<p>I have been reading these boards for months, and am now ready/needing to make my first post. I need your help in narrowing down our boarding school choices. We are in Southern KY, far from the east coast and CA, from other families who know the schools reputations and boarding experiences to draw from. I just sit at my computer reading this site, boarding school review, boarding school websites, and am feeling overwhelmed. So many schools look excellent I don't know how to narrow it down to a reasonable amount. Nobody in our family has gone to boarding school, but I want a great school for our daughter, I want more than what is offered here for her.</p>
<p>I'd like to tell you a bit about her and then ask you, beg you, to give us an honest opinion of where she should apply, not apply, where she probably would not get in, and where and why she might be a good fit.
Next year she'll be in 8th grade. She is extremely smart and loves to talk to and be around kids who are interested in learning (highlights of her school year are times in gifted programs because of the students she gets to talk with). Loves science (except biology) and creative writing. She does not love math, although she is pretty good at it, taking Algebra in grade 7. She has all A's (and does not have to work hard to earn them - this might be a disservice for her down the road), except math which she has a B in.
She loves being outside walking, appreciating, looking. She likes to do outside things which are not competitive sports (like hiking, sledding). However, she is not athletic or competitive and avoids both of these things when she can.
She's one of those odd girls who love pokemon and other math/physics type video games and music (compositions, not trendy), and does not care about popular music, boys, fashion. She is friendly and sweet, but does not run with the trendy crowd because of her interests. She is very uncomfortable (as are we her parents) in an environment where there is too much talk of sex, drinking, or anything associated with a fast crowd - she is very good about keeping herself innocent.
She is quite computer savvy and into visual arts. She has received recognition for her drawing and digital art. She spends a lot of time on digital art at home.
We are not wealthy. We will have to apply for financial aid and will only be able to let her go to a boarding school if she receives a package which pays for the majority of her school so this must be a big consideration. I don't know how hard this will be with no athletic awards and I can't think of any area she'd be considered a child prodigy.</p>
<p>I do know I'd want her at a school where the students are mostly boarding, since she'll need to live there. There are no schools close to us we are looking at.</p>
<p>Tell me what you think. Is there a great school for her? Are we dreaming? Traveling and application costs are not unlimited for us so I need to focus on a few schools. Would you so kind and helpful families help us in our search to do this?</p>
<p>If you decide she should apply to boarding schools next year, she would need to take the upper level SSAT test again in the fall. The scores are only good for a year.</p>
<p>The test scores may give you an idea of the her scores on the SSAT in the fall. If she scores highly on the SSAT in the 7th grade, she’ll likely do well on the SSAT in the 8th grade. Students are compared to students of the same gender who are in the same grade. This year’s 7th grade girls are next year’s 8th grade girls.</p>
<p>I’ll second Periwinkle’s advice about taking the SSAT. It’s a good way to see where you stand as well as good practice for the following year.</p>
<p>That said, she sounds like a good match for Concord. “Love of learning” is one of the school principles and it’s present to some degree in just about every student. Both the science and English programs are great, and there are various EC opportunities in both.</p>
<p>Although there is an athletic requirement, you can satisfy it without being on sports teams, such as taking a phys ed class with non-competitive activities such as canoeing or hiking. You can also do a non-sports activity one of the three seasons (such as community service or a mainstage play). The school doesn’t recruit athletes so she doesn’t have to worry about athletic awards. Both visual and performing arts are important and well-supported. </p>
<p>The students are friendly and accepting. I’m guessing that most of the kids at the school were not in the popular or trendy crowds at their previous school. Drugs and drinking are rare, and boys and girls are more into being friends than being in relationships (for example, the big spring dance is open to all grades, and most kids go with a group of friends rather than a date).</p>
<p>The school is about half boarding, so it doesn’t meet your criteria of mostly boarding, but it’s a strong community with few boarders leaving on weekends. Relations between day students and boarders are very good. Both of my kids were day students, but over half their closest friends were boarders. Many day students stay for dinner and are present on campus at some point on the weekends.</p>
<p>Admission is need blind, and they’ll meet 100% of need (as they compute it). Although there are a number of kids at the school who could be considered prodigies, there are many who aren’t prodigies in a certain area but who were rather just a good fit in most areas.</p>
<p>Periwinkle, I understand why this would be a good idea, but she was invited to take the ACT as a 7th grader and completed that recently. I don’t think we’re going to pay for another test this year. I imagine she will test pretty well, she usually does. We will take some time to look at the SSAT test before she takes it though to familiarize her with it since I realize all tests are unique unto themselves.
I appreciate the couple of suggestions which have been given to me so far (Concord and Midland), as we had not looked at either of these schools. Thank you so much! This is exactly what I was hoping for, people suggesting schools which would be a good fit.</p>
<p>If anyone else could offer their two cents we would so appreciate it! I don’t want to spend time and money visiting schools which wouldn’t work out or be a good fit, and I hate the idea of missing that perfect school as well.</p>
<p>Dana Hall (all girls), nice school, good arts and science programs, and options other than team sports for PE requirements (dance, fencing, etc).</p>
<p>I have heard some good things about Ashville, but I have no first hand knowledge… it would however, be driving distnace for you!</p>
<p>Cambridge School of Weston is another possibility. Our friend’s daughter is a junior there and really enjoys it. The arts are well supported, and it attracts the artsy rather than athletic types. It is less academically intense and less selective than Concord, so how she does on the SSAT will give you a rough guesstimate on where she might better fit.</p>
<p>We’re big fans of Emma Willard. Lots of options for physical activity for the “non-athlete”, great academics, 2/3 boarding, and generous FA. A wonderful environment for a girl to grow and learn in. </p>
<p>I could go on, but as I have, at some length, in other posts, I recommend more perusal!</p>
<p>I know that this school is not mentioned very often on this board, but St. Margaret’s School in Tappahannock, VA sounds like it could be a fantastic match for your daughter. Every time I visit, I am struck by how nice the girls are to each other even though the community is very diverse. I had the same concerns about my daughter as you have as I did not want her to feel pressured to lose her innocence, and I feel she is still the sweet girl that we sent off in September. The school excels in meeting each child where they are academically. Each girl has an individualized schedule to soar at their own pace. Their science program is fantastic and many aspects of the curriculum take advantage of their location on the river. They also have a strong emphasis on fine arts and have two artists in residence. While there are many teams at the school, the sports culture does not dominate, and I will have no problem sending my younger daughter there who does not like sports much at all, but at the same time my daughter who is currently there has discovered some new sports that she is loving participating in. We have been thrilled at all the opportunities the school provides, but most of all we are so pleased that if our child cannot stay home with us (the education here is pitiful), that she is in a place that gives her a sense of family when she is far from home.</p>
<p>If you have a 7th grader, check into the Caroline D Bradley scholarship, if awarded, it covers all 4 years of boarding school tuition and you can only apply as a 7th grader.</p>
<p>Boarding schools can be classified many ways. We found size a good approach at first, and went to see a small, medium and large school. D had a definite preference based on size. That helped to organize the rest of the search. If you organize a four day long weekend, it is possible to tour 5 schools and have Sunday off to do something fun. Visits are very helpful, because the schools have very different “feels” that are best experienced in person.</p>
<p>Because you have no specific sports or curricular needs, the choices will be wide. You may also want to visit very selective, and somewhat less selective schools. Also think about convenience of travel (nearest airport and how long it takes to get there is surprisingly relevant with 4+ trips a year).</p>
<p>Apply widely. We were a little over the top, but visited 14 and applied to 7.</p>
<p>If you come up with a few “must haves” “would be nice” and “no way,” you can use those criteria to do some searches at boardingschoolreview.com.</p>
<p>Our family started out in a very similar situation to yours, except we are even farther away from everything, and my children have had fabulous educations and experiences at two different BS with significant FA.</p>
<p>My kids are great kids (of course!), very smart and creative, and test well (I firmly believe there’s a “test-taking” gene) but they did not have any obvious “hook,” other than their intelligence and enthusiasm and the potential to add to the social, economic and geographic diversity of the school.</p>
<p>Based on our family’s experience, if your D consistently tests well, she will score well on the SSAT. Of course you will want to do some practice tests beforehand and maybe subscribe to a “word a day” online service or whatever. But I wouldn’t sweat it if you can’t do the SSAT as a dry run. Just to be on the safe side, I had my D take the test early enough in the fall of 8th grade, so that if there was a problem with her score, she had time to take it again.</p>
<p>Get your D thinking about what she wants in a BS, including the nonacademic stuff like meals, jobs, etc. My D also is not big on organized sports and that automatically narrows the search incredibly.</p>
<p>I used %kids on FA and average FA award as a filter, but in the end the school that accepted D and provided very generous FA had a pretty low average award. I almost didn’t have her apply to that school. It doesn’t have a big endowment. So don’t hesitate to include a school or two that you think is a long shot, whether due to admission stats or FA. My children applied to 4 and 5 schools. They were accepted at about half and for each child, only one school came through with both admission and sufficient FA.</p>
<p>Be aware that the stats on boardschoolreview tend to be out of date. So when you find a promising school there, always go directly to the school for the latest most accurate info, whether for FA awards or languages offered.</p>
<p>Peddie in NJ, very lovely and nurturing school, generous with FA, not as competitive to get in as Andover or Exeter, but definitely a good school to try. I think its SSAT average for acceptance is about 2050 --2100 (75% — 80%). Also Milton, has the best writing program. Its SSAT average for acceptance is about 2200 (90%).</p>
<p>I am a parent of 2 boys (one in boarding school; the other applying this year). Between the 2, I have toured 14 campuses. I am by no means an expert, but the schools that stand out and might work for your daughter that I have seen are Loomis and Millbrook. Loomis is a large school and Millbrook is a small school. The campuses are very different due to their size, but both put a lot of emphasis on the arts and offer computer/graphic arts (not all school do so I would advise looking closely at course offerings on websites) Academically they are both strong. Because of Loomis’s size the course offerings are much boarder and more AP’s are offered, but a great education can be found at both. For a small school, Millbrook has an amazing art department, and it is possible to do independent studies beyond what is offered. Both Millbrook and Loomis have diverse student bodies - not everyone is an athlete and they understand this. I think Millbrook is more nurturing and the faculty are very involved in student success. I think your daughter would meet people like her at both places. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you giving parents for sharing your thoughts with me. 2prepmom, it is hard narrowing it down without looking for that one certain something, there lies my struggle. You can find good and bad comments on most schools so I was hoping to get first hand information from parents.
Alooknac, it is both good and frustrating to hear about the financial aid packages and your search. I have tried narrowing down by endowment per student, and % on financial aid, but hearing your story leaves me throwing my hands in the air.<br>
The following are some schools I find myself looking at currently if anyone would like to comment on them specifically (including a few just mentioned to me by you). However, like I said, my goal is to find the right school for her, so am loving the new suggestions. (In fact the suggestions given to me have me rethinking some things.)</p>
<p>Putney, Millbrook (Their test scores aren’t as high as I’d choose, but look like interesting schools)
Emma Willard
Exeter and Andover (I don’t know that I should really be looking at these two, just seems like everyone does)
St. Andrews DE (I hesitate over dress code, she would not want to be somewhere where it feels like show time each day. But, this might not be the case here, I don’t see much commented on it)
Loomis Chaffee (although here and Millbrook don’t seem to offer as much financial aid which is a concern)
Choate
Peddie
Concord
Thacher and Midland
Asheville (?) just looked here for the first time this morning. It is much closer, we could drive here, but I’m not sure it’s a great fit outside of the location, still looking…
Mercersburg (however, this looks to be the most difficult to get to, something for us to consider as well.)</p>
<p>You will find smart, motivated kids at most of these schools, and you will find challenging courses. I wouldn’t get caught up with test scores. Finding the right fit is most important. Remember a lot of students who apply to HADES schools do not get in and many have “back ups” on their list that they end up attending. Millbrook might not be a “well known” school, but it is an amazing place (for various reasons neither of my son’s applied). The Headmaster is doing great things and has one of the finest reputations in New England. The arts are truly fantastic. It might not have the huge beautiful buildings that you will find on big name campuses, but the heart of the community is what makes it work. You daughter would not feel out of place because of her interests. I know very little about FA, but having high test scores and applying to a less selective school might help (and you are from KY). I am glad to see Mercersburg on your list - great school with a diverse student body. We did not look at Exeter and Andover. They weren’t right for our sons. We did look at some of the other HADES schools though. In our search, we made a list of important things like size, faculty support, sports, location etc. Some schools offer more structure (study halls, level of faculty involvement, etc.) than others, have different afternoon requirements (sports vs. something else), and have different approaches to core values. Leadership opportunities can also vary. If you start with what is most important the schools will start to line up with what you are looking for.</p>
<p>This is a good strategy. DD had a October test, thinking if the scores were below 90%, she’d test again in December. Fortunately, she didn’t have to take the second test. DD had a prior experience of taking SAT within a year, so that might have helped.</p>
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<p>Maybe that’s what it is: schools with low % of FA students are the ones giving generously to those receiving FA!</p>
<p>My real point about admission and FA stats is that they are broad averages and you just don’t know where the chips will fall. It’s an art not a science, even though so many people on these forums think they can figure it out scientifically.</p>
<p>My D’s school average award is about half some of the top name schools and their endowment is almost off the charts–in a negative way:-) but they came through for us.</p>
<p>On another note, every single BS has drugs and sex going on and they all strive to keep those things down. But they are there and I was shocked at how quickly my D learned things like where not to go at certain times because she might catch people in the act. Just so you know. It does not change my conviction that she is in the absolute best place for her.</p>
<p>Probably not important, but the average FA award at my D’s school is less than half tuition, not half the average awards at “top” schools as I stated in my earlier post.</p>
<p>For some schools you can find the range and distribution of FA awards with separate data for day and boarding students. I still caution against overanalysis.</p>