin for ninth grade because there are next to no spots available. True?</p>
<p>FellsMom -</p>
<p>Yes, they did not re-rank Roxbury Latin, and they didnât correct the # of AP courses by doing whjat used to be called âreportingâ: checking sources, like Petersenâs or the schoolâs handbook.</p>
<p>Itâs unclear why they revised the information yet did not re-rank; it does seem odd that they are OK with leaving a school ranked #26 that has the highest SAT scores, among the lowest tuition, and fairly high financial aid . . . not to mention more AP courses than listed here.</p>
<p>Kei</p>
<p>labbydog said: âIn addition, somebody said donât even try Roxbury Latin for ninth grade because there are next to no spots available. True?â</p>
<p>RL expands the classes in 9th grade by 5-10 students, and there also may be attrition. If you think the school might fit for your child it might be worth a call to Admissions to learn more about the school and gth size of admits to 9th grade over the last few years. </p>
<p>Also, in re: transportation to Boston. I know for RL there are carpools that draw from the region, and public transportation works for many, too.</p>
<p>Kei</p>
<p>RL is a tough place to get into. That being said, if your son is the right sort of kid, it is certainly worth at least a look-see. Go to the open house. Iâll note that ,unlike some schools, you (at least a few years ago) must apply before getting a private tour (which comes with a test and interviews).</p>
<p>I say that the magazine ranked BUA way too high and I know I am not in the minority in thinking this! Experience speaks!</p>
<p>I think BM was fair when they placed a n/a in the AP column for BUA. BUA offers no AP courses, they do not follow the college board curriculum and they do not prepare you for the AP test. Everyone knows BUAâs niche of offering BU courses and it is something unique to them. High School Freshman can take AP courses, but on average, BUA allows Juniors to begin Uni courses and only in RARE instances are Freshman, Sophomores and 1st semester juniors taking Uni classes. BUA used to be more flexible. It appears that someone at BUA is trying to turn it into another exclusive prep schoolâHA!</p>
<p>Iâd like to amend and correct my previously posted message: What I meant to write was that AP courses are offered to freshman at other schools, but at BUA it is rare for a Freshman or a sophomore to take a college level course at BU----therefore, I do not think that BM should have given them equivalent credit for offering BU courses in lieu of APs. They are just too stingy regarding WHEN these Uni courses can be studied. I hope this is more clear.</p>
<p>I love the deliberate shock value magazines try to create in order to sell copiesâand Iâm not talking just about the snub of Andover. Any magazine that tries to rank Montrose, Waring and Lawrence Academy ahead of Deerfield (and add Rivers, Thayer, Walnut, Cushing and Worcester above RL) doesnât deserve to be taken seriously, and we are all creating a semblance of legitimacy by even discussing this.</p>
<p>Nearly all BUA first semester juniors take two university courses. A few take three.
It is rare for freshman and sophomores to take university courses, but it does happen - probably on the order of 1 or 2 kids in each grade, each year.
BM is accurate in indicating that BUA kids donât take AP courses or many AP tests. They would generally be prepared for AP exams in some areas, but not in others. The BUA freshman physics class is a non-calculus course, so students are not prepared for the AP physics exam. Kids who have taken calculus at BUA will be prepared for the AP calc AB or BC , depending on how much calculus they take. Other APs will vary.
BUA kids would not , in general , be able to rack up a dozen AP credits. However, they often do have 10 one semester course credits in 100 to 500 level classes.</p>
<p>BBN no. 5 using correct data:</p>
<p>Boston Magazine Corrects its âBest Schoolsâ Rankings
In its November issue, Boston Magazine published a correction to its ranking of private schools two months prior. The magazine cited reporting error in its usage of incorrect information for BB&N Upper School in three categories of its rating chart: student-teacher ratio (5.6 to 1 is the correct ratio); financial aid percentage (29%); and SAT scores (aggregate 2040). The magazine had also used incorrect data in the categories of average class size (11.2) and number of college counselors (4). </p>
<p>âWhen the correct data were input,â wrote Boston Magazine in its correction, âBB&Nâs overall ranking for excellence among private schools rose from 27 to 5.â</p>
<p>^^^^^^^^^^^^^</p>
<p>Call me when the finish correcting all the schools :-)</p>
<p>That said, BB&N is a high quality school that was dissed by bad reporting.</p>
<p>Kei</p>
<p>Itâs a shame that BMâs irresponsible and shoddy reporting and research caused BB&N and RL their legitimate ranking. At least they corrected BBNânow place RL where it belongsâŠsomewhere in the top 3, move Andover up a notch or 2 or 3⊠and then move everyone else below #5 down 2 places. Okay, that looks a bit betterâŠbut what about Montrose, Waring andâŠummâŠmaybe we need to start from scratch.</p>
<p>Even though the rankings were VERY problematic, I remember receiving a Open House postcard from Commonwealth School a couple of months back that claimed the school as ranked #1. I was not sure if another school would brag like this if it was so ranked (or misranked?). Anyone had this experience before? I have heard that Boston Magazine publishes ranks every few years.</p>