<p>@dsterino: Why does it not surprise me that that article is somehow “Reed-centric”?</p>
<p>However- he does have a point!Rankings are questionable at best and pointless at their worst!</p>
<p>Perhaps legacies are alive and well and I am wrong as to their overall influence in today’s college admissions process. As my wife or mdgran will gladly tell you and I agree with them both, I am wrong a lot more than I am right : )</p>
<p>Of course rankings are generally pointless. We all agree with that, right? Doesn’t mean that they are not fun. And there even might be a “colonel” of truth to some of them (wow, that is really bad, even by my low standards).</p>
<p>Here’s the real question: In today’s educational environment (strong suburban public schools and changing college matriculation)is an ISL day school education worth $36,000+ a year? </p>
<p>Hmmmm…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>@colonel - it’s a big assumption to think that most kids have the ability to attend a “strong suburban public school.” My guess is that a minority of kids have that option. Ongoing budget pressures have impacted schools in many districts. </p>
<p>Here are a few recent news articles:</p>
<p>Shawnee Mission, KS:</p>
<p>[Judge</a> rules against Kan. parents in education suit](<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/11/AR2011031104273.html]Judge”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/11/AR2011031104273.html)</p>
<p>Andover, MA:
[Teachers</a> tentative contract agreement crumbles News Andover Townsman, Andover, MA](<a href=“Teachers tentative contract agreement crumbles | Local News | andovertownsman.com”>Teachers tentative contract agreement crumbles | Local News | andovertownsman.com)</p>
<p>Ohio:
[Study:</a> Most Ohio School Districts Cut Expenses in Face of State Budget Cuts | StateImpact Ohio](<a href=“http://stateimpact.npr.org/ohio/2012/01/19/study-most-ohio-school-districts-cut-expenses-in-face-of-state-budget-cuts/]Study:”>http://stateimpact.npr.org/ohio/2012/01/19/study-most-ohio-school-districts-cut-expenses-in-face-of-state-budget-cuts/)</p>
<p>Is it worth $36,000+…
- it isn’t when I am writing the check, signing it, putting it in an envelope, licking the flap, the stamp…
- it is when my son comes home telling me how happy he is at school and how much he likes his classmates, when I see how proud he is to put on the school team jersey to play for the school (when I know he is really not that good of an athlete in that sport but there are no cuts for the middle school team), when he is involved in activities outside the classroom with his schoolmates that I know the local school does not offer</p>
<p>At the end of the day, it is the experience, the memories, and the opportunities that are available to him that enables him to grow as a person. I hope I will still feel the same in my retirement as I am eating <em>dog food</em>!!</p>
<p>Colonel asked the key question that many many families are asking throughout Massachusetts if not New England. Is it worth it? And for the record he has been right many many times on this board about many topics. :)</p>
<p>Irishmom’s answer was excellent. There is not one thing I disagree with.</p>
<p>I’ll get on my soapbox and say that for $36,000, it is worth it at only a few ISL day schools. I think it is worth it at a Roxbury Latin, a BB&N, and a Nobles. Personally, I don’t think it is worth it at a St. Sebastians, a Thayer Academy, or a Lawrence Academy (talking about day students for LA, boarding maybe). Others will disagree with me and that’s fine. Families need to do what they feel is appropriate for their children. I’m not one to tell people how to parent. If families can afford the tuition for what I feel is a respectable, but weaker day school for their children, and the students go are happy, make lifelong friendships, etc…hey, everyone won! But I think there are differences in $36,000 at a Lawrence Academy and a BB&N. There is a difference in $36,000 at Nobles and Thayer. And a difference between RL and a St. Sebs. Now off soapbox. </p>
<p>I think rankings are useful as one way to judge anything, not the end all be all.</p>
<p>always enjoy the posts out here! :)</p>
<p>Roxbury Latin 1.5% (*)
St. Paul’s 1.6%
Groton 2%
St. Mark’s 2.2%
St. George’s 3.1%
Noble & Greenough 3.7%
Middlesex 4%
Governor’s 4.26%
Brooks 4.7%
Belmont Hill 5%
Milton 5%
BB&N 10.8%
Thayer 12.11%
Rivers 15.12%
Lawrence 15.5%
St. Sebastian’s 22.3%</p>
<p>Criteria: Ratio of need-based financial aid/endowment (figures gathered from Peterson’s 2010/11 Handbook of Private Schools)</p>
<p>*could be considered 4.4%, if low tuition considered</p>
<p>Very interesting numbers, Periwinkle. A different perspective.</p>
<p>MDgran1955 is feeling fiesty! I can here the rumblings from your many ex- friends from St Sebs, Thayer and LA from here! </p>
<p>I would put many other non-ISL schools in that class before I put one ISL. But after all, we were talking about the ISL. I might even include 1 or two more ISL’s…</p>
<p>A question on the IVY% data is whether this is a function of the schools or the kids these schools admit in the first place? In other words, if the RL kids went to a stong public high school that offered APs, good teachers, etc. would they still be getting into the Ivies? Would the percent of them getting in to Harvard drop from 30% to 25% or down to the average 6%?</p>
<p>@LakeClouds: From where I sit, well out of the ISL orbit, I think that most of the kids who get into the Ivies from private schools would probably be able to do so out of a strong public high school. Just my opinion.</p>
<p>I went to the BB&N-Belmont Hill championship baseball game last Friday with my dad. Good father-son bonding experience. I graduated from BB&N as I have posted out here and hold many ISL institutions in high regard for different reasons. Belmont Hill smoked us silly, but watching high school competition on a Friday afternoon is the real treat! :)</p>
<p>During the drive over to Belmont Hill, my father asked me how would I consider Belmont Hill and BB&N compared to other ISL schools. I thought about diverting him over to this board and the conversation over the last year, but more worried that he would think I have either too much time on my hands or too concerned with trivial matters. :)</p>
<p>My quick answer was BB&N and Belmont Hill were “middle of the road of the ISL”. He then asked me what makes one ISL better than another. I said three things: endowment, college placement, and selectivity of student body. He then asked which ones did I consider the best. My retort was the usual three “Roxbury Latin, Groton, and St. Pauls”. He didn’t have any argument with my picks. Astonishing schools. He then asked me which were the worst. I paused and said “Thayer, Lawrence, and Governor’s Academy.” Yet, I reiterated that those three still have a long history with traditions and low student-teacher ratios. </p>
<p>My dad then mentioned that our longtime family physician went to Thayer and ran track for Harvard. I said I know and that’s why I stopped going to him years ago. I didn’t trust his judgement. 
He laughed and then we moved on to other topics.</p>
<p>Hope everyone has an enjoyable summer. mdgran1955</p>
<p>Baseball update to mggran1955…yesterday was the Etter-Croke Baseball tournament
BB&N and Belmont Hill tied 3-3, BB&N went on to defeat Thayer 8-4</p>
<p>Mom of a Knight…thanks for posting. Glad we performed ok. BB&N had the top high school player of the year in Rhett Weisman. He will be going to Vanderbilt in the fall.
The baseball team is much much stronger compared to when I attended the school in the 1990s. </p>
<p>Hope your child had a wonderful experience at the school. It was very rigorous when I went there and the standards have not changed much since I graduated ages ago.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>My son has had a great experience at BB&N. Rhett is his teammate and we will enjoy watching him progress at Vandy or in the MLB…</p>
<p>mdgran- I loved your post! Thanks.</p>
<p>Mom- Rhett Weisman is spectacular! He hit a homerun vs St Mark’s at BBN in April that has yet to land : ) (one of his 2 homers that day). It will be fun to watch his development.</p>
<p>I have tremendous respect for the BBN baseball coach and for the BBN baseball program. Congrats to your son for being a part of it. This year’s BBN team was young and not quite as strong (they were still very very good, however) as in years’ past but next year…with their young pitchers a year older and 2 extremely talented recruits: ISL had better beware!</p>
<ol>
<li>RL</li>
<li>Milton</li>
<li>SPS</li>
<li>BBN</li>
<li>Middlesex</li>
<li>St. Mark’s</li>
<li>Noble and Greenough</li>
<li>Belmont Hill</li>
<li>Lawrence</li>
<li>SGS</li>
</ol>
<p>Looks like Nobles this 2014 was the ISL academic champ with its success with the IVYs etc. They trumped RL, Milton etc.seems they are doing things right in maintaining a balanced approach with athletics and academics.</p>
<p>Boston Magazine came out with their best schools ranking the other day.
They ranked 65 private schools based on a variety of criteria that they weren’t really clear in explaining.
I won’t list all 65, but will rank in order how the ISL schools finished.
Keep in mind that this is Boston Magazine so a couple of ISL institutions are omitted because of being out of state:
St. George’s (RI) and St. Paul’s.</p>
<p>ISL rank BM rank Name</p>
<p>1 1 Roxbury Latin School
2 6 Groton School
3 8 Middlesex School
4 9 Buckingham Browne & Nichols
5 10 Belmont Hill School
6 14 Milton Academy
7 17 Noble & Greenough
8 22 Rivers School
9 23 St. Mark’s School
10 24 Brooks School
11 26 St. Sebastian’s
12 39 The Governor’s Academy
13 53 Thayer Academy</p>
<p>Lawrence Academy did not make the ranking which I found strange since it is located in Groton, MA.
Groton School made top 10 of BM.
Either the Lawrence ranking was lower than 65–BM ranked only 65 private institutions–or they fell slightly out of 495 geographically. BM didn’t touch schools out of I-495, not viewed as greater Boston by that point.
Would love to get comments on the board of all of this.</p>
<p>best mdgran1955</p>
<p>It is odd that Lawrence Academy wasn’t on the list, but it certainly wasn’t because Boston Magazine only ranked schools within I-495. Deerfield is on the list, as is Tabor, Falmouth Academy, Holyoke Catholic, etc. Not to mention Groton itself, as you point out. So it wasn’t a geographic thing. Maybe they declined to participate for some reason. As for the rankings themselves, well, these things always have pretty suspect methodology. I’d agree with the top two and the bottom two, but the rest is pretty much in the eye of the beholder.</p>
<p>This is my ranking of Massachusetts private schools. </p>
<p>My rank; School: SATs; Boston Magazine Rank</p>
<ol>
<li> ROXBURY LATIN 2280 1</li>
<li> PHILLIPS ACADEMY 2079 12</li>
<li> WINSOR 2176 5</li>
<li> COMMONWEALTH 2169 2</li>
<li> GROTON 2092 6</li>
<li> MILTON 2067 14</li>
<li> DEERFIELD 1981 20</li>
<li> MIDDLESEX 2070 8</li>
<li> BUA 2095 4</li>
<li>BB&N 2041 9 (for my boy mdgran)</li>
</ol>
<p>Also, I think BM’s new ISL ranking looks reasonable. Place LA at the bottom, insert SG with the Brooks SM and Rivers group and SPS behind RL and Groton. </p>
<p>Thoughts?</p>