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If you are referring to whether or not you should repeat a year at BS, there is already a thread for this here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1752307-applying-for-10th-grade-p1.html. It discusses the pros and cons of applying for 10th grade vs. applying as a repeat 9th grader. This advice can somewhat also be applied to if you are applying for 11th grade vs. applying as a repeat 10th grader.
Just advice for all the new folks, and Iâm repeating what others have been saying, but here goes:
I get the temptation to just immediately start a thread whenever a question pops into your head, and I was at that point a couple years back too, but youâd be a lot better served by scrolling through the first couple of pages before you post a new thread. A lot of the questions that people have are the same, which means more likely than not, youâll find the answer to your question somewhere in the forum. Making repetitive threads is helpful to absolutely no one and just clogs up the page.
@thelittleswimmerâ
Thanks for the help, the post helped me answer my question
@mrnephewâ
Iâll remember that for next time, thanks for the advice 
On the other hand, Mrnephew, sometimes things have changed over the years. Some of the older threads could be misleading because theyâre outdated.
On the topic at hand, if youâre coming to boarding schools from public schools, you should know that quite a few students are older for their grade than the public school norm. That has several reasons.
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Private K-8 schools often have competitive admissions. They are able to decline to enroll a child who is younger than their preferred entry age. Thus, while a child who is 5 in August might be able to enroll in a public kindergarten, at some private kindergartens, the parents might be encouraged to enroll their child in the following year.
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Students who change from public to private often have parents who feel the public has not prepared him or her adequately. When âchanging streams,â so to speak, itâs not uncommon for such parents to opt to have the child repeat a year. This isnât as bad as you would think, as the schools we know have had curricula at least a year ahead of the public school expectations.
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Maturity. Many parents shy away from sending an immature child (usually male) away for school.
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Sports.
Although parents often fear the students who are older than the norm will have an academic edge, I have not seen that among my childrenâs peers. In the first year, the child who repeats may have an advantage, if he or she is reviewing material, but that edge does not last. It may lead to a dreaded âdeclining trendâ of grades.
Drawback: An extra $50K.
@Periwinkle However, in this case, there is a already a new thread with the same overall idea that was started a few days ago. OP also said that he/she found the answers that he/she needed in that thread too. (This is the âApplying to 10th Gradeâ thread).
Just to clear up, @mrnephew suggested that OP
look through the first few pages before posting a new thread, not use the search tool.
Hereâs the main drawback I see: My kids were 17 when they graduated boarding school. At least one was really starting to feel stifled by all the rules and regulations by that time after 4 years there. As you progress through boarding school, you get more privileges like later check in, etc. but compared to kids who stay home and can drive cars, etc., BS starts to feel restrictive by the time you are a senior. Thatâs not an unhealthy thing - kids are ready to move on to the next step in life.
Due to repeating and when birthdays fall, my kids have had classmates that were 19 by the time they graduated, some just months from 20. I honestly cannot imagine my kids being happy socially at that age still in a high school/boarding school environment. I can see other reasons why families choose that path. I guess it depends on each studentâs circumstances and maturity level.
To play devilâs advocate, on the other side of that divide is the fact that college social life involves drinking. Colleges do not enforce parietals, nor do they attempt to keep the sexes apart. A student entering college at 19, almost 20, will be able to legally drink as a sophomore. A student entering college at 17 may never be able to drink legally at collegeâand may not be mature enough to stay out of trouble.
The majority of 4 year boarding school students are fairly mature by college time, or at least have a leg up on their public/private day school counterparts having done all the dorm life, living away from home stuff already, making decisions without mom and dad around. (Driving experience - not so much ) But good to hear a different perspective.
I agree with Periwinkle. I have found fresh thoughts on new threads of the same topic.