We are looking for an environment where our DD - highly gifted, poor executive function, exam anxiety driven in part by procrastination - can’t fall through the cracks - as an earlier poster wrote, that means required study hall, scheduled meals with adults, small classes, advisor check-ins, longer class times, and lots of available help in the way of office hours…
That sounds about right… Also, inclusive and friendly environment, where a quirky kid would be welcomed. Sports not important but required involvement in sports / extracurriculars might be a good option. We’d also like to avoid paying extra for academic support, but have that built into the programme.
What schools would fit this description? And do the ones we are looking at fit:
Tabor
Proctor
Harkness
Tilton
Brewster
Holderness
even.Milton - which is selective but apparently has good academic support.
Thanks @soxmom for the great comments on Brewster and Proctor. DD likes Vermont Academy but we’d like a bit more push on the academics. That said, could be great and we will probably visit. We’re planning on a long trip this summer, so any comments on these and suggestions on others that we should consider would help our planning!
@GOSOX1, DS is similar (though not necessarily “highly gifted”) and although when he applied 2 years ago he favored all boys schools, we did look at some co-ed schools that would fit the bill, such as The Gunnery, Berkshire, Pomfret, and Millbrook (he only applied to the first two given his general lack of interest in co-ed schools, and those were his preference). Many, if not most (or even all) schools offer some degree of academic support; one difference is in how prominently it is advertised, the participation level, and how much kids need to self-advocate to get help. Besides the learning center itself, I would focus on the smaller schools with a lot of structure — you seem to be on the right track. Also, I think you’ll find that in general BS teachers are available to provide help when needed and genuinely want kids to learn and succeed, and there is flexibility to achieve that. For example, freshman year when DS no longer had to attend supervised study hall (based on good grades first term), studying in his dorm room wasn’t working, and the library was distracting. Instead his advisor arranged for him to spend evening study hall in the English office, where he had a quiet, neat, non-distracting place to work.
I will say that I think actual tutoring and learning center support more often have an extra charge (I can’t speak to where it’s part of the tuition), but there are other resources. We started paying a tutor this year just for general help for my son in staying organized and on top of everything, and it’s been worth every penny — he adores her and she is like a kind and helpful 2nd Mom whose advice he accepts.
If she wants a small school and likes to write, Dublin might be worth looking at. It’s very supportive of non-athletic, quirky kids. Pomfret has a supervised study hall for no additional cost that might be the right level of support for her. If more support is needed, it’s available and I seem to remember when I did a cost analysis that it was in the lower end on price when I added academic support and tuition.
When you say you want it included in the program, are you only speaking about price or structure? Some schools have no cost academic support available, but you must seek it out yourself (in other words, you are responsible for scheduling and showing up). I knew that was not going to work for DS He needed it scheduled into his academic day and for it to be non-negotiable. I also knew it needed to be more than once a week as or he’d constantly be digging himself out of a hole.
I loved the academic support at New Hampton and since it’s part of the culture, teachers are very aware of student accommodations. THere is a constant feedback loop between teachers and the academic support center. Not only will your child not fall through the cracks, but there is also frequent contact with parents. Many kids in the IB program also utilize academic support so you won’t have to worry about academic push. It is pricey though.
For what it’s worth, the educational consultant who we worked with gave us the following list of schools to look at. We were only interested in schools relatively near Boston (2 hour drive or so), and somewhere in the 300-400 student size. Within those parameters, our consultant felt that the schools providing the best academic support system were Brewster and Proctor in one tier, then the next tier being Gould and New Hampton, and then the next tier after that being Kimball Union, Pomfret, Williston, and Holderness.
I would add Suffield, Dublin, Berkshire, Millbrook, Gunnery and Brewster possibly? Some of the schools mentioned on this thread won’t be able to challenge a gifted STEM kid but if your child leans that way Berkshire has amazing facilities. Dublin is very cozy and has a lot of experience with kids with anxiety as well as a healthy amount of AP and Honors classes that are sometimes missing at the smaller supportive schools. It would be impossible to fall through the cracks there. Another school not mentioned often here to consider is White Mountain School.
Just wanted to mention another school that no one seems to talk about. Christchurch in VA seems to have a strong, long-established academic support program. I believe they accept a neuropsych in lieu of SSAT but you’d have to call and confirm. Great option for those looking outside of New England.
I just wanted to throw this out there for people considering schools that are specifically for kids with LDs. You should definitely check with your accountant about a tax deduction. Schools that would qualify include Landmark, Foreman and Gow. Schools that only offer academic support do not qualify.
We are struggling with a choice for our serious, shy, not very sporty DD - Williston or Cushing. Williston seems a bit more academic, Cushing more embracing, and we are leaning there. Does anybody have first hand experience with either? Cushing has had some staff changes, and that worries me. We also worry about a sport culture. They also seem to be a bit stretched on teacher numbers. Both schools are lovely, and I am sure would work, but we want to make the best choice for her future.
Are you looking for 20/21 school year? How did you narrow down to those 2 schools (they seem very different)? What about them appealed to you? What type of academic support does she need?
I know nothing about Williston. Cushing has a stellar reputation for academic support. While it does have a very sporty reputation, it also has a robust arts program and because of its size, it seems like everyone can find their group. It seems the advisory program would play a big role in facilitating this for your daughter if she is very shy. How did you feel about their advisory programs?
My DD started at Cushing in January as a 10th grader. She is outgoing and somewhat sporty but also likes arts. They really have impressive art studios and offerings. The academic support has been really helpful, and she loves her academic support teacher, Spanish teacher and fused glass teacher and has enjoyed being on JV basketball and JV tennis teams. When people think of Cushing as a sports powerhouse they are not thinking of those teams! They are very open to beginners and have good team spirit even when they lose most games! I think overall they do have a sense of fun there and care about the students. The students have been nice, but somehow she hasn’t made a lot of friends yet. I think coming in mid-year was hard—she was behind from the start and overwhelmed and didn’t socialize enough. Let me know if you have specific questions. I don’t know anything about Williston.
We just came back from Parents’ Weekend at Forman and we continue to be very impressed. One thing we learned (they had actually told us, but we forgot) was that they have someone on staff that does neuropsych evaluations and coordinates accommodations for both testing (SAT and ACT) and colleges. As it is someone on staff, they know the kid extremely well and can observe them in class. Because Forman teachers know what accommodations make kids successful they also include that information when applying to the testing boards or communicating with colleges.
As my son uses few accommodations we are looking for a neuropsych eval that will guide us in picking his next setting and feel like their feedback is going to be invaluable. THeir college counseling is also impressive in that they really do match kids to schools that are great fits for them and where they tend to be very successful.
All in all, it was a wonderful weekend and we feel like it was a great decision to send LIzardkid there.
Hi to all! We are a new family considering Brewster Academy, Proctor Academy and Eagle Hill School as a boarding High School for our DS. He is very athletic and very sociable, but also needs a small class size and support because he has mild to moderate Dyslexia and ADD. His IQ level is normal (100). Does anyone have recent experience of these 3 schools. Thanks so much.
We looked at both Proctor and Brewster and liked both, but ultimately ended up somewhere else (Forman). If he is athletic, you should definitely check the offerings at Eagle Hill as they may not have the sports he is interested in. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.
Not sure if you can still add but I have a friend whose son has similar issues and they have been very happy at Trinity-Pawling. Lots of individualized attention, and solid sports teams as well.
For those of you scanning this thread, if you have a DD, I believe the Purnell School has rolling admissions. So there is still time to apply. It’s a school for girls with learning differences. Their matriculation list is impressive.
Many of the schools listed have either rolling admissions or will take students mid-year. It’s never a bad idea to call admissions if you are thinking about making a mid-year switch or have missed the traditional application deadline.
These recommendations are very helpful. Our DD is very bright, A- student but with mild ADHD and dysgraphia. she will likely not score amazingly on the SSAT. Having learning support is really important to us. She is also a very strong athlete (lacrosse and basketball) but we live in the Midwest so won’t be on any of the coaches radars. Any suggestions on how to target our search to find this right combination? She’s laid back, warm and inclusive, but doesn’t do well in navigating cliquey social dynamics. We are not interested in single sex schools and like the 300-400 student sized schools. Thanks.