<p>Thank you all for the information you all gave me. Every single of you posts have given me insight that only people in the know could give. Now we have to decide if this big step is the right one.
My nephew lives in a “less desirable” avg high school (SAT 490V 485 CR /20.5 ACT and recieved similiar SAT scores and GPA compared to my son’s high school , AVG SAT 549V/ 537 CR/ 23 ACT yet he got into very similar schools. My brother and I have been debating for years over whether is it better to be the big fish in the pond or a little fish in the big pond. Our sons’ success has not ended thid debate.<br>
So with respect to the " best of the State" schools, can any of you give me any info on any places south of Chicago that is within 50 miles that are reccomended? In school districts near me, including mine, parents micromanages thier kids every move in order to make it into the Ivies. My younger son has been affected by the pressure placed on his friends and needs to be himself not compared to his quadiplegic over acheiving brother " QuadNerd " as he calls him. For my son’s sake , we would like to live in a less competitive school district, at least in ones where the pressure is not as intense?</p>