My daughter got admission to both Peddie and Princeton Day School. We have to make a decision soon. Which school is better? She wants to become a lawyer. TIA
@carpoolingma had the same choice last year.
I think Peddie offers an easier transition unless you’re at PDS now in middle school and a richer experience because it draws students from all over the country/world. It has a much stronger community among students.
But if your child is very engaged in activities that Peddie doesn’t offer and you want to continue that, PDS will be more flexible.
Your daughter’s career path will be no different however she chooses. What her next 4 years are like will be what is different, especially outside the classroom.
Do the revisit for sure.
Agree with the GSgal, who moves the conversation toward the real question. Which is “better” for your girl, as an individual, because her needs and desires align more closely with what that school offers? Both are great schools, but they are like night and day. I find that the resources of Peddie go far beyond what PDS offers, but that may be moot for a reason such as pointed out above. Try to get down on paper those things that are important – if it doesn’t come down to a “gut feeling” that visits to both schools generate. I had a close association with Peddie and you can pm me if you want. Good luck!
Even if your daughter will be a day student, I think the biggest question may be boarding school or day school. Both are academically fantastic. But that Peddie is set up as a 24 hour, 7 day endeavor is huge. Either way, your child has an opportunity for a fantastic education! Congratulations!
I will PM you some specifics that ds gave when I asked him for his opinions on this…
Hi Parents,
We’re in a position where our daughter was accepted to Middle School at PDS, Hun, and Rutgers Prep here in Central Jersey (we also really loved Kimberley Montclair, but the geography and traffic made it really impossible). We missed the admissions deadline at Pingry, submitted it late (and it was then fumbled by the admissions office, making consideration of our application even later, still – blog post to come on that terrible experience), and she was then declined there. She was also accepted at other top day schools outside the state of New Jersey, but we have whittled down to Central Jersey as it makes sense for our careers and doesn’t require a massive relocation.
For MIDDLE SCHOOL, which of these do you most recommend? I realize the discussion is comparing Peddie with PDS, but Peddie is “limited” to upper school only.
I figure you parents will have good perspectives on this question.
Thank you very much.
@RansomEvergladesPrinceton
My impression of those is that PDS is the best. Then probably Hun. Also sent you a DM.
I fully agree with @sunnyschool . Though we didn’t switch to private for middle school, this is the impression I get from friends who did make the switch. Hun and PDS do seem to have different personalities though, so like everything else, go with fit.
Edited to add… Congratulations!
PDS is about 3 times bigger so offers much more than Hun for its MS students. . Many/most students at PDS are continuing from the elementary grades which Hun doesn’t have so it could be tougher to break into socially. At both, there will be middle school students who leave after 8th although at both, the majority continue on.
I’m less familiar with the other two. It’s very much about fit. Middle school decisions at schools that continue through 12 are a little bit complicated because while kids do make changes at 9, often to BS, the desire to stay put can be strong when the majority of your friends are doing so. To that end, I might factor the upper school into my thinking as well knowing that it could end up being the default.
Peddie is an excellent school. My DS goes there. PM me for more info. There is no comparison as I have seen both.
The resources at Peddie are way more impressive than at PDS. Also my DS has had no problem enrolling in the courses he wanted to. There are also way more clubs. The only negative is the town of east windsor, however this should not be a problem if your child will not board. Mine does not either. He especially likes the approachability of his teachers.
@sonsun, the question is about middle school and was posed by someone holding acceptances.
Thank you so much @sonsun . She had her Peddie revisit last week and is super thrilled. PDS revisit is this week. She is leaning more towards Peddie now. I would love to hear more about Peddie from you, pm-ing you.
@gardenstategal , I had posted the original query in this thread on Peddie vs PDS, my daughter got accepted to both and we need to take a decision soon.
@futcol, I was responding to @RansomEvergladesPrinceton . An object lesson in why to start new threads (which in fact the new poster did.) Confusing!