Also, not sure why Avenues gets a bad rep about being expensive. Aren’t many other nyc private schools charging similar tuition? They do charge more but only marginally. In our experience, majority of the private schools in nyc charge significantly more than private schools in other parts of the country.
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I know I just advocated for letting them have heavy input on the decision, so it may seem contradictory to say this, but they can’t know now what they will want in 3 years time, especially when they are staring at a leaving transition. They might be right- and be ready to head back west asap! - but short listing schools where it is an option to convert from day to boarding leaves room for a different perspective down the road.
Masters is worth a look any way: they are only MS/HS, w ~30% boarding; very handy to NYC, and I have heard great things about their new(ish) Head. It flies under the radar on CC (except the fencing threads!), but the teachers I know rate it very highly.
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I would add Bronxville to this list too.
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We actually liked Bronxville more than the other areas we have visited. But it doesn’t seem like finding a rental home there is easy, not to mention we are inclined towards private school.
I’m not making a judgment about the cost. I found the documentary fascinating for many reasons, one of those being how bright and articulate the students interviewed are.
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As a kid whose family moved in high school, having a boarding option isn’t bad. There are a number of families ecery year who switch from day (whoch they chose very intentionally) to boarding. What you and your kid may see as unfathomable at 12 or 14 may feel very different when you have greater insight into the environment.
Btw, I would give much greater credibility to the families at the school than outsiders. In my own experience, many of the things “outsiders” have shared with me about both the BS and LAC DS attended have been just flat out wrong. Maybe outdated, maybe distorted, but just incorrect. A good question to ask is “do you know anyone who has left and why?”
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To the folks who are suggesting public schools, does anyone strongly feel that a local public middle school is hands down better academically than Avenues ?
yes good question, I know several public high schools that are better regarded, but not sure about middle schools
If it helps would add Leman Manhattan to your list. Its also a for profit school like Avenues. It has a growing international student body/network due to its NY boarding program (Avenues for one expanding to Miami and adding boarding option) that starts in the 9th grade. So if your kid doesn’t want to move again it is a decent option for high school.
Thinking is that if you don’t have access to the legacy tippy top schools in NY due to relocation timing/admission hoops/waitlists etc, you may want to give your kid a diverse international network. Its the future beyond the old/trusted prep schools (skate where the puck will be kind of thing)! Your downside is limited, most schools at the $60k/year rate will give decent academics/top 50 college admissions either way.
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I know that there are a lot of excellent public schools out there at all levels. And many are in the NJ, NY, and CT suburbs of NYC.
I also know that most tend be more rigid in terms of where a new student is “tracked”, sometimes having caps of class numbers or requiring prereqs which a new student cannot meet. They do this for good reason, and when most students march through the system k-12, it can make good sense. It can also create true placement challenges to students moving in from out of district.
Private schools, if for no other reason than “we are not paying $60,000 for you to make my kid repeat a year of xyz”, tend to be more accommodating. For families that move with some frequency, this can be really helpful. They may also be more helpful when the family moves away again.
Depending on circumstances, employers may pick up school fees, so the considerations may be different. In any case, it sounds like the OP prefers private (even if others of us would face the decision differently. )
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A contrarian view: Instead of Scarsdale and Bronxville, you may want to consider Edgemont or Pelham if you prefer a smaller public school environment and a good transition from MS to HS. Good programs overall but the Pelham varsity/JV sports are good (ice hockey, LaX, FH, soccer, etc.) and academics are excellent at Edgemont. If you are looking for a bigger and more diverse MS/HS environments, there are many other options in Westchester. Big consideration is whether you intend to stay through HS (including the junior year).
Some middle schools allow advancement, mostly in math. Our school system allows advanced math up to three years ahead if the child is appropriate. So 8th graders can be advanced up to pre calculus honors and I have heard even of AP calculus. For other classes, there is less room for advancement but they are prepped well for honors levels in high school. I am sure it is the same in other highly ranked public schools in the area.
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Ours, in NJ, made this exceedingly difficult for kids who hadn’t follwed their progression (and for ones who wanted to accelerate it.) Both it and the high school have won national awards. It really varies by district. Never said this is the case everywhere.
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I would hope that private schools make sure that kids can handle acceleration, otherwise it is useless and results in kids who are years ahead in math but dont understand anything
Since you are looking to move to a rigorous school in 1-3 years, I would do Hackley. I suspect the college exmissions for Avenues are influenced by the significant wealth of families at the school.
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I expect the same will be true at Hackley as well as the high end public schools districts. That topic has been discussed in depth on a very recent thread so no reason to pursue it here. Prep schools and matriculation to elite universities
I wasn’t “pursuing” the topic, so I don’t see the reason for that comment. While of course there are ultra wealthy in westchester, it’s more concentrated in NYC private schools on a per capita basis and pronounced at Avenues.
We will have to agree to disagree. Since debating is not allowed on CC let’s end this here.
If you haven’t looked at Basis Independent in Chelsea, that may also be a consideration. Their high school is newer and they are also for profit but the academics seem to be quite strong. You might be familiar with them on the west coast and we have heard positive reviews from a family we know there.
Having said that, we also know some families at avenues who are academically advanced and feel quite supported by the school.
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If your child may end up staying at Avenues for high school, it’s worth taking a good look at the Exeter curriculum they use at Math Teaching Materials | Phillips Exeter Academy (Math 1 = 9th grade). It’s a problem-based, inductive approach to learning, with no explicit explanation of the concepts being learned or example problems. It sounds cool in theory and I’m sure it can be, but it has to be really well taught and supported, and isn’t a good fit for many students.
I used Exeter in my honors math classes at a rigorous Silicon Valley girl’s school, and many of my classmates and I found it disorienting and stressful. Typically, class time isn’t based on a lecture but instead on having students (and to a lesser extent, the teacher) work through problems on the board or in small groups. Overall the approach may be a good character-building exercise in the long run, but definitely prepare for some tears, tutoring, and non-A+ grades to start. If your student takes to it like water, they’re very lucky!
The Avenues student I tutored from 2018-20 was totally lost every time she tried to do her Exeter math homework because she couldn’t pull out the key concepts on her own, and wasn’t picking them up in class. She had some learning differences that made this approach an especially atrocious fit – and that definitely should have been recognized and addressed by her teachers much earlier!
Other than that my main impression of 9th & 10th grades at Avenues was that they tended more towards multimedia projects than written assignments.
Hope that helps and good luck with your move – NYC is a brand new world!
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