@yuor28 tell us more! I was thinking that we would add BDS to our list but your post is giving me pause. That day seems sooooo long! What were the kids like?
@girlprep2 you should definitely go and see for yourself! My friend’s daughter is very happy there! We actually saw her on our tour (she was just walking down the hallway) and she seemed very relaxed and happy, surrounded by friends.
Also, we met teacher from our school that brought her younger daughter for the interview, she said her older son went to the school and they loved it there.
If he’s okay with a smaller school, how about Dublin? I hear great things about it and my son really likes everything he hears about it…except the lack of sports culture.
Someone I went to high with has a daughter at Dublin and lives it there. He works at a LDS where she went prior to Dublin so I think they were a very well informed family.
We toured Dublin last year and loved it - very successful visual arts program with a professor who has shepherded his students to many top arts awards.
I’m a CSW parent with a 3-sport child at one school and a child at CSW who’s happy playing a sport or even two a year but cannot stand the jock culture, which does not seem to exist at CSW. He also likes the arts, and arts of all kinds are pervasive at CSW. I think it could be great for the child you describe. The boarding community is small (maybe 30% of the school) but seems to be pretty happy. A lot of the day students can get to school via the T/commuter rail, which they all like. School starts at 8:30, so a lot of the commuting kids who end up getting there on the earlier side are able to eat breakfast at school. The pace of the day is meant to be very manageable for the kids - no frenzied rushing to get to classes, no cramming things in, and there’s an hour for lunch, which can be eaten anywhere. It’s rather civilized, in fact - check out CSW!
Darrow could be another option - arts are very strong (separate studio for each media) some great offerings like woodworking and filmmaking and zero athlete culture/worship. Their mascot is a duck which tells you everything you need to know re sports there (lol). The kids do play on teams but athletics are not a focus.
@boltingsassy , where is the closest commuter rail/t/bus stop? I am looking at the map and can’t find anything that is close enough…
@yuor28 there is a shuttle to CSW from a few stops (for a fee). Kendal Green on the Fitchburg line is probably the closest.
Going back to BCDS, here are some school profiles which will give you a sense of the school. In particular, check out the NUVU program.
http://bcdschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Beaver-School-Profile-2014-15.pdf
http://bcdschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/BeaverMediaKit-11-7.14-1.pdf
Students in the upper school are required to do one season of sports or fitness per year. That includes yoga, ultimate frisbee, fencing, spin class, conditioning, sailing, ropes course, martial arts, and squash, a sport where you’ll always be paired with someone at your level. The other seasons students can do activities like photography, community service, or the play. Students who do 3 seasons of the play or tech get credit for the fitness requirement.
https://bcdschool.org/academics/upper-school/us-afternoon-activities/
It’s common at prep schools for certain sports to have late practices. 1 rink + 3 teams = someone gets late practice. Regular field practices start around 3:45, although some days kids have late games.
Nope. Upper school afternoon activities (sports, afternoon extracurriculars) typically end at 5:30. That’s the same for pretty much all prep schools. Classes end somewhere around 3:15 if my memory is correct. The middle school schedule is slightly earlier.
I remember from my days at an ISL school that we always seemed to be playing sports next to a cemetery. It must be where cheap land was available. 
Nobles is next to a pet cemetery!
@Sue22 I meant 5.45 AM!