Howzabout another thread and you can type them like you did here? I stumbled into the thumbs down and will have no memory of how I did it.
To stay on topic, this is not a bad list of things to look for in a school: www.privateschoolreview.com/articles/368. You’ll notice that you won’t be able to answer many of the items, because you haven’t met your child yet.
At your age and stage of life, it would make sense to rent an apartment near your workplace. Give yourself time to explore the area. Even if you conceive and give birth during this time, your child won’t remember anything before the age of 3. There’s lots of time to research schools and towns.
If you set your sights on Boston, you might find you love living in the city. Only Boston city residents may attend Boston Latin, a leading public exam school with deep ties to Harvard.
And remember: attending ANY specific school does not guarantee Ivy admission. Some even argue it is harder to “go Ivy” from the more competitive schools.
The OP bowed out a day or so ago (see post 22). Just sayin.
Scared off by ChoatieMom’s “aggressive” response. >>snicker<<
Haha that’s so funny. I can’t imagine @ChoatieMom as an “agressive” person in real life though.
Somehow, I can. @mathman1201
Okay then. Maybe.
ouch
OP needs to stick around CC a bit longer. 
(You are perceptive, @skieurope.)
Aggressive @ChoatieMom:
Me: So… I’m going to school in CT and I’d love to meet you. Maybe I can re-tour my school when you go to pick up CK? [Do you actually pick him up? I digress.]
CM: I’d love to meet you, stargirl! Let’s set up a time and place near your school.
two weeks later
Stargirl is awkwardly sitting in Starbucks. A woman with giant frizzy red hair (think Mrs. Frizzles) walks in. She’s carrying a big tote bag (must be a west thing) and her sunglasses are perched atop her head. Stargirl stands and says “ChoatieMom!” and CM approaches, smiling.
Me: It’s so nice to finally meet you, and I’m thrilled it was under these conditions.
CM: I HATE CHILDREN! [Stargirl’s mother has to drag her away from the aggressive crazy lady.]
And that, my friends, is how truly aggressive our ChoatieMom is.
HAHAHA literally dying right now after reading that. ^^ @stargirl3
My hair is dark brown.
Have to chime in…may be moving to New Haven and saw this thread - thanks for the school suggestions. p.s. my kids are not zygotes but almost 15 and 13.
Funny… as a consequence of NOT thinking about this stuff when we were buying a home, we settled in a rural area with a really crummy school district. The product of that has been years and years of commuting our kids (a great distance) to private schools. It’s been amazing and I wouldn’t trade it for a thing. Stuff happens… you have to go with it.
@CSinPA Well then they’re just overgrown zygotes!
Yeah, I had a plan, then I met her, tried to stick to my plan, compromised, before I knew it plans changed, kids came, a real game changer. I tell my kids that we use to be cool before they came around. Youngest in BS, a few more years. I’m making plans again (the original plan, almost) and the kids are not included but they can visit.
Hopkins in New Haven is fantastic.
I know this is an old post, but psparent, I wonder if you could elaborate on Hopkins. I’m just starting to look into it for my living, breathing, fully manifest 8th-grade son, who has always gotten straight A’s, scored crazy well on state standardized tests and has been placed a year beyond grade level in math for the past few years. We feel obliged to explore schools that might be more intellectually challenging for him than our public high school, which is good, but not stellar.
From other online discussions/reviews, it seems as if Hopkins is an academically intense place, which is what we’re looking for. I’m a little concerned about its reputation for placement at top colleges, however. While that isn’t the most important factor we’d consider, should he be lucky enough to get in, it would be nice to have a leg up, admissions-wise, were we to opt for the lengthy commute and huge tuition that would go along with attendance.
I’m also curious about the social atmosphere at the school.
Thanks for any insight you can provide. 
@tunnelbana I’m not psparent but I do have a bit of experience with Hopkins. First off, I think the reputation for academic intensity is wildly overblown for this cohort we are in here. Hopkins is a strong school, but so is Greenwich High. Amity. To be blunt, exactly nobody chooses Hopkins over Hotchkiss or Choate for any reason. Well, that’s not true. But nobody chooses Hopkins over Choate or Hotchkiss because Hopkins is a better school. People choose Hopkins for many good reasons, but only because they likely are very local and will not consider boarding school for their families.
You mention a lengthy commute. Beware. Hopkins is a local school, filled with local families who have a background in elite, private education and favor an elite, historic high school for their kids. In my experience, the folks who are not so closely involved in the elite education biz and are a bit farther out from New Haven can grow to hate that commute.
Hamden Hall has a bus.
I don’t know how far out from New Haven you are, but unless you are jacked into a sweet deal with the transportation each and every day, seriously think how that’s gonna be. If one or more adults in the household have a flexible schedule and/or work from home and/or stay at home, have a fun car, and love to drive, well, that’s perfect. A reliable car pool can work, too, but the whole day school thing can get to be a hassle with a long commute, and an hour or more out of your student’s day spent in the car can become an albatross as well, especially when many/most of the students are probably less than 10 minutes from home.
That area of Connecticut is full of excellent schools. Hamden Hall is a good school. And last I knew, they did have a bus. That sounds like a joke, but it is not. The Catholic high schools have good reputations as well. Plus buses.
If you need FA, that could be an issue with Hopkins, too.
I guess the question is why Hopkins? Is it Hopkins and only Hopkins or public school? Are you considering other day schools in your area? Are you considering day student options at one of the boarding schools in your area? (If you can drive to Hopkins, there’s probably a boarding school in your area.)
Hopkins is an excellent school with a storied history, no doubt. I know people who have moved to New Haven so their kids could attend Hopkins without having to drive from Redding or Chester every day. And being a day school means you don’t have the boarding versus day tensions. I guess only you can decide what and why is best for you and your kids. Go figure!