@Calliemomofgirls I believe @Boona716 is referring to scores from a previous year; this is not Boona’s first attempt at applying to BS.
BTW, thank you for expanding more thoroughly (and tactfully) on what I was trying to hint at.
I agree with adding Episcopal to your list. I am not a huge fan of the school for most people but it might be a good fit for you. It has a more conservative student body, the kids go into DC a lot, It is well known in the south so you aren’t “coming down” too consider it, Paul Ryan’s daughter and niece both attended/attend (my point is it is a politically connected school - Paul Ryan went on the senior trip I think). With your interested in politics/economics you should at least consider it. It is also somewhat easier to get into than many of your schools listed so it would broaden your net and prevent you from having to fall back to school somewhere in TX. (no offense to TX but it sounds like that isn’t something you want)
Nobles has about 50 boarders, or about 10% of 9-12 kids, and it’s only a 5 day option. It’s a very sports-oriented school, and that is not obvious in your ECs.
It almost feels like you cut and pasted the Niche Rankings for schools you wish to apply to, instead of doing real research on schools that may be a fit.
NJ/PA/DE has many solid boarding school options - Peddie, Hill, Mercersburg, Blair, St. Andrew’s among them, each with a multitude of offerings in economics and politics.
Lastly, it’s your parents’ money, not yours:
Your quote: “I currently go to an extremely good school which is somewhat of an Ivy feeder in it’s own right. So if I’m going to spend and extra year in high school, and an extra $100,000; it’d better be at a school that’s way better than now”.
Regarding Nobles: it is very sports oriented and I would not be surprised to learn that many of their 10th grade admitted students fill a role on a varsity team. Everyone we know from Nobles who went to a top college in the past several years was either a recruited athlete or a legacy (often double legacy) at the university.
That is not a knock on Nobles, but it isn’t an Ivy feeder for normal smart kids (even if it kind of looks that way from the outside).
And I have to echo the sentiment of @Calliemomofgirls, please do not make the mistake of thinking that a prestigious BS will increase your Ivy chances. It is, I suppose, debatable, but most BS parents will tell you it makes it harder not easier to get into an Ivy.
I do have one question though? Do you believe my really bad 8th grade grades will completely sink me down, or will it strenghten my application showing how I went from bad grades to a perfect gpa (I’m writing one of my essays on this as well as mentioned above). 
I have decided to add a couple of schools to the list, so I will be applying to Mercersburg and St. Andrew’s as well now.
Bump
@one1ofeach Totally agree. Not an Ivy feeder for normal smart kids. At all.
On another note, I think my kid(s) would have a much easier chance to gain access to whatever school coming from a large public than a top BS. But they would not be as well prepared when they got there. We’re not looking for Ivy league but great fit.