<p>I was wondering how does junior boarding school work? Do the kids play computer games all the time in their dorms? Is it a good idea to send a girl to junior boarding school out of state, does it increase her chance of being admit to a better secondary school?</p>
<p>It depends where you are. In England they are called “prep schools” there as the prep you for public schools - like Eton etc. All of my friends at Eton went to prep schools like Cheam and the dragon school, in America they do have junior boarding schools such as Fesseden. These schools do tend to feed into top boarding schools reasonably well BUT like you are seeing with boarding schools and top colleges these feeder schools are no longer the feeder schools to top colleges as they once were. In a class you may see 3 or 4 kids going to the top schools. Personally I don’t think they are worth the steep price but if you can afford it then sure go for it. If however you are interested in getting into an English public schools then yes its worth it because they still maintain very strong feeder status. Personally I would stick to a good day school if I am living in a city like new york or Boston. Remember some boarding schools like Buckingham Green & Nobles has younger years, JFK for instance attend that school before attending Choate to finish his education. So that may be worth looking into as it could helo you get into their upper years program particularly at a school like BB&N. I hope this helps I am just a student though who does a lot of research on these things I am sure an adult could provide additional (and perhaps better) information and advice. I hope this helps. :)</p>
<p>And, bestswimmer, just to clarify, British public schools are private schools. What they call state schools are the equivalent of America’s public schools.</p>
<p>If you’re looking at junior boarding schools, however, I’d advise you to look at Eaglebrook in Deerfield, MA (yes, the same Deerfield that Deerfield Academy is located in). Eaglebrook and Deerfield are, in fact, just minutes away from each other. I think it would be safe to assume that Deerfield Academy has had a halo effect over Eaglebrook as I know for a fact that many of the kids who graduate from Eaglebrook enter Deerfield the next year.</p>
<p>TomTheCat
Thank you, but that’s an all-boys school…</p>
<p>Whoops, sorry, forgot to mention that =/</p>
<p>To be honest, there aren’t that many of those in America. To name a few, however, the most famous ones would be Cardigan Mountain School, Fay School, Fessenden, Eaglebrook, Rumsey Hall, and IMS. Its obvious major difference from the regular boarding HIGH schools would be that the kids there are much younger… And so the dorm life is a bit more hectic and laid-back. Kids are crazier and wayyyy more immature to be living on their own, but once they go through this, the next step (regular boarding school) is like a breeze.</p>
<p>Attending one of these doesn’t necessarily guarantee a spot in good boarding high schools. Like TomtheCat pointed out, many Eaglebrook graduates go on to Deerfield, but it’s only because they’re in the same town, and this certainly is not the case for every school. But these junior boarding schools ARE recognized and regarded highly by the admission officers. </p>
<p>Overall, I don’t think for a girl to attend a junior boarding school would be worth it. Firstable, there wouldn’t be that many options for her to choose from, considering how CMS and Eaglebrook and Fessey are all boys schools. Also, the quality of education isn’t exactly worth it compare to some of the most rigorous DAY private schools in your town. Like Fay School and Rumsey… Nah. Their facilities are kind of shabby, and the rigor of their academics don’t exactly hold up to their reputations. Coming from my personal experience, going away from home at the age of 11 or 12 isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world… Learning independence and whatever other craps that boarding schools can teach you can wait until high school, I think.</p>
<p>I’m intrigued by the term “junior boarding school” as it seems like you’re looking specifically at schools that only go to 8th grade. What about schools that have boarding for grades 6-12? They’re not often labeled “junior boarding schools” but many of them have great programs.</p>
<p>As far as how it works…I can only speak of my school (Randolph-Macon Academy), as I don’t have experience with any others. We have one dorm for grades 6-8, and boys and girls are on separate hallways. We have one adult supervisor for each hall, all of whom are on duty during key times. They rotate duty during other times. There are two students to a room. As one person mentioned, kids at this age are immature and still learning, so we try to instill some basic life skills. The kids are taught organization, and there are room inspections and locker inspections to help hold them accountable. </p>
<p>The students get a great education (my son attended here for middle school, so I feel comfortable saying that). They also learn some important values, with a strong focus on giving back to their community and helping others.</p>
<p>Is it worth it? It really depends on your child. My son was one who got A’s and B’s in elementary school, but wasn’t selected for the gifted and talented program. Because of that, I felt he would get lost in the large classes in the public middle school. I think I was right. He’s really blossomed here, and I’m really glad I let him attend.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>bestswimmer,
NO. haha I go to a junior boarding school (ims actually) but im a day student. The boarders there are VERY focused on academics and they do not spend lots of time of computer games at all. They have an intense study hall (everynight besides friday and saturday night i think) where they are mandated to do HW and study. They also (depending on the grade) go to be around 9:30. I know my 8th grade friends go to bed at 9:30 on the weekdays…but I’m not sure if it HELPS you to get into a secondary school but it defenitely prepares you for it. BUT a lot of the 9th graders go on to Hotchkiss, posssibly because its in the same town but yeah lol GOOD LUCK</p>
<p>I believe the Fay School in southborough, ma is a junior boarding school.</p>
<p>Ah, it was hard enough to allow them to go in ninth grade…I can’t imagine letting go any earlier!</p>