My child is currently in the process of applying to boarding school as a transfer from boarding school. They have been really unhappy at their current school and as parents we have been disappointed by the lack of structure, support, and safety at the school. The school is absolutely awful and I would not recommend them to my worst enemy! I will post the name of the school if allowed but don’t want to risk my post being deleted.
My child so far is applying as a reclass to the following schools:
Pomfret
NMH
Suffield
Dublin
Kent
St. George’s
Brooks
Canterbury
So far they have interviewed at Pomfret, NMH, Kent, Suffield, and St. George’s. All of their interviews seemed to have gone well and the interviewers praised them for their resiliency and maturity in dealing with the current school.
However, we are determined to get our kiddo out of their currently school to a better place and want to make sure we are casting a wide enough net. Any additional recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
Our child is passionate about the visual arts, literature, poetry, social justice, and advocacy. Not the strongest athlete but extremely curious and open to trying new things. They joined their schools crew team this year! Their current school doesn’t have a squash team but learned more about it during tours and has developed a curiosity for the sport.
I hope your child finds their right fit school. Your list varies widely in terms of community size–Dublin is a fraction the size of NMH, for example. How do these schools compare to the size of their current school? Do they prefer a campus where they know all of their peers, or would they prefer a campus with a larger volume of students? Are you looking outside of New England at all?
Happy to answer specific questions about SG. DS is a senior and it’s been an amazing fit for him and a wonderful community to be a part of as a family.
There is no crew but squash is welcoming (DS trying it for the first time this year). I don’t have personal knowledge of visual arts but their music program is incredible (personal experience w their rock band, the Tooners). The course offerings for literature are extensive and there are course offerings related to social justice. As far as clubs and volunteer projects related to those interests, I know they are present (from the newsletters) but don’t have any intimate knowledge of them.
Thank you for your response. Size isn’t as much of a concern for them. I believe Dublin is smaller than current school. We’re looking at Dublin because they have a friend there that really enjoys it.
Ideally we would like to stay in the NE area. Key things for kiddo is structure, support, and adult presence! At their currently school dorms are poorly supervised. We want a school that has dorm parents.
My kiddo is adaptable. It was their decision to reclass because they feel like they have missed out on so much in terms of learning in other areas of life aside from academics if that make sense. The best way I can describe their currently school is that it’s a school that would be ok (maybe?) as a day school. They should not be a boarding school. They do not support students appropriately in aspects of life outside of the classroom. They ok academically but very disorganized.
Sorry for the ramble just an exhausted mother trying to get my kid to a better place!
SG is actually their first choice! Ours as parents too! The community there seems amazing and the admissions interviewer was the sweetest and made my kiddo feel so seen and understood!
Any or advice you can share would be greatly appreciated. Out of all the schools St. George’s is the one we are hoping for! And I say that as an alum from one of the other schools listed.
SG has structure, support (between students and students/faculty) and adult presence. The access to the surrounding town is wonderful, particularly as the students get older and want more freedom. College counseling deserves five stars just for the time they dedicate to each student and their families. All of the seniors are currently cheering each others success in results - it’s quite remarkable.
I am sorry about the negative experience at your current school. If you are willing to consider outside of NE, The Hill School in PA is very structured and has a high degree of adult supervision. Each dorm has a dorm parent (and prefects). Each student is assigned to an advisory, which usually has six students. And, teachers, coaches, the Wellness staff, the counseling staff, etc. all work cohesively to support students. I have been so impressed with the thoughtfulness, thoroughness, and professionalism at Hill.
My daughter is a first year student at Kent, and we have been happy so far, please reach out with any specific questions, though we are just getting to know the school.
You might also consider Williston. My son is a junior there - he is also very into art/theater and social justice. He is on the student DEIB board and he is going to be doing an arts intensive honors project spring trimester in visual arts, with a focus on theater set design. Just before break, they had a muralist visiting the school and students helped create a new mural in the student center. They often have visiting artists and authors at assemblies and one of the English teachers won an award last year for a poetry book she published. They have a very supportive and structured residential program for 9th and new 10th grade boarders - more so than Kent. At Kent all dorms are large and house students of all grade levels. Williston has a separate quad where all 9th and new 10th graders live, and there is residential programming to help them adjust to boarding life. Happy to also answer specific WiIliston questions!
I’m sorry your child’s school hasn’t been a good fit, and good luck with this round of applications!
