<p>Hi! Next year, I will be relocating to manhattan from suburban philadelphia and I am looking to attend a top all-girls private school. I already attend a single-sex school here in PA and I absolutely love the environment, but I have a few questions about the ny girls schools. </p>
<p>Between Spence, Chapin, Nightingale, Brearley, and Sacred Heart, which school is considered to be better academically? Best courses? Best college matriculation? </p>
<p>What are the stereotypes of these schools? eg- waspy, socialites, nerds, ect.</p>
<p>Are any of these feeders for ivys/top schools? Which schools?</p>
<p>Overall, which will give the me best high school experience?</p>
<p>I’ll bite… Brearley, Spence & Chapin are considered to be the best in terms of academics and college placement. Then Nightingale and Sacred Heart (are you considering Marymount or Hewitt?) That said, they are ALL excellent and you will get a top-notch education at any one of them. IMHO, the old stereotypes are no longer valid, especially in the high school years, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Sacred Heart has a religious component of course, and therefore may feel less diverse. Nightingale is the most traditional. </p>
<p>Also in terms of Ivy-league feeder schools, B/S/C all do very well, but remember that you will be competing with a disproportionate number of legacy kids. You will get a fantastic education, which is the point really - there is no longer any guarantee of Ivy acceptance.</p>
<p>Completely agree with the above comments. Best thing is to tour the schools because you will see differences and get a good feel for the environment. </p>
<p>@elephants22, they each have a traditional atmosphere I suppose - single sex, uniforms, traditions - but they really aren’t as traditional as they seem. They’re all quite modern, and PC to the point of annoying sometimes (all that “girl-power” talk drove my DD up a wall!) If I absolutely HAD to rank them, I’d say that Chapin is the most traditional and Brearley is the least. I think they’re more alike than different, but as @NYCmomof3 says, when you tour you should be able to pick up differences in atmosphere that may be important to you. It’s also a good idea to go one morning and watch the kids as they arrive at each of these schools. It may give you some insight that you can’t get from the tours. But honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of them, and you may not have a choice at the end of the day, so try to keep an open mind. Good luck!</p>
<p>Personally I think Brearley is the least traditional. I found them to have a stronger arts program but that’s what I was focusing on when I toured many moons ago</p>