I meant to say a public school in Concord that is likely better than CA
How about among the schools on this list:
Middlesex
Concord Academy
St Marks
Rivers
Out of those four middlesex is the most rigorous but if you got into all four wouldnât you want to pick the one you loved? Where you felt the most comfortable and imagined being happy for four years? Those four schools have very different cultures and vibes. I canât imagine loving rivers and CA.
Those are very different schools. Rivers is known for its conservatory and has beefed up its sports recruiting in recent years. Not known for stellar academics but decent. Middlesex is the best academically and has strong sports. I have heard great things about St. Markâs-all around academically solid and great balance. Have already commented on CA.
Really it depends on what is important to you. It really doesnât matter which one you attend. You can likely go to any college from any one of those schools. Itâs a matter of finding the right fit and then doing well at your choice.
Itâs always a good idea to talk to people who attend, or have attended. Parents of alumni who have graduated are particularly honest. Many will tell you about outcomes, experience and what they liked/did not like. You donât want the sugar coated version but the real experience of what it would be like for you as a student. Read the student papers, read the quarterly reports (often online). What are people talking about?
On campus, do kids say hello to one another, make eye contact? Are they in groups talking or does it look like many kids are alone?
Just to add to what @Happytimes2001 posted above: I have personal experience with the public high school in Concord (Concord-Carlisle). Having had taught there many years ago. The class I taught and the classes my colleagues taught were very rigorous. Actually, on level or even more difficult than private school classes (including Kiddoâs) of similar subject. Maybe I was just tough? (LOL). Itâs my understanding that the teachers there are ranked on lists of top public high school educators in the US. You can go to US News or Niche to get more stats. I only wish our public school or local private schools were even half of what you get in Concord - If so, I wouldnât have sent my kiddo to BS. There is also Lincoln-Sudbury and the Advanced Math & Science charter school in Marlborough. You can compare the median SAT scores of some of the private schools to the local public high schools in those suburbs. If you are living in that area and paying high taxes for an excellent school, you should explore further the reasons you are seeking a private education for your child. I understand if you seek an arts-based program. However, if we lived up in your neck of the woods, we would happily send kiddo to Concord-Carlisle or many other public High schools in that area.
BTW - there is also Lawrence Academy - near Groton. It has a very good arts program and a strong hockey program. James Taylor sent his kid(s) there. There is a mom on CC who frequently posts @ St Markâs School. It is an excellent school with impressive college placement, athletics, arts, etc. It is also a traditional rival of Groton.
The number of times James Taylor has been mentioned on CC ?, although usually itâs in reference to his music. Iâll second the comments on Concord-Carlisle - we were quite impressed when we looked into it (but weâre nowhere near Concord, MA)
FWIW @swparenting, I have had 2 JT sightings at Guidoâs market in Pittsfield over the past couple of years. DH gets jealous, so he now insists on doing the marketing when we are up there for Tanglewood!
I appreciate all of these commentsâŠhaving options is great. And letâs eliminate Rivers from this list. So, weâre only talking about the difficulty of getting in between Middlesex, Concord Academy, and St. Marks as a day student for 9th grade for a kid who has exceptional strengths and also some weaknessesâŠvery high SSATs but school grades are very high in math and science and Bs in other classes (English is second language)âŠWill apply to all threeâŠand maybe have a choice or notâŠjust curious about peoplesâ opinions on this.
Was you verbal/reading ssat high too or just your math? In general schools donât like kids who do super well on the ssat and not as well in school because they think it shows a lack of hard work and motivation. As in you slack in school but youâre really smart And could do well. If you did poorly on the ssat verbal portion was it badly enough that schools will be worried about your ability to keep up (you mention English is a second language).
If above is not the case and you just have a few Bs in school you are probably fine as long as there is something compelling in the rest of your application.
If sports is at all a consideration you should know that both middlesex and st Marks have some VERY weak teams (as in painfully terrible) so consider your sport and look up their record.
Are you planning to move near to the school you get into? As the parent of two day students Iâd like to just let you know that commute is an issue! Donât think that a mere 40 min commute will be doable for four years.
Middlesex is hardest of those to get into. Are you trying to figure out value based on acceptance rate? That might backfire as there are many reasons why people apply and some schools ( like Concord Academy) donât have ârealâ /competitive sports teams so many kids who want to play a sport wonât apply there. You should figure out what you want and need and go from there.
St Marks should not be lumped with some of the schools itâs been lumped with as less academically challenging. Last year they had two NMS scholars along with multiple finalists just from a class of only 90. They also have a higher SAT average than several of the highly touted acronym schools. To say SMS is not academically challenging is very erroneous. To say itâs not much talked about is much more accurate. They like to fly under the hype radar but they do not at all skimp on their academic expectations.
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If he gets into multiple schools, then we can focus on which is the better fit. So, sounds like Middlesex is a cut above SMS and CA in terms of difficulty of getting into. I realize this is a generalization, but heck, they donât publish statistics, so that;s all we have here.
Ho much easier are Brimmer, Beaver, and Dexter to get into?
Day schools that have a middle school population are a whole other ball of wax! Some of those schools might only have 20-30 spots open for 9th grade. The ones you listed are certainly less rigorous but that doesnât mean theyâre asked to get into for 9th grade.
Youâre right, but I have a sense they are second tier, but donât know the competitiveness vs the day school programs at these boarding schools? They probably are more likely to take a kid with high SSATs and medium grades? Although even with the grades, thereâs a story here, and a story there. But I suspect they have plenty of kids with no stories, who also have stellar extra-curriculars.
Also for these day/boarding schools, are there better or worse odds for the day vs boarding programsâŠin general, this probably extends to Nobles, Milton, etc. but specifically interested in the three: Middlesex, St Marks, and Concord Academy.
SMS specifically limits their day school acceptances and has been known to ask local kids if theyâd be willing to board, if they are really interested in them. FYI
Of the boarding schools you listed CA has the largest % of day students. All the kids I know who applied last round were rejected except one.
St Markâs is a great school. And I have heard excellent things from people who have attended/attend. Just because it doesnât have the lowest acceptance rate doesnât mean a thing. It is further away from the nexus of more populated suburbs with lots of high stats kids and their wealthy parents therefore, there are fewer applicants for day students right there. Just another reason not to chose a school based on stats alone. For our family, St. Markâs was the one that got away. Our oldest would have looked at it but we ran out of time after looking at others.
Brimmer, Beaver and Dexter are not BS so you are going to get a very different education there.
@one1ofeach Almost everyone we know who applied to CA was accepted. So I guess it depends. Kids were mostly very solid students, no real high academic flyers. No one interested in sports. Couple of theater kids. Some real nice kids. Couple of legacies.
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They came to you and asked if you would switch from day to boarding? Interesting. So, the implication is that itâs easier to get into as boarding to these combo schools.
Iâm not sure what you are referring to as âcomboâ schools. Other than the very few 100% boarding schools- all boarding schools are âcomboâ schools.
For various reasons, a BS may suggest a day applicant to apply as boarding. Whether it be that they know the commute may cause problems with time management, wanting to keep boarding percentages higher or to better diversify their boarding community- suggesting this to a few applicants does not automatically insinuate that itâs easier to get in as a boarding student than a day student.
SMS had 900+ applications last year for only 108 slots (total for both day AND boarding) That sounds like pretty small admit percentages to me.