<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>also...really outgoing, nice, normal & sociable kid. I'm sure he'd interview really well.</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>I was just chatting last night with one of my college friends who went to Exeter. He was a Duke TIP veteran and is super super smart (Penn M/T program). He told me that Exeter was the only schools that would allow him to matriculate mid-year (this was in the mid-1980s). Exeter also has one of the largest BS endowments, so that would also be in your favor.</p>
<p>I would also try to find some local day school options quick. Additionally, I wouldn’t allow him to pull out of school after only 4 days. I say this without knowing exactly what the situation is, but IMO that leaves him in limbo…but if he soldiers through the next few months he could transfer and still have some HS under his belt. Remember that there are genius kids at public schools all over the country, BS doesn’t HAVE to be the only course of action (though, that would be me preaching something other than I plan to practice…) Best of luck. Some good info here and supportive & informed parents, too.</p>
<p>Labradoodlesrule, if you can, I urge you to edit your post to shield your son’s identity. A home schooled child who scored very highly on a national chemistry exam is…unusual.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback. I still am wondering, though, if boarding school is even worth pursuing, or if it is too much of a reach? Does anyone have recommendations for schools based on what I have posted?</p>
<p>Labradoodlesrule, </p>
<p>Many of the posters on this site are 8th graders. They are glad to offer advice, but I’d advise you to take “chances” estimation with skepticism. Even we parents are not experts at gauging admissions chances. Take our advice with skepticism too.</p>
<p>To search for boarding schools, the Association of Boarding Schools’s web site allows you to set parameters on their search.<br>
<a href=“http://www.boardingschools.com/[/url]”>http://www.boardingschools.com/</a>
The Association of Boarding Schools will offer “Virtual School Fairs” this year. (Thank you Burb Parent, for the link.) </p>
<p>[Home</a> | Boarding School Expos](<a href=“http://www.boardingschoolexpos.com/]Home”>http://www.boardingschoolexpos.com/)</p>
<p>I am very bad at guessing anyone’s chances. Certainly, your son has taken on some exciting academic challenges. I would worry about his experience at your local high school, though. Jumping from home schooling to boarding school would be a very big jump, for him and for you. Has he participated in sleep-away camps? Are you near to any boarding schools? Most boarding schools do admit day students.</p>
<p>If you hesitate to jump into the fray without some informed feedback about your son’s chances, I recommend you visit a boarding school fair. These fairs are usually held at local private schools. Check local private schools’ calendars for fair listings. They are open to the public. (To find local private schools in Connecticut: [CAIS</a> Home](<a href=“http://www.caisct.org/cais/default.aspx]CAIS”>http://www.caisct.org/cais/default.aspx).)</p>
<p>Sometimes boarding schools’ admissions departments will list the fairs they plan to visit. I looked at Phillips Academy’s admissions calendar [by the way, do look at other schools’ sites! They don’t all attend the same fairs!]. They do list some school fairs in Connecticut: [Phillips</a> Academy - Travel Schedule & Open Houses](<a href=“http://www.andover.edu/Admission/Pages/TravelScheduleOpenHouses.aspx]Phillips”>http://www.andover.edu/Admission/Pages/TravelScheduleOpenHouses.aspx). If any of the fairs in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts or New York are convenient for you, attending a fair is a great way to gather lots of information about boarding schools. </p>
<p>You can speak with admissions officers at the fair. Any one of them will be able to give you better guidance than the posters on this site.</p>
<p>Labradoodle: My son just made the homeschool to boarding school leap, and so far (admittedly not a long time!) is loving it. PM me if you want.</p>
<p>Are there other public school options in your area? This sounds like a kid who needs a math/science magnet.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the good feedback. I will defintely check out some fairs. I’m not worried at all about the homeschool to boarding school thing - he’d be fine. There are no other day-schools close enough to us, so boarding school is really his only option other than continuing to home school</p>