Hotchkiss mentioned up to 40% of each class year are repeats (this was during summer 2021 webinars etc) - that just shows you where this is all going
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Did they happen to talk about any changes between 2019 and 2021 in that? I’ve been wondering if we’d see a big spike in repeating for 2021 & 2022 but I haven’t seen any actual numbers from schools on it to satisfy my curiosity.
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I am curious whether repeating is less common in the California. (1) there’s no athletic recruiting California high schools. (2) I don’t think there are many, if any, middle schools that go through 9th grade.
I am also curious what impact, if any, there is on college admissions. I would think outcomes would be favorable- athletic recruiting and an extra year for maturity and having more advanced courses would enhance options.
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I don’t know what numbers look like overall, but I do happen to know that the CIF athletic association (Cate competes in the southern section) only allows for 8 consecutive semesters of eligibility once a student begins 9th grade for the first time. There are a few loopholes but they require injuries or other major events that require withdrawing from school for an entire semester.
On the other hand, NEPSAC’s eligibility rule is age based… the athlete becomes ineligible the September 1st after they turn 19. That allows a lot of students a fifth year.
I wouldn’t say Lawrenceville falls outside either category, but I do agree that the day student numbers have an impact; from what I’ve heard, repeating is virtually unknown at Peddie or George School (60% and 50% boarding, respectively).
That could be it; I’m class of 2023, so we entered before Covid was a thing at all. I think rates are fairly similar among c/o 2024 (given that they finished applications before the pandemic), but 2025 might be different (unfortunately, I don’t really know anyone in that grade…); I’ll see if I can take a look at some point, though.
Did Hotchkiss officials mention why students repeat a grade ?
@Publisher , I can’t answer your question definitively, but what happens as a class trends toward older is that younger applicants can seem too young so are then encouraged to repeat. The kid who might have been on the younger side in a "normal " environment now is VERY young and is recommended to repeat. It becomes sort of self fulfilling.
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no they didn’t cite reasons but once the trend starts - even normal age kids in the grade begin to look young/younger and families start to see their odds are also better by repeating (their kids look more competitive in the repeat class pool)
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For sure. And the trend towards holding kids back isn’t boarding or even prep school specific. My family is all in Texas and it’s become standard for my cousins & siblings to hold their boys with spring or summer birthdays back in either pre-k or kinder. It’s more of a mixed-bag with girls but for summer birthdays at least it’s no longer just assumed that a kid will stay with the grade they meet the age cut-off for. Some honestly think their kid needs the extra year but others definitely seem to feel forced into it, especially if they want their kids to be remotely competitive in the big team sports.
I have mixed feelings about it. To some extent I like the idea of moving past the assumption that all kids will or should progress at the same pace and pattern over those crucial 13 years of school & development. On the other, I don’t love kids who are really ready to move to the next grade being held back because they and their family feel like it’s the only path to their goals.
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