<p>My son has been home schooled for four years. He tried the public high school this year, for 9th grade and lasted 4 days. It was a grind, and the teachers were uninterested.</p>
<p>Here's some info about him:</p>
<p>SAT (not SSAT) at age 12: 660 math, 540 Reading
He'll take it again in a few weeks and probably get a high 700 on math, as a 9th grader. If lucky he'll get 600 on reading and 550 on writing (as far as I can tell from practice tests).
Last year he came in 2nd in CT in a national chemistry competition
Last year his team came in 8th in CT state Envirothon- environmental science competition-(a big deal for a ragtag bunch of homeschoolers up against some big school teams of AP Environmental Science students)
Many interesting activities: wilderness school weekly for four years
Made the JV soccer team at the high school (a really big school, too)
Is studying Chinese
in 8th grade completed 6 HS credits and got a 94.5 gpa ( under an umbrella school )
was placed into Honors Pre-calculus as a freshman
Is preparing for and
planning on taking AMC 10 this year
His current homeschool courseload for 9th grade is : Calculus/Physics/Chemistry/Chinese and Literature and lots and lots of tennis!</p>
<p>Academically, and even socially ( we have lots of really normal home schoolers in CT : ) ) , he is fine to keep home-schooling-but he'd really like to do sports, as well as be in an interesting & inspiring environment where people actually want to learn. </p>
<p>BUT... we need complete financial aid. We have NO money at all.</p>
<p>So my question is this: Is it even worth while to apply to boarding schools? Or are we dreaming? If you think it is worth it-what schools do you suggest? I promise I haven't over-hyped him in this post.</p>
<p>Thanks for your responses-this whole thing is quite overwhelming for me!</p>
<p>Many of the top tier schools offer full rides based upon annual family income under a certain threshold, usually 75 or 80k. His recs from people outside of the family will be very important, as well as his SSAT scores. If he did well on the SAT, he shouldn’t find the SSAT too challenging. </p>
<p>As to where he should apply- that depends on what he is looking for in a school. If science is important to him, there is a recent thread on math and science schools in New England that might be helpful. </p>
<p>Hi. He had many positive attributes. But the schools are also looking at emotional ability to handle to pressures/stress of boarding schools. I can imagine with your opening line, you are concerned too. Are there any schools close by where he can board during the week and come home on the weekend?</p>
<p>I’m not worried at all about him handling the stress of boarding school. He only ‘lasted’ a few days at our public school because he felt it was a lot of wasted time, and the teachers and kids were uninspired. He figured he could get more done at home, AND have more free time. Not all homeschoolers are anti-social and over-sheltered : )</p>
<p>I know what you mean, labradoodle. Some schools seem more open to homeschoolers than others. Based on your son’s 12 y/o SAT scores, he doesn’t seem that lopsided. More than likely, he just likes numbers more than words. My son is the opposite. He’s not BAD at math, he just doesn’t find it nearly as interesting as history or literature or religion.</p>
<p>I would look into some of the top schools, especially if you are in the northeast already. Even if he is unsuccessful in his application (and I have no idea about whether he would or not!), it still would not be a waste of time. The process itself is very good for children, I think. It forces them to examine what it is that they really think they want for their education. Many of the essay questions ask for serious soul searching. It is not for the faint of heart, but neither is boarding school!</p>