<p>Last year SMS admitted too many(36%) students. They said it was record high application and they did not expect high turn out after revist. However,
almost half of the admitted students registered. That is why they admitted
a lot less students this year. They said this year's acceptance rate is
24% and the number of application broke the last year's record.</p>
<p>We need to be careful about the ranking. There are many different ranking systems out there, and many people believe it is not the things to trust.
I posted the info just for a reference. A careful interprettion is becessary.</p>
<p>Please find *The Rankings; How the area's (sorry, Boston only!) best private & public schools measure up". </p>
<p>1 Philips Academy Andover
2 Middlesex School
3 Noble & Greenough School (Nobles)
4 Roxbury Latin
5 Buckingham, Browne & Nichols (BB&N)
6 Winsor School
7 Commonwealth School
8 Groton School
9 Boston Latin (public, exam school)
10 Weston, MA public high school
11 Newton South, MA public high school
12 Newton Country Day
13 Brooks School
14 Milton Academy
15 BU Academy
16 Concord Academy
17 Wellesley, MA public high School
18 Newton North, MA public high School
19 Belmont Hill
20 Brookline, MA public High school
21 Dover-Sherborn, MA public High school
22 Brimmer & May
23 Worcester Academy
24 Thayer Academy
25 St. Mark's School</p>
<p>The data included enrollment, students per teacher, electives, varsity sports, extracurriculars, SAT scores, percentage going to 4-yr colleges, AP courses, classrooms with internet access & students per computer. The data was gathered from interviews with school officials, school websites, state Dept. of Education and other published resources. To calculate the final rankings, academic achievement was weighted 50%, learning environment & technology were both weighted 25%. </p>
<p>The goal of the rankings "was to identify what might be thought of as the area's most well-rounded schools... the list above awards credit for offering something for every type of student - and providing them all with a top-notch education."</p>
<p>Boston Magazine, September 2006, p 201</p>
<p>Here's another way of looking at the rankings....So many people want to send their child to a school that has a high rate of Ivy matriculation. They see schools with that high rate as somehow more prestigious. Maybe, if that is what you consider prestigious, they are. The error is in thinking that these schools have "stronger academics" or a more invested faculty. This is simply not true. These schools have so many kids going to the Ivies simply because this is where those who aspire to the Ivies for their children send them. I have said time and time again that not every bright mind desires an Ivy education. Many of the "lower ranked" schools have academics and faculty every bit as strong and are filled with children who have diverse interests and are looking for a school suited to them, not necessarily just a name.
I am thinking the rankings should be titled "Prestige Rankings of Boarding Schools"; that would be a more apt descriptor and not lead people to believe that certain schools are stronger academically because they are higher up on the list. Certainly, not every bs has the same curriculum, and not all are necessarily rigorous acadmically. That is where individual discernment comes into play. Parents and students must do their own homework and look through the schools' catalogs, visit the schools, speak to the faculty and students. You can't rely on a list you find published somewhere.</p>
<p>The real scoop on Ivy admissions from top boarding schools....is that the kids who are regularly getting in are the very very top of the class, the big-money legacies, and the diversity kids. If you are an average un-hooked kid (see the second two types of kids above) in the top third of your class at a top-tier boarding school, you PROBABLY are not getting into the Ivies. You probably would have a much better chance at going Ivy graduating valedictorian from local little public school in backwater state.</p>
<p>So my daughter who, judging from her grades and the grade distribution sheet from the school that my husband helpfully supplied me, must be near top of her class at one of the top-ranked schools in the post #18 rankings; however, she will probably not be admitted into an Ivy league school nonetheless. She has no other hook. We knew this BEFORE her BS application experience and BEFORE she even started to perform well at BS. Going to one of the "best" schools was NOT an endeavor to send her to the Ivies.</p>
<p>Oh, rowing crew definitely helps getting into the Ivies. Keep that in mind for those who DO aspire to the Ivies.</p>
<p>That is true!</p>
<p>Imnop needs to read this thred.</p>