We live in a town in Connecticut which has one of the best public schools in the state. Unfortunately the hockey team is very poor.
My son’s coach was recently appointed head coach at a private school and wants my son to join his team. His hockey teams are very good often competing at the national level.
The private school from an education standpoint is not very good. It largely caters to inner city kids. The average SAT score is 1150. The average SAT score at the public school is 1350. The difference could be due to the school itself or the demographic.
Public school is free of course and the private school does cost 18k but the money is a non issue.
Do we change schools? I would say my son is an above average student. He has straight As with one B last year in 9th grade. But for sure there are kids better than him academically. I would expect if he were to go to the private school he would probably be top of the pack.
The second issue is if we do switch schools should be reclass him to gain a further advantage?
What is the point of playing hockey? To get recruited? Does this school have lots of recruited hockey players? How good a hockey player is your son? Are there other recruiting avenues open besides the private school? Is 9th grade early to know what the athletic trajectory is for your son? All of these questions are things to think about.
All that said, I would remove hockey from the equation. I would pick the school where your son will have the best chance to thrive, and to develop academically. There’s always the “broken leg test” – if your son is injured and can no longer play, will he enjoy and be challenged at the school?
And, if you are strongly considering the private school route, why limit yourself to that school? Why not cast the net wider and look into more academic schools with good teams?
Reclassing has the same logic: what’s best for your son?
The private school won’t pass the “broken leg test”.
There are other private schools which are better. Some have better hockey teams some worse. The cost varies from $50k for day schools to $85k for boarding. So cost becomes an issue. There is no guarantee though he makes the hockey team or gets playing time or is accepted if he applies. We will likely apply. My son plays goalie. We would not have any relationship with the coach going in.
Options at other rinks are limited since there are fewer teams at this age level. Most teams have their goalies in place and obviously those will get preference. One coach has verbally committed to taking him in next year but of course it’s not a done deal.
I would say my son is very good although he has never played AAA hockey. Every time he has played with another AAA goalie in the off season his performance has been competitive. He has played for two years with the coach in question and had stellar seasons. He was a game winner. His team was winning very lob sided games due to a very high save ratio. His team once won a game having been outshot 45-6. The offer is based on two years of performance.
Also most kids play two years of Juniors hockey after high school before they play college. Odds of playing D1 no matter where you go are very low. I am not sure about the number of recruited athletes but the sense I have is playing where we are would close the door. We want to leave the door open.
But would moving to the private school close off some academic options? If you pick that school it seems like you are putting all your eggs in the hockey basket. And if you pick hockey as the primary driver, is this school the best route for recruiting?
Do you know that you won’t qualify for financial aid at a boarding school? Do some boarding schools offer merit? I would at least talk to the coach at a school like Salisbury (also in CT) which historically has had a strong hockey program.
Some boarding schools recruit for hockey. If you don’t think he would make the team at a school that recruits, then I would really deemphasize the hockey. Definitely keep playing, assuming your son loves it! But it is not worth making huge sacrifices for a kid on the bubble, imho.
That’s the bit that is not clear. How much of an impact would going to the private school have on academic opportunities.
Most kids there seem to go to local colleges but from what I am told there are kids that have been accepted into Harvard and Yale as well this year. The average SAT is a lot lower but how much that has to do with school versus demographic is not clear. Also what role if any did demographic play in the cases which made it to Harvard and Yale.
It’s not clear if we would qualify for financial aid but 85k annually is a lot of money. The only way is to apply go through the process and find out. There are many boarding schools in CT with better hockey programs so we plan to talk to them.
Where is your son in this conversation? Is he happy at school? Does he want to switch to a new school?
Unless your son plans to pursue professional hockey as a career, why would you consider scarificng the best education you can give him? There is no world where I would think this is a good idea.
I’m a tutor. Frankly, since the pandemic, I can see clearly that our children’s education has suffered. I’m very worried about the lack of basic academic skill shown by many kids. Do all in your power to give your kid as much education as you can. Hockey is fun, but it’s not likely to be as useful as good mathematical and literacy skills.
Does your son plan to play hockey for the rest of his life? Or do you want a strong education for him?
We had a similar question with one of our kids. But it was for music. HE elected to stay at his strong academic public school which also had a strong music program.
I also live in CT. There are youth hockey teams all over this state. I’m curious if your son has ever participated in hockey outside of school. If not, perhaps this should be considered. Many folks travel a distance for VERY early morning practices here for kids who really want to play hockey on a higher level.
My opinion, I’d find an outside of school hockey team or just stick with the school hockey team (maybe the new coach will be awesome). And stick with the school with the better academics.
Consider New England boarding schools which have solid ice hockey programs. (Avon Old Farms, Taft, Salisbury School, Kent, Westminister, Hotchkiss, Canterbury = all located in Connecticut).
Reclassing is quite common among ice hockey programs.
OP is considering a private school for $18,000. At that tuition, almost certainly day and possibly parochial. While I whole-hearted agree that there are schools in CT that have both excellent hockey and excellent academics, the family would be looking at tuition of about $70,000 (without FA, if they qualify.) Not to say they won’t consider it, but schools like AOF are in a different universe from where they started. It’s like they were looking at electric bikes and are now in a Harley showroom!
OP, how interested are you in this type of option?
The OP wrote this. So they are at least asking. But it seems these more expensive prep schools are off the table without significant aid. Perhaps they can clarify this.
I just want to say, an 1150 SAT average is excellent - and well above the state average.
Perhaps because OP comes from a top school district (demographics as they point out) it seems below par, but most schools would kill to have this as their average score -and plenty of kids from all over are going to “fantastic” school from high schools that score below 1150.
When OP says most are going local - I think that’s most every HS in America.
Not necessarily top flight privates - but high schools otherwise - including top public high schools.
I’m not an athlete parent - but is it more important to play or be on a top team? If on a top team, is there an assurance of playing? Is there even an assurance on the not top team?
I would assume playing gives one the best chance to improve and be seen.
Not a hockey guy but in other sports, athletes from “not good teams” in high school often make it to the next level.
Even if the team lacks offense and doesn’t win, is it possible for a goalie to show enough to be noticed? Maybe there’s so many shots on goal that while the team doesn’t win, the goalie still shows well?
Just some thoughts and questions - but not an athlete parent.
It doesn’t seem like your son is currently in a lane to play D1 hockey. Nor does it sound like even at the private school that is going to be likely (not likely for anyone). Even if college hockey does become a possibility, you would likely be making a sacrifice in academic and social “fit” to get a spot on a team where he’d get limited playing time. Kids we know that have been drafted by Ivies were drafted sophomore year and then played 2 years of Juniors.
We’ve been down this road with so many friends/family members and neighbors.
Invest the money you are spending on (or would be spending on) private schools, travel, and a level of club hockey where he’s not getting playing time, find a league where he can play locally, and then use that money to go to the college that is the best fit academically, socially and for choice of major where he can enjoy club hockey.
I do understand that AOF ice hockey is like Blair Academy & Wyoming Seminary for wrestling, but playing with the best on a daily basis does improve skills, ability, & performance which lead to opportunities in the future.
Hey! Tough call. Private school’s got the hockey team, but public school’s got the academics. Since money’s not an issue, it’s about priorities. If hockey’s the top priority, private school might be the way. But if academics come first, public school’s the better bet.
As for reclassing, that’s a whole other thing. It’s not just about the advantage, but also how it’ll affect his social life and overall well-being. You gotta weigh the pros and cons and make a call that feels right for your family.
I’m going to suggest your son spend a day at the private school observing (is this for next fall or for this school year?). Have him see what the classes are like, the students, etc. You as parents should also visit the private school and check it out. Sit in on classes (especially upper level ones).
There’s an organization that advocates for greater racial integration and it suggests that families visit at least two schools that they wouldn’t have considered before and mention two positive things about the schools to at least two different people. What ends up happening is that oftentimes (though not always), families are very surprised by what’s actually going on in the building vs. what their expectations were.
So, rather than making a decision based solely on conjecture and assumptions, I would visit the school. And as @tsbna44 mentioned, an 1150 SAT is way above the national average. If the school’s demographics are such that such an SAT is well above average, talk to the school about what they do for improved student performance and why they think they’re performing better than might have been expected at these students’ home schools.
Once your family has more information and your son has had an opportunity to visit, then you can see whether it’s an option worth more consideration or if it should be dropped altogether.