Folks we know who were in close proximity to Middlesex often applied as boarders since there were more spots in that pool. CA has an equal number of spots so there is no real difference. Don’t know about St. Mark’s. Some schools only have a tiny number of day spots. Groton had 4-5 for each sex. Some have 10% of a class of 300 and others a tiny number. Some, like Milton or CA are 50/50. You’d have to check the ratio for each and then decide.
I guess I was lumping CA, SSM, and Middlesex into “combo” schools). Maybe wrong label.
So we know the percentages of day/boarding (CA is 40/60%, Middlesex is 30/70%, and SMS is 25/75%) and maybe the total admit percentages…but sounds like we don’t know the difference in admit percentages between day and boarding for 9th grade.
I’m pretty sure Nobles is day only with no boarding.
Nobles has a 5 day boarding thing. But I think they have some internationals too?? Can’t remember since we didn’t like it and didn’t apply. Their college counseling might be the best in New England though. Truly amazing.
DS just told me they have about 10% boarders - mainly for recruited athletes.
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Your ratios are somewhat off. CA is 50/50, Middlesex is about 20-30%day but a huge number of these are athletic or legacy. No clue for SMS. Nobles had a tiny number of boarders 20-25. So kids who live too far to commute but close enough to go home on the weekend. Agreed they have an excellent matriculation which I’d bet serious money ties mainly back to legacy and athletes.
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These numbers are from Boarding School Review. They state that Concord Academy is 40% boarding, Middlesex is 70% boarding, and SMS is 75% boarding.
They also show a 25% acceptance rate for Concord Academy with an 86% average SSAT score; a 19% acceptance rate for Middlesex with an 85% average SSAT score, and a 27% acceptance rate for SMS with an 85% average SSAT score. I presume these admit rates are for the school overall and not just for 9th grade.
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Some people say it’s easier to get into Boston area private schools in 10th grade due to lower competition.
I did not think that these schools open many spots for 10th grade, so I would think spots are limited due to attrition, but maybe also the number of applicants are greatly reduced, so acceptance rates for 10th grade are great than the 20-25% acceptance rates which many schools are showing overall.
It does look like BB&N formally grows from 120-130 students from 9th to 10th grade.
Brimmer goes from 45 - 35 students between 9th and 10th grade, so that looks like they may actually have 10 open spots for basically anyone in 10th grade?
Beaver maintains the same class size.
Do most of you think it’s easier to get into 10th grade than 9th grade for day students and either day or boarding schools in this area?
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I think it’s a terrible idea to consider applying for 10th grade instead of 9th because it is “maybe” easier to get in. I am not aware that schools publish data that breaks out 10th grade admission so anyone speaking with authority is full of balony (barring being an actual ao of course).
Missing 9th grade at these places is not a good strategy. 9th grade is where you learn the ropes. Entering in 10th is tricky and you have to hit the ground running fast.
I don’t think anyone would not apply to 9th grade and wit to apply for 10th grade because it’s easier to get into. They may apply for 10th grade because they don’t get into a"good enough" school for 9th grade…so, I could see a student trying again in 10th grade and getting if, all things staying the same, if it’s easier.
You’d be best served to apply for 9th. If you need to reapply in 10th, do it. But don’t pass on 9th in hopes of better odds. These schools typically have the most openings in 9th, and while they will have the most applicants as well, it’s far more “open”. They are putting together the class and if you fit in any way, you have a shot.
@one1ofeach What makes the college counseling department at Nobles so stellar? Are they able to get kids who aren’t legacies, faculty kids, athletes, big donors or high scorers into highly selective schools?
Or are they skilled at recommending lesser-known schools where their grads go on to thrive and shine? Trying to understand how one evaluates the quality of college counseling services.
Getting kids into reach schools in a very targeted way. So not the applying to every ivy but just one in a very specific and calculated way.
A reach where there is no legacy or other advantage?
Yup
As I said, they have a very targeted approach. I find it impressive vs my son’s school which he claims is disorganized and random.
Recommending that half the class go to 2nd tier state schools or 2nd tier LACs isn’t the hallmark of a good college counseling office. Sure it sets everyone’s expectations, but that isn’t the highest praise for a CC office IMO. A great CC office can figure out/help a kid figure out what is unique and amazing about them and then pick one reach school and tailor an app so that the student comes across as the perfect fit and a no brainer admit.
Isn’t it true, though, that one kid’s dream, “reach” school might be another kid’s “2nd tier LAC”?
Sure!
But I am talking about skill in college counseling of helping kids target - I read a post out on the general CC boards about the kid whose private college counselor helped her tailor her application for Duke (?) and she got in ED when everyone on CC was like “omg, that’s such a reach, kids with super high stats get rejected from that school all the time, omg, omg.” You know the kind of thing I am talking about. However, the private counselor understood what Duke was looking for and they submitted a unique application that hit that sweet spot. Not the highest stat kid but exactly what Duke wanted that year. It is that level of excellence I am talking about.
I don’t think I am arguing that Nobles has better general matriculation stats so much as I am arguing that instead of just finding match schools for kids so everyone can be safe they go the extra mile to help kids target specific reach schools and then get into that ONE school.
And I guess there are some that are definitively not 2nd tier LAC like Williams and Amherst right? While Haverford might be someone’s reach and someone’s 2nd tier.
If Haverford, with a 16% acceptance rate and #11 ranking on USNews is second tier, that is a very narrowly defined 1st tier.
Re: Nobles, I think it is unfortunate that the school chose to highlight a recruited athlete in their profile piece/video on how there college counseling works.
Well, I think that is just one thing I found unfortunate about Nobles. Neither of my kids liked it at all. I was just pointing out that the CC office brings their A game.
@one1ofeach Isn’t Nobles day school only? IME the day schools tend to have way more parental involvement in the college process which helps to drive results especially for the bottom half of the class. Parents will push hard for the reach schools, cross the schools they would not be happy with off the list and do the work needed to get the best application possible to get the reaches (test prep, essay help, visiting schools, attending events to demonstrate interest etc., tailoring the application to the school’s needs, hiring consultants). They are also in the counseling office every week till the desired outcome happens, sometimes riding the waitlist till August. While I am sure there are some such parents at the boarding schools I am guessing it is a lot harder to be so hands on, if your kid is a boarder anyway. And so the CC is under much less pressure, and more kids end up in their target schools.
And judging how many Nobles parents showed up for a game two hours away on a Wednesday, they are very involved (they had a lot more spectators than the home team).
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