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What are B&M G&T schools for high schoolers throughout the US?


TerriM
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I'm wondering what brick&mortar high schools, be they public, religious, or private, are available for gifted kids throughout the country. Only interested in non-residential options.

 

 

Specifically curious about resources in Boston, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, St. Louis, Austin, Raleigh/Durham Virginia/DC area.

 

I'm aware of BU Academy in Boston, and Austin TX allows kids to take classes at local community colleges (which unfortunately don't offer a lot of high level math classes, though). Don't need info on Bay Area--all set there.

 

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Boston has 3 public exam schools, entrance by ISEE score and ELA/Math grades. They are not "gifted" programs, but they are strong college prep programs. There is also a public arts academy, which bases admission on auditions rather than academics, but offers dual enrollment options, if your child's gifts run that way.

In addition to BUA, there are many very strong private schools in the $30-45,000/year range. Winsor for girls, Roxbury Latin for boys, Commonwealth, etc.

There are a few stem charter schools around, mostly outside the city. Also, some of the public schools in the suburbs are very well regarded, but again, not explicitly "gifted" programs. 

 

 

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Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy is in the Chicago suburbs, but it is residential (no day students allowed).

 

Yeah....  My son would not want to be in a residential program at all--he loves being with his family (which I truly appreciate).  It's too bad they won't do mixed residential-day students. :(

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There are a few stem charter schools around, mostly outside the city [boston]

 

Yeah...... Last I checked the closest one was Worcester? Anything closer than that?

 

We would not be able to afford Newton.

 

His skills are in math/science/CS with at grade level writing and spelling skills, good speaker, and very social/extroverted.  He would need something that allows Calc BC for a 9th grader, or a kid already coming into 9th grade halfway through Calculus.  He would do best in a cohort which loves to debate interesting, yet useless questions.  Think "What if?" by Randall Munroe.  :)  A fencing team or club would be a plus.

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I would ask over at the Davidson forums - I imagine you'd get much more feedback there. I vaguely recall there is something in the Raleigh area though I may be remembering wrong, sigh...

 

A rambling aside:  I would think through the premise with regard to the math.  While there are some high schools (including non-gifted but "good" high schools in my area) that offer the next step after BC, calc 3, obviously in the non-gifted world anything beyond calc 3 will likely be kicked to DE of one sort or another.  I dunno, there are a whole lot more gifted kids than officially "gifted" high school numbers would indicate.  You might be able to find what you need in a school requiring testing for admission where a subset of the population is gifted - the question is, how big would that subset need to be.  When I think of gifted day schools, I think of Hunter and probably Stuy (presumably nyc is out of budget), and then maybe a couple of the very top boarding schools.

Edited by wapiti
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His skills are in math/science/CS with at grade level writing and spelling skills, good speaker, and very social/extroverted.

 

It would depend on the school, but grade-level writing skills might point me toward a school that is not necessarily all-gifted.  (I have kids like this.)  There may be many more schools out there that might work, a school with lots of options.  In your case, look for a school with a thriving math club/team.

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Good points wapiti.

 

He is not someone who wants to be the lone smart kid in his class--he is much happier being middle of the pack in a group of smart kids.  His current cohort is on the advanced side STEM-wise.  If he's the only 9th grader in Calculus BC or AP Physics, I think he'd feel a bit lonely.  If there are 5-10 other 9th graders in Calc BC or AP Physics, that's great, even if it's in a school of 800 kids.  

 

It doesn't necessarily need to be at a gifted school, but if he's going to max out a school's math in the first year or two and have to take classes at a university, I'd like the university to be close by to minimize the commute time, especially in a big city and especially if he's too young to drive.   Something like BU Academy where they expect kids to take college classes and already have an arrangement for it would be great.  Or if a school simply offers enough stuff themselves because they're large enough or in a city where kids are academically driven, that works too. 

 

I have a suspicion these resources are easier to come by in a place like Boston and the Bay Area.  If there's *nothing* in, say, St. Louis, then I would probably nix it as a place to move to. :(  

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http://www.amsacs.org

Maybe look at the advanced math and science academy charter school in Marlborough, ma. It is 22 miles west of us, so not quite as far as Worcester. It is on my radar as a possibility for dd, but she is just as strong in humanities, and loves theatre, etc, so not sure about it for her.

 

Thank you.  I didn't know about that one.  Looks like it's between two commuter rail lines which is good if hubby is working in towards the city.

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Random thought I had this morning - if you are hoping for, say, ten 9th graders in BC calc, there is a key factor in the feeder middle school.  If you can locate a gifted middle school with major acceleration for math, then you can ask where those kids go to high school.  My gut sense is that far fewer middle schools have the kind of acceleration you're looking to match up with, as at least some will try to balance the acceleration with depth.  The small number of kids who are so accelerated as to take calc in 9th is not, IMO, a reflection solely of those kids' level of ability, but also a result of the availability of the acceleration to alg 1 around 5th grade (or afterschooling/tutoring/kumon in middle school). In most districts, it's hard to come by alg 1 before 6th grade/middle school (and often 7th).  The 10th graders in BC calc are not less likely to be intellectual peers.

 

I am editing out a ridiculously long post; to make a long story short, level of acceleration (calc in 9th) is too narrow a way to find intellectual peers for your student.  IMO, schools with thriving AMC team and schools that receive students from feeder middle schools placing highly in a major metro MathCounts chapter may be a better approach.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if there was a school that would probably work in every major city if you are looking for a certain concentration of intellectual peers.  One way to go about this to first list cities according to where you want to live/work.  Then starting at the top, check nearby schools to see whether calc 3 is offered (*course catalog is usually online someplace*) and whether there's a math team, robotics, etc.  Then look for DE nearby at universities if the CCs won't have what you want (around here, virtually ALL high schools offer DE via the CCs; university is trickier).  Also, probably obvious, but don't forget to check the School Profile, where you may find the types of colleges students go on to, as well as average ACT and SATs.  Make a short list of schools for your top 3 cities and then begin to look at other factors.  CS offerings will be hit or miss; obviously STEM schools should have more, but I wouldn't exclude schools that don't identify as STEM.  (Example of other factors, doesn't TJ have a reputation for being a super-high-stress place?  Not to mention extremely competitive for admission?)
Edited by wapiti
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In the DC area, in addition to TJ that someone already mentioned, you could also look at the STEM magnet at Montgomery Blair in Silver Spring.  Here's the description of their math courses:  https://mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/courses_math.php

 

In DC, you could also look at School Without Walls.  It's not a school specifically for STEM kids, but it's located essentially on the GW campus, and kids can take courses at the university and graduate with an A.A. and a high school diploma at the same time.

 

BASIS, a charter school in DC, also has a reputation for significantly accelerating kids in math.

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NYC has a number of options for high performing students, including (but not limited to) the rather famous specialized high schools. (My sister and I each attended a specialized high school and frankly, I think those schools are overrated.)

 

However, the NYC high school admissions process is super stressful, and trying to navigate to one of the more competitive schools (excepting the ones that do entrance solely via the SHSAT) as a homeschooler is no fun.

 

When I think of gifted day schools, I think of Hunter and probably Stuy (presumably nyc is out of budget), and then maybe a couple of the very top boarding schools.

 

Stuy is overrated, for reals. That's where I went. Hunter, you have to take the test 6th grade - and I don't know how you go about getting invited to take the test if you didn't take the statewide tests in 5th grade. With that said, you can live in NYC on a not enormous income - the median income in my neighborhood is only about 50k per household. That's not tiny, but it's not huge either, and we aren't that far away from Manhattan.

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At least in Oregon, there are many LACs that allow gifted high school students to take college classes at very reduced rates. I'm guessing this is also true elsewhere. The top students at our local high school are in an IB program and take two classes per semester at the local LAC. These students are hand chosen by the high school, the program is not advertised. My son and a few other homeschoolers have also participated in the program. We paid $800 per year for four classes and normal tuition is close to $50k for eight classes. Reed College in Portland also does something similar. This may work well for your son if he is very advanced in some areas but more just high achieving in others. He could take math and CS at the college and everything else at the high school.

 

One of my son's profs did this while he was in high school here and enjoyed the experience so much that after undergrad at Harvey Mudd and grad school at Caltech, he came back to teach chemistry at the LAC.

 

Fencing is very big in OR. One of the homeschooled students who did the program with my son went on to fence for an Ivy League school.

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Yeah. A math club would definitely be a good thing.  

 

I'm a bit discouraged because i recently tagged along with a friend and her kid who were touring a well-regarded high school.   While at the math department table, I overheard one teacher say to another something like "Well, if every kid is advanced, what's normal anymore?"  Didn't sound like a complement to whatever parent(s) had just left.  Yet this is the Bay Area, and honestly they *should* expect a decent number of kids who are accelerated.  Also, although they apparently had someone who had gone on to the USAMO and a couple kids going on to the AIME, the department gave these kids no support whatsoever (the teacher said "No, they do it all on their own--they are super motivated.").  I also got the impression that they didn't really like dealing with accelerated kids, and weren't too thrilled with the parents either.  Maybe they were having a bad day, but.....

 

I know this is typical of many schools, but I also know that there are schools who take the kids, test them, and place them where they're at without hesitation because they know kids do accelerate with mastery and the school is designed to accommodate these kinds of kids.   A lot of flexibility and a very positive attitude of "yeah, we'll  make sure to place him where it's a good fit", not a "you're probably wrong, but we'll test him because you won't leave us alone" attitude.  

 

If we move, I'd really like to find the positive flexibility attitude, not the "ok if we must" attitude.   I have a suspicion that some schools are designed for these kids and attract these kids.

 

As for finding a job first, husband is a software engineer--a lot of possibilities in all major cities and even some minor ones.  I think of the cities I listed, St. Louis is the only iffy one, but it is close to family, so I threw it in there.  Most likely housing costs and schools will be a major decision factor as much as the job market.

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Also, although they apparently had someone who had gone on to the USAMO and a couple kids going on to the AIME, the department gave these kids no support whatsoever (the teacher said "No, they do it all on their own--they are super motivated."). I also got the impression that they didn't really like dealing with accelerated kids, and weren't too thrilled with the parents either.

When we toured DS12 was a 6th grader with ACT scores in hand and starting precalculus. We were given more attention than we expected to get. Some of the schools did ask if he want to skip 8th grade and enter high school a year early. However it is true that most high schools don't have teachers helping with AMC10/12, AIME or anything else. It is the parent volunteers who run the show (math club) if there are willing parent volunteers.

 

Generally for high school open houses. I would ask to speak to the math dept. head, science dept. head and sometimes end up speaking to the principal. I would also speak to the Chinese lead teacher because it is our heritage language so I want to know how placement goes. There are kids who are capable of AP Chinese at 9th grade after all (not my slacker kids :) ) At least the math teachers know about AoPS :)

 

With schools like Harker, Basis Independent, Stanford OHS in our backyard, being "normal" for math is really undefined. Basis Independent has the choice of AP Calc BC at 8th grade. Hubby and I weren't impressed with Basis Independent when we visited and our boys weren't impressed either.

 

We were considering U of Washington's early entrance program at one time because downtown Seattle has tech job openings and we love crowded cities.

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NYC has a number of options for high performing students, including (but not limited to) the rather famous specialized high schools. (My sister and I each attended a specialized high school and frankly, I think those schools are overrated.)

 

However, the NYC high school admissions process is super stressful, and trying to navigate to one of the more competitive schools (excepting the ones that do entrance solely via the SHSAT) as a homeschooler is no fun.

 

 

Stuy is overrated, for reals. That's where I went. Hunter, you have to take the test 6th grade - and I don't know how you go about getting invited to take the test if you didn't take the statewide tests in 5th grade. With that said, you can live in NYC on a not enormous income - the median income in my neighborhood is only about 50k per household. That's not tiny, but it's not huge either, and we aren't that far away from Manhattan.

I visited Stuy open house and spoke to current parents (even though my kid is not gifted but we were thinking of moving back to the city). Anyway, they will not permit any DE other than math, even if I arrange and pay for it. "Pick another language" was the direct quote. And Stuy may have amazing offerings, but they save these classes for upperclassmen. So you can place in (say) AP calculus, there will most likely not be room in the AP class for your kid because there's enough juniors and seniors.

I won't even address the humanities issue.

Edited by madteaparty
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Generally for high school open houses. I would ask to speak to the math dept. head, 

 

 

Yeah.......  I *was* speaking to the math dept head :(   

 

 

With schools like Harker, Basis Independent, Stanford OHS in our backyard, being "normal" for math is really undefined. Basis Independent has the choice of AP Calc BC at 8th grade. Hubby and I weren't impressed with Basis Independent when we visited and our boys weren't impressed either.

 

 

Totally agree!  Thank you for confirming this feeling.  Also, I've heard that some of the schools in Sunnyvale have partnered with Khan Academy to reverse the classroom and let kids go at their own pace.  Plus there's a lot of homeschoolers around and I'm sure some might choose to at least tour a B&M school for high school.

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Anyway, they will not permit any DE other than math, even if I arrange and pay for it. "Pick another language" was the direct quote. And Stuy may have amazing offerings, but they save these classes for upperclassmen. So you can place in (say) AP calculus, there will most likely not be room in the AP class for your kid because there's enough juniors and seniors.

 

That sounds worse than I was a kid, and meanwhile I'm certain they have yet to address their major issue of having absolutely no help for students who start struggling, academically or otherwise.

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However it is true that most high schools don't have teachers helping with AMC10/12, AIME or anything else. It is the parent volunteers who run the show (math club) if there are willing parent volunteers.

 

FWIW tiuzzol, around here it varies from school to school.  At our local public middle school, a math teacher coaches the MathCounts team, same for the gifted magnet in the next district over that usually wins the team component of the chapter competition as well as most of the top individual places.  That coach from the gifted magnet even runs mathcounts/amc summer camps (ds13 was blown away by how much more the other kids could do than he could :)) and also coaches the state team.  At my dd's private middle, a parent ran the club and so it fizzled when her kids moved on, but at dd's private high school (which is a different school), faculty members run the show and have the kids participating in lots of contests (there are a lot at lunchtime online I guess), one at a local college and of course the AMCs.  I have found her math teachers to be really encouraging.

 

Ironically, my kids' STEM charter (which allows early acceleration and a lot of parent input into placement) has no math club at present.  The faculty member who ran it left the school a few years ago.  And yet the CS dept is simply awesome and there's a ton of focus on engineering, launching rockets, etc.  It's like they forgot the M in STEM.  I'm sure they'd do it if a parent volunteered.  They have a much leaner operation (lower budget) where general activities are concerned than the private school, one reason we are looking to switch the boys over for 9th.

Edited by wapiti
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FWIW tiuzzol, around here it varies from school to school.  At our local public middle school, a math teacher coaches the MathCounts team, same for the gifted magnet in the next district over that usually wins the team component of the chapter competition as well as most of the top individual places.  That coach from the gifted magnet even runs mathcounts/amc summer camps (ds13 was blown away by how much more the other kids could do than he could :)) and also coaches the state team.  At my dd's private middle, a parent ran the club and so it fizzled when her kids moved on, but at dd's private high school (which is a different school), faculty members run the show and have the kids participating in lots of contests (there are a lot at lunchtime online I guess), one at a local college and of course the AMCs.  I have found her math teachers to be really encouraging.  My ds13s will hopefully attend the boys' school that is connected to hers; they have their own separate math team also coached by a teacher and seem to actually win local stuff from time to time, though the culture of the place, and the team, is presumably quite different from the large PS that gets the gifted magnet kids.  Though I won't know until they start how encouraging the math teachers are, of course I've already spoken with the math dept. about placement.

 

Ironically, my kids' STEM charter (which allows early acceleration and a lot of parent input into placement) has no math club at present.  The faculty member who ran it left the school a few years ago.  And yet the CS dept is simply awesome and there's a ton of focus on engineering, launching rockets, etc.  It's like they forgot the M in STEM.  I'm sure they'd do it if a parent volunteered.  They have a much leaner operation (lower budget) where general activities are concerned than the private school, one reason we are looking to switch the boys over for 9th.

 

This really highlights how difficult it can be to staff any school with strong math teachers.  And I don't even mean teachers who can coach to AIME level or higher.  That goal is really aspirational, but even finding teachers who are comfortable at AMC8 and AMC10 is tough.  

 

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Can you tell me what city you're in (if you're comfortable with that)?

 

I will PM you with what I know about our metro area, the details that sound important to you.  While it certainly has much appeal, it's still hard for me to imagine moving states for school because there are never any guarantees.

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I will PM you with what I know about our metro area, the details that sound important to you.  While it certainly has much appeal, it's still hard for me to imagine moving states for school because there are never any guarantees.

 

We are moving for reasons other than the schools.  In fact, the only thing going for us here is the schools and the weather.  DS is very very happy with his school here--he says it's the best thing that's happened to him.    I wish we didn't need to consider leaving, but the housing prices in our run-down neighborhood have gotten out of our reach.  If we want to buy something in a safe area, we will have to move at least 20-40 miles away or I will have to go back to work full-time which has some serious drawbacks.  If we're going to make such significant changes, we owe it to ourselves to do a nation-wide search and really evaluate all of our options.   I think the school situation could make or break a location.  If DS got into a school that he'd be happy with in one place but not another and jobs were available in both, I'd vote for the place with the school.

Edited by tiuzzol2
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Part of the move issue is that our kids are three years apart.  So either we move summer of 2018, we stay 10+ years, or someone has to change schools in the middle of high school which I consider a big negative.  While using a school as part of the decision making could be a flop, I think it's a reasonable gamble.  On the other hand, if there are no good options (and there could be some great schools, but he might not get in or you might have to live there already to apply), another option is to have him graduate a year early.  I don't think he's thrilled with that, but he might prefer it over leaving this school.  I'll have to ask him what he thinks......

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I am still working on a PM but if you're moving anyway, there's one more really important factor that will crop up on you before you know it, and I want to put it out here for any lurkers because I think it's that critical for some families.  Consider the quality of the state university system and in-state tuition at the flagship.

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I am still working on a PM but if you're moving anyway, there's one more really important factor that will crop up on you before you know it, and I want to put it out here for any lurkers because I think it's that critical for some families.  Consider the quality of the state university system and in-state tuition at the flagship.

 

AUGH!!!!!!  I think my head's going to explode :)

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I think the school situation could make or break a location.  If DS got into a school that he'd be happy with in one place but not another and jobs were available in both, I'd vote for the place with the school.

  

On the other hand, if there are no good options (and there could be some great schools, but he might not get in or you might have to live there already to apply), another option is to have him graduate a year early.  I don't think he's thrilled with that, but he might prefer it over leaving this school.  I'll have to ask him what he thinks......

I don't know how old your oldest is. My kids has kind of decided what kind of university campus they like. Mine are in 6th and 7th and they started being sure when they were 10.5 years old. For example, my DS12 is against any campus like UCB, thinks SJSU and SCU campus is boring but tolerable and like Stanford's campus. Basically they like having a "town square" in a campus where there is the bookstore, postal service, big food court and cafes all over the place. SCU's auditorium is nice but Bing Hall is nicer. JHU's auditorium is nice too. We check out music facilities at campuses.

 

Also my DS12 has already look at future jobs possibilities and if we relocate anywhere where there is many tech jobs, he has a better chance of staying home rent free while at his internships or first job.

 

Ours is a condo because we like having no yard and lots of facilities. We bought in 2006 when prices were starting to drop. Prices have gone up by at least 1.5 times here so it is hard for us to upgrade to a bigger condo :(

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  I don't know how old your oldest is. My kids has kind of decided what kind of university campus they like. Mine are in 6th and 7th and they started being sure when they were 10.5 years old. ....   Also my DS12 has already look at future jobs possibilities and if we relocate anywhere where there is many tech jobs, he has a better chance of staying home rent free while at his internships or first job.

 

 

Mine is almost 13.  While he isn't certain what he's going to do in the future, he has a very good grasp on his wants/needs and can articulate them well.   He is very good at making well-thought out, informed choices, so I involve him in decisions that affect him to see what he thinks, and have for a while.   I think he could appreciate the tradeoff between "we stay here, but you graduate a year early vs. we move to that school across the country, but you stay with us the extra year."  Of course hindsight is always 20/20, and he could be ready to leave a year early when he's 17 and not know it now.  He could also stay and work a year between HS and college (probably not a great option--could be a double move).    (I would ask him right now, but he's been sick all day and now's not a good time.)

 

 

 

Ours is a condo because we like having no yard and lots of facilities. We bought in 2006 when prices were starting to drop. Prices have gone up by at least 1.5 times here so it is hard for us to upgrade to a bigger condo  :(

 

 

Congrats!  While I totally get that you're trapped, at least you have a condo to sell!   And it'll probably pay off your kids' college!  Of course you'd have to leave here to do it.  

 

Yeah.  BA housing sucks.....Unless you bought in the 1960s/1970s.  Oh the stories I've heard about people who purchased one acre lots in Atherton for $30K back in the 60s when it was "the country"!!!!  If only i had a time machine :)

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Yeah....... I *was* speaking to the math dept head :(

When we visited Mitty in 2015, the parents in the reception area where the subject booths were who claimed their kids were advanced were many. I think the math head and science head were exhausted asking how advance is advanced. So I am likely to chalk it up to the head having a bad day. For example my district calls the 7th grade algebra 1 the advanced track so parents assume their kids are advanced if they start algebra 1 in 7th. However Saratoga started algebra 1 previously in 6th grade and Basis starts earlier. So "advanced math track" is so misleading to the parents.

 

When I mentioned that my oldest would hit calculus by 9th grade they were very friendly and helpful, asking what curriculum we use and what test scores we have already and how we are going to support DE. For example doing asynchronous online math class in the study hall during math class is an option for people like my kids since I can't drive. DE science is trickier without a parent free to drive since lab is involved.

 

ETA:

Some form of middle school transcript was appreciated. Basicallly what curriculum and grade level was covered.

Edited by Arcadia
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For comparison purposes: at Boston Latin, an exam school that takes from roughly the top 10% of local school population, they place almost all of the incoming 7th graders in Pre-Algebra. That is considered a year ahead of grade level, locally. There is a small group of kids (about 20 out of a class of over 500) at Boston Latin that are placed into Algebra in grade 7, based on an additional math placement test given during the summer before school starts. Algebra is followed by Algebra 2, then Geometry, with some sections classified as "advanced." When entering in grade 9 instead of 7, the standard math placement is Algebra, and the alternative, based on placement tests, is Algebra 2.

 

At dd's public charter middle school, they have an "advanced" math placement, and an "accelerated" math placement. By 7th grade, advanced kids are in Pre-Algebra, and accelerated kids are in Algebra. In a class of about 130, there are 3 math classes for a total of about 50+ "advanced" kids, and 1 small class of about 10 "accelerated" kids. DD repeated Pre-Algebra in 6th grade at the middle school (after studying AOPS Pre-A at home in grades 4-5) in order to be in the accelerated math class with other kids. Absolutely none of the private schools we visited would allow dd (or anyone else) to take Pre-Algebra, let alone Algebra, in 6th grade. Accelerated placements are only allowed in higher grade levels at those schools. For dd, trying B&M school again was more important than being at her highest possible math level, but "no-way, no-how," was her response to the idea of taking "regular" math in 6th grade.

 

 

edited for clarity

Edited by slackermom
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NYC has a number of options for high performing students, including (but not limited to) the rather famous specialized high schools. (My sister and I each attended a specialized high school and frankly, I think those schools are overrated.)

 

However, the NYC high school admissions process is super stressful, and trying to navigate to one of the more competitive schools (excepting the ones that do entrance solely via the SHSAT) as a homeschooler is no fun.

 

 

Stuy is overrated, for reals. That's where I went. Hunter, you have to take the test 6th grade - and I don't know how you go about getting invited to take the test if you didn't take the statewide tests in 5th grade. With that said, you can live in NYC on a not enormous income - the median income in my neighborhood is only about 50k per household. That's not tiny, but it's not huge either, and we aren't that far away from Manhattan.

 

Agree with the above.

 

Another thing to consider is the school culture. Bronx Science (one of those specialized NYC high schools) is very competitive. Some of the kids are "cut-throat" competitive.  A friend's son, who started Calculus in 8th grade, attended and felt that it was very stressful there. The experience has "broken" some kids (a couple of friends of friend's son)... although they were very advanced, perhaps another school would have been a better choice for their mental health.

 

My ds attends an early college model high school that is also a STEM "magnet" public school in an inner city. (I think it is unique in the US and perhaps this info alone is enough to idenitfy it, although I prefer not to share my location.)  It is *not* a competitive environment. Ds does not find it stressful. Several of his buddies have been taking their math classes through the university (the high school is on the campus) since freshman year (so... Calculus and up), and yet there is no competitive "I'm going to get into MIT instead of you" kind of mindset. He and his friends have very collaborative, supportive relationships, which is exactly the right fit for this ds.

 

So... your child may do well in a stressful/competitive environment, or not... Be aware that schools offering advanced classes/class options can go either way. Having advanced academic options does not necessarily mean a stressful/competitive environment, but some operate that way. 

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So... your child may do well in a stressful/competitive environment, or not... Be aware that schools offering advanced classes/class options can go either way. Having advanced academic options does not necessarily mean a stressful/competitive environment, but some operate that way. 

 

It's great to hear that there can be non-stressful highly academic high schools.  I know some kids need a kick in the rear to meet their full potential, but I think my son is better off with highly challenging classes and supportive, collaborative peers.  I don't know that he would do well in a high stress environment--not because he wouldn't live up to the challenge, but he's an empathetic kid, and I think he would pick up others' stress and then feel incapable of helping them relieve it.   That kind of environment can bring everyone down. :(

 

One question is whether you can shield your kid from the stress by not adding to it as parents.  But if your kid's friends are feeling it, can you keep your kid from picking it up?

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http://www.amsacs.org

Maybe look at the advanced math and science academy charter school in Marlborough, ma. It is 22 miles west of us, so not quite as far as Worcester. It is on my radar as a possibility for dd, but she is just as strong in humanities, and loves theatre, etc, so not sure about it for her.

 

 

Shoot, I want to go to that school, It has math in the name and Flemenco?   

Not that I am a good dancer, but the concept!  

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One question is whether you can shield your kid from the stress by not adding to it as parents. But if your kid's friends are feeling it, can you keep your kid from picking it up?

The stress will always be there; it comes from students who are underprepared, overcommitted, or don't have the ability to work at the pace of the class. A child who is not burning the midnight oil may feel his friends' stress,but knowing that tutoring is available and that they have the choice to drop a level or an ec helps them understand that it is the student's choice.

Edited by Heigh Ho
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The stress will always be there; it comes from students who are underprepared, overcommitted, or don't have the ability to work at the pace of the class. A child who is not burning the midnight oil may feel his friends' stress,but knowing that tutoring is available and that they have the choice to drop a level or an ec helps them understand that it is the student's choice.

 

Or the student's parents' choice..... :(

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Or the student's parents' choice..... :(

 

That cannot be overstated. When I was at Stuy, one or two teachers conducted surveys as to why most of us were there. It was surprising to me how many students really didn't want to be there - it was all their parents' doing. (They were smart enough to get in, but not smart enough to flunk the test on purpose, I guess.)

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Sometimes the parent knows the child is slacking, and refuses a drop in academics. Or they know the path requires the child to rise to the challenge...nothing wrong with some effort to fill gaps. A lot wrong with taking the easy road and walking in to college finding remedia$ion is necessary. Parents here with college degrees know what it takes, and gen ed doesn't qualify no matter how many times the Principal and Guidance Counselor say it does, or label a STEM degree as 'elitist'.

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(They were smart enough to get in, but not smart enough to flunk the test on purpose, I guess.)

I did do badly on exams on purpose to go to an above average 11th/12th grade school which attracts STEM kids weak in languages. All my classmates got into accountancy, engineering (all kinds) and computer science by direct admission for universities.

 

If my only choice was elite 11th/12th grade schools or my neighbourhood school which has a bad reputation (drugs/gangs), then I won't have dared to throw my exams and would do well enough to avoid that school. I grew up seeing SWAT frequently and shelter in place at home when required is bad enough.

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That's a fair point. Back then, most students did have zoned schools, and I don't know what their local options were like.

 

(Nowadays, outside of Staten Island, hardly any students have a zoned option, and it's never a choice between "this school or zoned".)

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I'm wondering what brick&mortar high schools, be they public, religious, or private, are available for gifted kids throughout the country. Only interested in non-residential options. Specifically curious about resources in Boston, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, St. Louis, Austin, Raleigh/Durham Virginia/DC area. I'm aware of BU Academy in Boston, and Austin TX allows kids to take classes at local community colleges (which unfortunately don't offer a lot of high level math classes, though). Don't need info on Bay Area--all set there.

 

University of Washington has something called the Robinson Center for Young Scholars. https://robinsoncenter.uw.edu/ My husband went to it instead of going to 7th grade. They spend a year in it, then go straight onto the University of WA campus and get a degree and their high school completed at the same time.  In the Puget Sound area, they also have the Running Start Program -- a LOT of kids go to Community college for 11th and 12th grades and get a AA degree and finish high school at the same time.

 

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