Best private schools in Greater Boston?

spayurpets
Fri, 09 Jan 2015 22:53:29 +0000

Boston Magazine ran a controversial rating of private schools in Massachusetts last year, so controversial that it was recalculated and eventually pulled down. But as I recall it rated Commonwealth and Roxbury Latin highest, with BB&N, Andover, Winsor and Milton somewhere in the top 10. Commonwealth stands out as having a very different academic environment from the rest (it’s housed in a back bay townhouse and is very urban) and they are very generous with financial aid (something like 2/3rds of their students receive some aid). Given its size, Commonwealth has limited music and performance programs but they are gems. Several world-class musicians graduated from Commonwealth, it certainly has something to do with that. But you really won’t know whether your D will like it without first visiting it. Personally, I would not have my D attend a New England boarding school and be a day student. It’s a totally different experience, and there’s some differentiation between day and boarding students at most schools, especially the ones where the day school is run mostly for the benefit of faculty children. The one where that may not be true is Milton, which draws very good day students from the Boston area. Concord Winsor and BB&N aren’t very diverse; very very preppy and wealthy white kids. BU Academy is an up-and-comer;you should add it to your list. College matriculation is not going to be a differentiator of the schools on this list; at this level, they are all good and it will largely depend on what your D brings to the table.