@applejuice007 why are you repeating this? Exeter and Andover are not geographically close to any universities?
@reader135 my kid is also a math-y kid. PEA was really the school where he felt it the most. Check out their course offerings. In fact at PEA they dont use math textbooks: the faculty creates problem sets and the classes are built around those problem sets. On the other hand a public G&T school might be better.
My three kids who scored more than 1500 in SATs while in 7th grade, very advance in math went to prep school on full aid. In prep school drifted to humanities and did very well besides math and science, two of them drifted back to economics at harvard. My experience with prep school is that they help you develop other skills necessary to grow in life. If you can afford or get financial aid, go to prep school route. Sorry not willing to divulge who am I, but do not send kid early to Simon Rock or any other place. Kids will meet equally other driven kids in elite prep school
In real life, math is great but you need to develop intra personal skills. Critical thinking and logical conclusions are paramount. In my humble opoinion, elite prep school education was better than Harvard. But these name helps to open the doors which might be shut for poor kids. Elite prep school are a world class apart as resources are breathtakingly awesome.
Depends upon one’s definition of “close.” Andover is 35 minutes from Cambridge.
Unnecessary
One data point for you - my son spent three years on the Connecticut ARML team. The three CT teams come from all of the public/private schools in CT. Their “A” team finished 23rd in the regional competition at Penn State this past year. The Exeter team finished 18th. They were the only Eastern prep school to have their own ARML team.
@reader135 I recommend that you contact the Institute for Educational Advancement and/or check out their website They are a gifted advocacy group located in Pasadena and may be able to make recommendations for your child.
I suspect there are a number of ways to keep an advanced math kid engaged, and it sounds like this is what prompted you to explore prep schools.
I would encourage you to visit a few BS in CA as soon as possible to tour and interview. Try to focus less on the math and more on whether you think this would be a good environment for your son. The kids need to be very independent, and they will need to be there 24/7. The school will want them to be busy most of the time. If the environment excites your son, you can start to narrow your search within the BS world. Remember too that while some schools (Exeter, for example ) have lots of kids who are very advanced in math, the vast majority have lots of kids who are really bright and intellectually curious in general. If he’s surrounded by those kinds of kids, would you mind if he was in a math class with only 2 other kids? Does he need a large peer cohort of math kids or just smart kids to be happy socially?
You should ask how his math gift will be nurtured - that’s important. Some schools are more reluctant to do something special outside the curriculum while others are pretty accomodating. My sense, though, is that at even “second tier” BS, roughly half the kids are doing calculus as juniors and the rest are split between being ahead of that plan and being behind it. So while your son is clearly ahead, not by a totally unheard of margin.
BS are awesome for the kid who “wants it all” but less good for the kid whose interests are more singular as @Center noted. Go look and see if you and your son can imagine himself there. Is that a good path? If not, check out some of the day schools mentioned here that have more of a math focus. I would look to see which do well in math competitions where the top 15-20 are scored to see where there are lots of kids like him. You are lucky that you have flexibility and can move.
I hope we’ll hear more about your quest!
@HazeGrey Andover and Exeter both send teams to ARML. The rest are combined (i.e. CT, Eastern MA).
Andover was great one year past BC Calculus with Multi and Linear Algebra. Mine took various seminars over several years in addition to regular math classes and did independent projects in math senior year. Teachers were very accessible and open to working with him on a formal independent project (the school has procedures in place). It is easy to find online materials for college level math. MIT open courseware is good for this.
I agree with another parent who mentioned Stanford Online High School. But since you are in California, have you considered The Nueva School in San Mateo? Huge STEM school for gifted kids. I know a lot about the school, so if interested PM me and we can continue the conversation.
I actually think my current school might be a good fit, if, of course, you are willing to relocate. I’d rather not state it publicly but if you PM me I’ll be happy to talk further.
Math focused day school in San Francisco: Proof School.
Look at the curriculum at various prep schools. Do they allow you to design a course with a teacher? What are the upper level science classes like? My older kiddo is a math kid but has no interest in math competitions. Even winning them proved to be zero inspiration. When we looked at various BS, we spoke to the math head(s), science too. My spouse asked questions about the theoretical math classes, took a look at syllabi and could readily suss out what seemed to offer the best level. Some were marketing ploys. The most competitive BS all say they can support a math whiz, but how they do it matters. Our kiddo is more well rounded ( including sports) so just having a strong math program was only a single factor. What about the science department and maker labs? I don’t think just looking at who wins the math competitions is the single factor. Do kids win major science awards? Ask them about the best math kid they’ve had in the last five years and how they supported them. Where is that kid now? How did they figure out what they wanted to do mathematically in high school? Have they changed/updated the curriculum lately? Is the math head a known math person in their field? The questions reveal a lot about the math program. If you need to, ask to speak to an alumni/nae who is now in the math field.
Be very specific in your exploration of what advanced math is actually available at whatever schools you consider, and what additional options are available, ie nearby or online programs. Private schools cant always offer more because they have smaller populations and hence limited resources. We have kids who have attended traditional independent day schools and a highly competitive boarding school. Believe it or not, sometimes, large public schools offer more options. Malone Schools online programming is good-students meet for class online-so they are attending a course with an instructor and classmates-different than many online programs which leave students self teaching. Malone Schools are tied to Stanford online HS.
Maine has a math and science school. So does NC. Check those out.
Not all of the top BS focus on math competitions. SPS doesn’t. One benefit is that if you run out of courses in any subject (or have a specific interest) there is the option of designing an independent study with a teacher. My kids didn’t face that issue but it is done with some regularity.
@reader135 - if you are still on here, have you decided where to apply? Did you ever look into Davidson Academy?
@Happytimes2001 Do you mind sharing your impressions of specific schools? DM/PM is fine if you are uncomfortable sharing here.
Our kids have similar profiles. We looked hard at the prep schools. Most do not offer formal classes after Multivariate/linear algebra, so most of the math experience will depend on the quality of whatever seminar they put together.
If location is really not an issue but finances are, you could think about the Davidson Academy in Reno.
@SatchelSF @PaterFamilias it looks like the poster was only on in Sept 2017. Made a few posts and hasn’t logged in since then.