Hi there, my daughter, age 10, is currently in public school as a 5th grader. We are looking at junior boarding schools for her in 7th grade. She left a private Montessori school because she struggled with the lack of structure and was often getting into trouble, which affected her self-esteem and how she felt in school. She is so much better in public school! But because of some friend/social issues and my concerns about her making the wrong choices/not being motivated, I think JBS might be a good fit for her.
That said I am worried about the same issues cropping up – getting into trouble. Public school teachers are great at supporting kids w/ ADHD and HFA. I don’t want the same problems to come up again, whether in JBS or BS as a high schooler.
Does anyone have kids with similar profiles who have had success? We are looking at North Country School, Stoneleigh Burnham, Bement, Grier, and Fay right now. I know there are others but those are my “top” picks–we are just investigating and setting up calls, etc.
Thanks so much for any advice you can give around this!
Here is a helpful thread. There are lots of boarding schools with academic support programs and individualized attention. Not sure if any junior schools offer the same
I would definitely look at Fay. Not quite the same issue as yours, but I know a kid who needed a lot of structure because of executive functioning issues, and Fay was great for him.
Eagle HIll might be worth looking at. They are one of the few schools that specifically deals with HFA and ADHD . (They don’t necessarily advertise it, but they do have a sizeable HFA population. Read their student profiles and you’ll catch the “quirkiness” right away). Eagle Hill doesn’t start until 8th, but they have a summer camp for kids aged 10 and up. Might be a good way to check it out. Fay also has a camp. (They probably all do)
Agree with vwlizard on Eagle Hill - we have a dear friend whose son is at Eagle Hill with HFA and is doing reall well…found a sport that he likes and had never tried before…Life changing experience!
Thanks all—I will look into all of these, especially Eagle Hill! May be worth the wait until 8th. Rectory is on the list. It just looked a little traditional to me (which reads stressful—or that’s my worry anyway).