Hello.
We are currently live in West Coast with Great district with many good friends.
It was very unexpected thing but we will move into East Coast this summer 2020 due to my work and I am looking for schools for my child.
But I can’t seem to find a one, since many highly ranked public schools in PA are charter or magnet and they say it’s application registration have already been closed.
My job involves many emergency and we would like to live close to the center city.
My kids are in tears to move to unfamiliar place, especially they are now so happy with many friends and great teachers…I feel so sorry for them, but it can’t be helped.
Could anyone help me finding schools in the area?
How is the local review of Lower Merrion school district?
How’s the community there?
Is there any possibility that any charter school or magnet school accept student’s application after deadline?
Which private high school is most competitive and is there any school that are still open for application?
Is there any recommendation for a good private college counselor in the PA area, who can help us with this relocation?
Any information or suggestion would be really appreciated.
Thank you!
If you are looking in the city and are concerned about inclusion, you may want to look at the Quaker schools. (Friends Central, Friends Select. Penn Charter, etc.) Shipley, near you, has served the kids of friends well. Baldwin has an excellent reputation.
Several of the public districts along the Main Line are very good although I am not so up to date. (Conestoga is good, for example.)
Many private schools will entertain late/out of cycle applications because of a relocation. I suspect that in spite of the havoc this is causing right now, you will end up with a decent outcome.
Lower Merion is a very highly ranked school district, as are Radnor and Conestoga. I know of families who have moved just to have their kids in Conestoga School District. If you are looking for prestige, the students from there matriculate in droves to T20 schools, including HYPSM. They also have a large number of Asian students to my understanding. It is a wealthy school district with many parents who are doctors and attorneys.
I agree with the above poster. Shipley has a very good reputation and Baldwin as well.
Merion Mercy (Private School) is very focused on diversity by direction of its founder (who ran a school house for underprivileged kids many years ago).
My info is dated, but when we thought that we might be moving to Philadelphia Wynwood area about 10 years ago, we visited Friends Central, Germantown Friends and Greene Street Friends. We liked Germantown Friends the best, then Friends Central, while the teachers at Greene Street Friends seemed to have been over-worked. We did not move and son stayed at a Quaker school, which excels at the instruction of English, a distinction that I did not truly appreciate until college application time arrived.
Son is now in college, writes well enough to have stood out by his essays in college applications. I think the Quaker culture of simplicity, inclusion, community…might make it easier for new students to feel fit-in. Academic curricula are rigorous; all classes are considered Honors and no AP classes are offered (Quakers don’t want to offer AP courses because they don’t want to teach to the tests, to make cookie-cutter students and they believe that AP courses don’t carry that much weight with colleges).
This doesn’t answer OP’s question, but I wanted to add to @tgl2023 comment about some schools not offering AP classes. Some excellent high schools do not offer AP classes for the reason mentioned, and this is OK with the colleges. As long as the high school has a strong reputation with colleges, don’t be scared off by this.
@may1948 I live adjacent to Wynnewood! That is a lovely area. If you are moving to the 19072 zipcode including Penn Valley you will be in the Lower Merion school district which is excellent. Families with means do not hesitate to send their children to the public schools for a private school education for the cost of their tax dollars. I am linking the US news report. Take with a grain of salt but you can see some of the other school districts mentioned by other posters. My children attend the Plymouth Whitemarsh school district and that is also excellent. “GA” Germantown Acadamy is a great school if you must have a private school as well as the “Friends” schools. SCH in Chestnut Hill another option. I do not believe you will be turned away from any of these schools if you have tuition payment in hand! I would urge you however that unless your child really has a need for extra support to look into your public school system at Lower Merion–its fantastic!!
Wow, Thank you very much, Everyone! I truly appreciate all the input.
I am sorry for the late response, since I had a couple of rough weeks with my work and wasn’t able to make time to see these replies until now.
Thanks to your information, I am relieved and am please to know we may have a better selection of school in Philadelphia than in CA.
I contacted with a few Quaker schools and I will also look into some high ranked public schools.
Again, Thank you very much for all of your kindness.
Best wishes to all.
Yeah, I think if you’re moving to Wynwood, PA, I think the high school might be Lower Merion. It’s a great area and also I believe Kobe Bryant graduated from that high school. There’s so many schools along the Main Line, both public & private. You will have options.