I’ve known folks who come from areas where there are good schools who send their kids to BS to get them away from the “scene”. For example, there are plenty of good day schools in NYC but the social scene can be very fast and loose. Gossip Girl has some kernels of truth to it.
Put me in the camp of BS offering my kids more diversity - socioeconomic, racial - than my local area.
People choose BS for lots of different reasons.
I keep reading the point that one chooses a school for the diversity. Lexington, MA HS – 42% non-white compared to Philips Exeter – 48% non-white
There appears a lot of kool-aid is being consumed.
BS is great and a lot children benefit from it but it certainly appears like there is an echo chamber of realization on admittance.
@laenen . I am a big critic of koolaid. I despise the social engineering of diversity (color). Economic diversity is what matters. Nonetheless our town is 99% white.
@laenen. Not sure what “echo chamber of realization” means, but you do realize that everyone is not from Lexington, MA? While those stats may reflect a reality in that area, I think the point I was trying to make is that MY area is NOT diverse and that is ONE factor that we considered in our BS decision. People in Lexington, MA may have other reasons for choosing to send their child to BS, other than diversity, who knows?
What Center said. There is some benefit to any form of cultural diversity, but I think that benefit is really from international students more than “hyphenated” Americans. The more meaningful difference is economic diversity which you don’t find in elite public high schools.
The whole diversity thing actually makes me a little bit squeamish, because I think it sometime sounds as though the sole purpose in life of the underrepresented minorities is just make it more interesting for white people. I know that’s not the intent but it comes across that way and I find it dismissive. If I we’re a minority I think I might find bragging about how many minorities a school has a tad offensive.
@laenen I think I tried to be objective. BS has been a great solution for my kids. It didn’t break my bank thanks to the generous FA programs. The kdis had received great education and enjoyed their high school years (reasonably). And they went on to HYP. Their lives by no means are perfect, but their high school career is not on the “bad things” column for sure. I don’t need to justify my decisions made a long time ago and proven to be right or try to “feel good” by anonymously telling strangers on an Internet board how good it is. In other words, I’m just giving back and trying to help! As I said, different families/kids flourish in different environments. I’m sure your kid will end up in a great place, most likely the loss of a top BS but the gain of a great public school. Good luck!
@sandstorm2 – Everyone doesn’t live in Lexington. Exactly!!! And everyone doesn’t live in an area where their PS sux. And everyone doesn’t live in an area that lacks diversity. And everyone doesn’t live in an area without EC opportunities.
And yet. I read ad naseum how BS provides all these things as if they exist no where else except at a few BS. Rarely do I see a qualifying statement “in my area”. or “The PS in my town” etc.
@laenen. I think the qualifiers you seek are implied in posts…
I really don’t care why people whom I don’t even know choose whatever type of school for their kids. I certainly wouldn’t judge them for their family’s choice, nor would I expect them to judge ours. The only thing that matters, in my view, is whether our kids are happy and thriving, regardless of what school they attend.
Not to get too far afield, but…
@laenen,
Lexington has a certain type of diversity. The town has a very tiny number of black and Hispanic students. Most of the black and Hispanic kids at Lexington HS are bused to the town from Boston through the METCO program, a diversity initiative. The town is heavy on Asian students. The rap on Lexington is that it’s a pressure cooker, with kids jockeying hard to end up in the top slots. I know families who have moved out of Lexington in order not to have to send their kids to Lexington HS. And of course Lexington, MA is a very expensive town to live in. As others have pointed out, the vast majority of families don’t live in towns like Lexington.
In any case, why does there have to be a one size fits all answer? I know families who send their kids to BS because they don’t like the educational philosophy of their LPS, others whose kids have a special talent best nurtured at a BS, others who have complicated family lives that make BS the best choice, others whose kids have LDs that aren’t well handled at the LPS, others whose LPS stink, others with toxic peer groups their parents want to sever them from, others who will flourish with the enrichment a specific BS can provide, others who are looking for a wider worldview for their kids, others…you get the idea.
There seems a logical jump from “Everyone doesn’t live in Lexington” and “Everyone doesn’t live in an area where their PS sux,” in the context that the argument was used;
The first one implies that majority people live in area that public schools are not as good as those in Lexington. Considering that Lexington is one of the very top area in the U.S., it is a reasonable assumption and can be a good support for BS being the better option for the majority of people, if the BS are as good as or nearly as good as public schools in Lexington.
The second one, although it sounds factually right, in the context of this thread, means that majority, or nearly majority of people live in an area where their PS is not much worse than boarding schools. Based on both government reported statistics and vast majority of personal experience in this board or else where, this argument is far less credible than the first argument, and completely lack any support whatsoever in both government stats and personal experience on this thread.
Therefore credibility of the first argument does not support credibility of the second, your personal opinion. And the logical jump could be considered as an attempt to exploit a logical fallacy, intentionally or not.
Coming from NYC, with an abundance of top choices both public and private, we did not choose BS because of a lack of academic and EC opportunities. Yet DD chose to go for other reasons and she is so happy that she did. In terms of diversity, I do think that the economic and geographic diversity at Cate have contributed to DD’s incredibly positive experience there. We are fortunate I suppose, that boarding school is a common enough path to take among DD’s friends, so no one was really aghast at her/our choice. Mostly, they have been jealous of the warmth and sunshine!
@Sue22 – I definitely agree that one size doesn’t fit all. And I am not stating there is anything wrong with attending BS. What I am stating is the grossly generalization of the benefits of why ONE family chose boarding school do NOT extrapolate to the nation as a whole.
Boston is the 8th largest city and we have probably 10 -15 top high schools. Lexington is not expensive for 2 working software engineers. Sheraborn of DSHS and a condo in Acton of ABHS are also very reasonable areas.
And I am only talking about Boston. There are many areas in this country with quality public high schools.
So I appreciate and am genuinely happy for anyone’s HS choice. But lets put an end to invalidity someone else’s HS choice with gross generalizations that do not apply everywhere.
@SculptorDad – I am sorry I just do not understand what you wrote.
No one is making gross generalizations that BS is the end all/be all. People are representing their own experiences and reasons for why they decided to go the BS route. The only generalization here is the one made that others are making generalizations.
@laenen, sorry for lacking communication skills.
Whatever happened to the discussion about G&Ts? It’s hard to relax with an evening cocktail or with friends at the club if you have children underfoot. Let’s be honest – the main reason we all send our kids to BS is so we can enjoy our adult lives unencumbered by whatever it is that junior is bothering us about at the moment. The only problem is, as one poster noted, they do tend to show up again in the summer. Thank heaven for summer programs. Now there’s a useful thread.
I think the next time someone makes a lame comment about our or our son’s choice of schooling, I think I’ll just wink at DH and ask him to refill my glass. 
Of course BS is not the only route to take for quality education, ECs, diversity, etc.
But, this IS the prep school forum, dominated by conversations about BS. Obviously, people posting or lurking here:
a) went the BS route
or
b) are considering or curious about BS
I think the qualifiers are implied as @sandstorm2 stated.
Personally, coming from an area where BS is not common, I have been met with more curiosity than negativity. I am actually appalled at some of the reactions expressed here. I would never question or try to invalidate another family’s choices about education.
Now, thanks to @ChoatieMom, I have to hightail it over to the “Summer Programs” thread to figure out where to ship the kids before school ends and my peaceful existence is disrupted 
I think there are a lot of DS parents here also. Assuming your qualifiers are implied probably is what has lead to issues with neighbors over BS disclosures in the first place.
I try to qualify when I remember to. Assuming the audience understands my qualifiers is making the assumption that I know every person and their background in the audience.
What is a DS parent?