Best boarding schools for SCIENCE - esp. genetics, bio lab sciences but also supportive of whole child

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Hi! Would really appreciate some insight from those in the know. We are considering a high school boarding school for my current 8th grader to give her the best opportunities possible. She has a strong interest in science, in particular genetics and lab sciences so we want a high school that offers exceptional science curriculum and resources. She wants to continue with debate so a school with a solid high school debate program would also be great.

She’s a 2E kid, meaning she’s gifted, but like a lot of really smart people, she also has learning differences, specifically ADHD inattentive, and social anxiety, so finding a school that provides learning resources and support is really important.

Her current school is considered one of the most academically challenging middle schools in our area but it also has good scaffolding in place for kids that need support, and there’s a good balance between academic rigor and helping develop the whole child.

She’s a good student, 3.7 to 3.8 but not straight A’s, but again the school is very strong academically so those grades are tough to get here.

She has good extracurriculars (debate team, roles in school musicals, member of a long-standing regional childrens choir, and also plays softball) she volunteers as a tutor for underserved kids at a public library, and spent her summer in academic residential programs studying advanced science topics which is her idea of a fantastic summer, so her package looks good.

Very interested in hearing which boarding schools have the top notch science programs, that also have learning support resources and whether (and where) achieving any kind of nurturing balance is also possible.

We’ve been looking at Hotchkiss and Choate, but this is all totally new to us, we don’t have experience with any boarding schools so we’re very interested in input about those schools and any others that fit the bill, whether in the term schools group or not. Thanks in advance!

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Hotchkiss has an exceptional science dept, and I am sure Choate does too. I am sure ALL the comparable schools have exceptional science programs. That said, I think NONE of the super selective schools is a good place for a kid with ADHD. Especially if the adhd is pronounced enough to have been diagnosed before high school. (I have 2 out of 3 sons with adhd, and 2 out of 3 attended Hotchkiss).

These schools are fast paced, expect the kids to hit the ground running, and, while they do have supports, they are not set up to help kids with learning differences, really. I have written many times that the single most important thing at a school like this is excellent time management skills. It’s only a small number, but each year kids crash and burn, and you don’t want ypur daughter to be one of them.

I also would think long and hard about putting a girl with social anxiety into that kind of environment. They are nice places! But I believe “girl culture” can be harder to navigate at places like that.

I would focus on finding a school where your daughter can thrive, and supplement the academics over the summer if you feel it’s necessary. All the boarding schools will have good science departments, however the small schools won’t have the mind blowing facilities the richer schools have. (I mean like their own observatory and telescope, their own electron microscope type things – things far out of the ordinary for a high school).

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Thanks for the insight. It hurts my heart to think of her away during high school, but this is her driving it. She wants the best science experience possible, so I want to make the right decisions on where / if to apply. She’s competing very well at a middle school that I think would be rather comparable in terms of academic expectations, but as mentioned, it does have a good support system for those with learning challenges. In terms of “girl culture” she keeps away from the drama girls thus far. She has a few pretty brainy / nerdy friends that she sticks close to and hasn’t had any trouble, but again, this school maintains a welcoming culture, and the kids are actually pretty good and accepting all around. However being far away in a residential atmosphere, who knows. Are there any top boarding schools known to have particularly “nice” kids, or that really have a culture of belongingess?

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Schools that come up repeatedly as particularly warm and welcoming include George School and Mercersberg. George has excellent science and math and a wider range of students than Mercersburg, which has a much more traditional feel. Students at both really love their schools and are invested in their community.

Cambridge School of Weston seems to have a similar feel (and similar academic calendar) to George.

I totally agree that mostcof these schools will have excellent STEM programs, and many have facilities like Makers Spaces, observatories, etc. With that said, excellent programs don’t require those at the high school level.

I’d focus on finding places where your D feels like she can find her tribe and be happy AND that have the learning supports she needs. Schools have different policies around monitored study time, how learning centers are accessed and used, etc. You’ll probably have the most success if you start with a focus on those things, both for your D and in applications results.

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Where to start :slight_smile:

Of course you know your daughter best but I stand by my assertion that the super selective schools are no place for kids with learning differences. Even when they are relatively mild. My oldest son has very mild adhd – so mild that no one knew he had it – at his private middle school that’s a feeder to boarding schools (so, also very academic). He struggled at Hotchkiss; not a single teacher recognized his issues might be due to a learning difference; and his advisor suggested my son should leave because maybe he wasn’t bright enough.

So when I say they aren’t set up for kids with learning differences, this is what I mean. No teacher could recognize the issue. And even once recognized, it wasn’t really possible to get “accomodations” other than extra time on tests (although I don’t remember now if he even had that, I don’t think he did). Teachers would lose patience with him (understandable!) when he would forget to rewrite a paper, eg, instead of realizing his forgetting wasn’t irresponsibility but was adhd.

In the end, my son repeated 10th grade (very unusual) and pushed through. He wasn’t able to partake in any of the amazing opportunities the school had. It took all of his capacity to “just” do classwork and sports. He tried debate, for example, but found the weekend trips to away competitions set him way too far behind academically, so he could barely catch up. He never made the honor roll.

My youngest son, who doesn’t have a learning difference, by contrast, during junior year was able to juggle excellent grades (on the first honor roll), being a captain in 2 sports, having a leading role in the school play, an active social life (girlfriend!), being a dorm proctor, and playing high level club soccer while all that was going on and getting to bed by 11 or 12 every night.

Do you see what a contrast their experiences were ? My older son is brighter than my youngest. But the youngest has excellent time management skills. And that is the key!

My middle son has more pronounced adhd, and Hotchkiss would have crushed him. He attended The Millbrook School, which allowed him to flourish. And, he’s the most intelligent of the 3! But the supportive nature of the school was orders of magnitude more important than pushing him academically into the most rigorous possible classes. Because he could flourish he ended up getting into a T20 university, where he did well until covid hit.

Hotchkiss, to be clear, has a welcoming culture and nice, accepting, kids. I expect all the comparable boarding schools do. But it is just a more intense environment. And the large majority of the kids are very confident, which can be intimidating to shyer, more anxious kids.

All I am saying is to research the schools, and really try for the best possible fit. Because fit is the most important thing.

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Your D doesn’t need to focus on genetics in HS. Really she doesn’t. She needs to be in a place where she nails the basics…bio, chem, physics, math, writing, a foreign language, history and literature. And supporting her learning challenges is infinitely more important than a super duper genetics lab. A strong foundation in HS will allow her to be the best version of herself once she gets to college… whether that involves becoming a scientist, an intellectual property lawyer who works in pharma, a statistician who maps infectious diseases, a policy expert who advises governments on environmental hazards and their impact on genetic diseases, etc.

If your local options can’t support her learning challenges, then look for a boarding school which won’t exhaust her energy and grind down her self confidence. Which may not be the super duper “best science facilities on the planet” schools. It’s likely a different list…

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Western Reserve might have the combination of interesting STEM offerings and support that you are looking for.

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Look at Emma Willard School in Troy, NY. The science department is very strong and continues to attract very good teachers. My daughter has grown to love science here. In addition the school supports ADHD and mild disability students. The counseling department has a strong open door policy that allows for help as the student desires.

This is an all-girls school so your daughter may prefer that environment.

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Another school to consider is Pomfret School. They have some impressive hands on science programs in addition to their science department courses. Students can choose to go to Hurricane Island Science and Leadership for a 10 course before school begins. On campus they have an aquaponics studio and use mini pcr’s in a class for dna mapping.

Boarding School is very different from a middle school day experience. There will be many ways a student is challenged and supported no matter the brand or rank of school.

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@LemonNotLime I sent you a DM. Click on your avatar in the upper right and you should see a highlighted envelope link. Let me know if you have trouble accessing it.

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Lots of food for thought. Thanks very much. I really appreciate you taking the time. This a such a helpful forum! Thank you.

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Thank you

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You really should look at Webb as well.

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That’s on our long list and is far closer to home. What makes you suggest it?

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Thanks. All girls is out. She wants co-ed for sure. :person_shrugging:

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Excellent reputation. Really great resources. Terrific student body Southern CA has some very strong science and robotics and math teams so we see them and there is lots of robust competition that keeps things lively. Day students tend to be connected to faculty of the surrounding colleges. Maybe flies under the radar to a certain extent and I think they are perfectly happy with that which is more consistent with not-Los Angeles or greater Pasadena than an LA school. I do know one family there and they are very happy with the choice.

Wherever you chose, I’d have local and boarding options picked out. I personally would not apply for ninth and consider a ninth or tenth reclass regardless of age or academic maturity. Living apart from family adds a whole additional level of complexity for a kid who has inattentive adhd. It is challenging for most kids. The schools need kids to hit the ground running and although meds are supervised and Choate in particular has great medical and support staff, that is a hard hard transition. There are numerous programs that give specific 2E support but many boarding schools develop pretty strong executive function. It really depends on where your kid struggles. You might consider how your kid has done with extended summer camps at least 3-4 weeks etc as well when zero support are offered. Some kids can handle intensity in 1-2 areas of life but wilt when everything seems to require it.

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Really great info. I appreciate it so much!

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I wanted to add that there are a couple of thread that offer a lot of advice on ADHD support. People may or may not be using the 2E, gifted, or PG labels on these threads but you can see both qualities in many threads. The later just stops being a useful descriptor compared to achievement in applications so it is often dropped.

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