<p>While I worry abt my older kid, I am thinking abt my youngest who’s just in kindergarden
He goes to Challenger school. I’d like him to continue there and sometimes btwn 6th and 8th grade move him to harker. this helps me save in tuition. </p>
<p>Question</p>
<ol>
<li>Is it easy getting admission in harker for middle school</li>
<li>Is it easy for challenger kids to survive in harker OR am I better off moving him now to harker.</li>
</ol>
<p>You are asking about college admissions help re: a KINDERGARTEN student? Who knows what Harker school will be doing in 12 years.</p>
<p>I would suggest you post your query on a “DAY SCHOOL” forum someplace…not even on the Prep school ones. Your child is a day school student…barely…start with what you can do to make him a happy 6 year old.</p>
<p>Well, I must say that I know that people enrolled their kids at the private school my S attended for preschool and K with the idea that that way their admission to the middle and high school was more or less assured. (They asked kids to leave if they turned out to have significant LDs. :rolleyes: ) Plenty of the kids who came up through the elementary years would not have gained admission had they had to compete with the incoming public school kids later.</p>
<p>I don’t think it is unreasonable to look ahead, although a college forum isn’t perhaps the most obvious place! :)</p>
<p>I THINK Harker is an high profile private school that is difficult to get it. Yes, it might help you to get in good college, but it all depends on your kid, I have seen good stories(MIT graduate), bad stories(Cornell drop out) and mediocre stories(admitted to Whitman) for ppl sending kids to private schools. But public school kids got into the same colleges as well. So spend the money if you want… It all depneds on the kid. I would save them for the graduate school.</p>
<p>Harker is a private school for children of captains of industry in Silicon Valley (or those who think they are). For those who require the supposed very best (facilities, whatever); IMO someone who must stay in a 5 star hotel when they travel, for example.
It is exclusive in nature, may not reflect “real life.” Sooner or later, your kid is going to be exposed to, and have to deal with, real life. Be a self-starter.
That said, opportunities and support there will benefit the kid who is oriented towards the national contests.
While I have knowledge and experience with both private and public schools, and realize there are advantages and disadvantages with each type of school as well as each indivodual school out there, be advised there are a number of excellent public elementary and high schools in Silicon Valley. Yes, there are schools with very high competition, if that is what your are seeking.
MIDDLE SCHOOL is where the issues are (teaching quality/turnover/ peer behavior and so on)</p>
<p>However, I surmise that is is very competitive, also. Whatever effect one may see form that.
They seem to have had a very high percentage of NMSF’ers this year, for instance.</p>
<p>I still think the OP will get much better advice on some prep or Day school forum…where folks know about the other schools of this type in the greater San Jose area.</p>
<p>The Harker School is an excellent k-12 prep school by all reports. If the OP wants to have their youngster go to Harker, that is fine. I know nothing about the Challenger School.</p>
<p>Also, Harker is highly competitive…the student will have to have not only the ability to pay (yes…some scholarships are available) but also an absolutely impeccable admissions portfolio, or some unique talent they can bring to the school. From what I can tell…the secondary school is particularly strong in the sciences…Intel and Seimens awards for example have been received by their students. </p>
<p>Will this guarantee admission to a top 10 college? Who knows…that is 12 years away for this K student.</p>
<p>OP, I assume you know the astonomical costs you’re talking about. Putting your youngest into Harker in middle school would run you something like $200K for him to get a high school diploma. Add 4 years of college, and you’re looking at close to half a million dollars for his education – in addition, I assume, to college for your other son. Money’s no object?</p>
<p>Vk2205- I have similar questions and am unable to find a good harker forum. I wonder how competitive admissions are at different ages. What percent of kindergarden, 1st grade and middle school applicants do they accept? I’m afraid with the finances of our country and state, the public school system is going to get worse before it gets better and we don’t want to put our daughter through that.</p>
<p>To Jeninreno: If you contact Harker’s lower school admissions office directly (contact information on their website), they will be happy to answer your questions and arrange a tour.</p>
<p>[News</a> Post](<a href=“News Post”>News Post) indicates a relatively large selection of academic-elite-level (post-calculus-BC) math courses compared to other private and public schools, although minimum graduation requirements listed at [The</a> Harker School: Course Requirements](<a href=“Page Not Found”>Page Not Found) do not require even reaching calculus.</p>
<p>Science courses are listed here [News</a> Post](<a href=“News Post”>News Post) , although nothing more than normal biology, chemistry, and physics is required for graduation.</p>
<p>Tuition at the high school level is $37,500 per year, according to [The</a> Harker School: Tuition and Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.harker.org/page.cfm?p=112]The”>http://www.harker.org/page.cfm?p=112) . This is more than the in-state cost of attendance at Universities of California. But some other private schools in the area also have > $30,000 per year tuition, even though they may not have as many academic-elite-level course offerings.</p>