Hi,
Need feedback/reviews on PDS and Chaplin middle school. What are the expected SSAT scores for 6th grade?
Not sure about the SSAT, but may I ask why PDS/Chapin? You might be better off staying in a good public school and then going to a more selective high school.
PDS is rife with politics. Science and academics in general are very mediocre. Depends on what you are going there for.
Thx…Basically looking for a challenging environment in academics than a good public school…these are the 2 school which have very good reputation and closet to our place…
harbound, can you give a little more info on PDS. Were you in the school?
The reputations online in general speak highly about the school. Is there another private school in the area better ?
Familiar with both – depends what you want; both schools are good; would not say great; PDS offers a bigger environment and ability to go through high school (although top 8th graders leave to Lawrenceville, Peddie, other private high schools)…Chapin is a smaller environment and tends younger given that the 8th graders are the oldest students. I think a great public school beats either PDS or Chapin. Have friends at both and would not characterize the academic environment as particularly challenging and friends at PDS do say there is a certain attitude at PDS – “snobbish” is there word, not mine. If public is not an option, then either is fine.
i have not sent a child to either, so what I know is through friends who have (so use this anecdotal info accordingly.) Neither is academically amazing – which may have something to do with the fact that they picked the majority of their students when they all still had their baby teeth and it’s virtually impossible to select kids who are going to be high- achieving middle schoolers at the age of 4. At both schools, there are kids who will go top BS, including Lawrenceville. And at both, there are kids who are far more ordinary. My impression is that they will be asked to apply themselves at both, and I do think that developing this kind of a work ethic before high school can be helpful, especially for a bright kid who may be “getting it” so easily that he/she never develops the skills for dealing with a more trying situation (as a result of complexity or quantity of work.) I have known kids who found the social scene at PDS to be brutal. (I also have heard that parents who are “connected” there, probably through donations, tend to have more of a say in which teachers their kids have, how thorny issues are resolved, etc, but this is based on a few stories, not experience with the whole student body!)
We contemplated making a move from public to private for Middle School and decided that for our son, we were willing to forgo better academics for a safe, stable social life at his (very mediocre, but kind) public school. (The thought process here was that even if academics were amazing, he’d hate going to school if he was being bullied or just felt like an outsider, given that the core of the class would have been together for years.) For what it’s worth, we did give a little thought to Hun and Pennington, simply because they start at middle school. Our concern was that if we moved for MS, we’d be reluctant to do it again for HS, and we weren’t quite ready to make a HS commitment at that point (although we were pretty sure that our public HS wasn’t going to be an option.) You don’t mention whether the social environment plays much of a role in your decision or what you’re thinking about for HS (even though it’s early). For us, these were both important considerations.
The families I know who sent their kids to Chapin (all the way through) felt like they got great guidance and advice when it came to HS placements.
We also considered doing more outside of school – summer programs, etc. – but felt that enough time was being spent on academics at school (even though the challenge wasn’t there), but I know a lot of families who have really liked the JHU/CTY programs and their equivalent and found those, as well as some of the community college offerings, to have been a great, and more affordable supplement.
Good luck with your decision. So much to weigh!
A nurturing environment is important for us and a school that provides elements on how to think outside the box. It sounds if a child went in from elementary school or are lifers they benefit a lot more at PDS. Have you heard of Pingry’s reputation in comparison.
Thanks for your responses. It’s really helpful go get some insight as we always get a rosy picture when we visit and meet the staff in any school. A well rounded environment is what every parent looks for so social and academics are of equal importance.I personally think If we need to move to a good private school for HS then its important to have good foundation with strong academics in MS in addition to other activities.
Speaking of public schools, which school district are best in central NJ?
@tall00 I know only 2 students who went there and the youngest graduated more than 10 years ago, so I am not a good source for you. She related to me that the students were very bright and very competitive with each other and that she LOVED that. (In fact, she found college to be a bit of a let-down.) So for her, the fit was perfect. you may want to start a thread to get input on Pingry since it’s sort of buried down here on this thread.
@31cruzan might have good ideas for you @privatems. I’ve heard good things about Montgomery, West Windsor, Princeton, and Hopewell Valley. Kids who live in these districts often opt for private schools too. Is that the area you’re interested in? I’m also not sure that you have to go to a private MS to be prepared for a private HS.
@gardenstategal : Thanks again. We will be in west Windsor school district next year. I agree private school is not a must for a good high school. We are looking for a school where our kid can get can get through HS graduation if we switch in MS. Don’t want to consider switching schools every 3 years…
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yes, @tall00 , I have personal experience at PDS. The top 8th graders leave to Lawrenceville, Peddie, other private high schools - for a reason. I am not saying the academics are very bad - just mediocre and that it is not worth your money if academics is the only reason you want to switch from PS. A better strategy, IMO, is to stay at PS until 8th, do a LOT of outside EC and even outside academic stuff, move on to a good private HS if need be. There is politics, motivated more by money and to a lesser degree by connections. But if you have neither, your child could very well be…well…invisible.
thx @harbound…appreciate your honest feedback.
thanks @harbound. did you graduate recently from there. Btw do you know anything about pingry ?
@tall00 , we left after 6th is all I can say.