This whole thing bemuses me. I have a young family member who was “waitlisted” for kindergarten at Fieldston last year. (Made the mistake of not attending the Ethical Culture preschool, no family connection to the school, no famous parents.) Tested into the G&T program in the NY public schools, but with no prep not high enough to get into the uber program on the UWS. Apparently the price one pays for not preparing for K admissions a couple of years in advance, something that outsiders frequently deride in NYC parents. Grandparents would have made sure the tuition was covered.
This child is in a G&T program in District 10. There are two schools with G&T programs in the district. One, highly regarded, has substantial parent fundraising to support arts programs that are cut by the city and so forth, and 46% white kids; the other, 10%. That’s the one she was placed in. She’s the only white girl in her class. They live in Riverdale, although not in the fanciest part.
There are plenty of kids who are locked out of the heaven that is Fieldston. Of course, she comes from a well-to-do, well-educated background, with all of the advantages that entails. They have choices that other people don’t, but just because you can pay the bills and have a gifted child doesn’t mean you can go to Fieldston. It will be interesting to see what happens. They need to live in the city because of their work. They now have a second child. Will they hold out?