My son is considering few private schools for 9th grade.
Is following true?
Episcopal Academy - High stress, swim or sink culture
Malvern Prep - more known for athletics than academics, less diverse
Haverford - more supportive and balanced environment, main line influence
Thanks
Episcopal = coed, the other two are not.
I know kids who have gone to all three. The ones who went to EA would not say that it is sink or swim. They actually have courses that support incoming HS transfers which help them develop great study skills to adjust to the coursework at EA. They also have time set aside at the end of the school day but before sports practices to meet with their teachers in order to get help if needed.
Is the school hard? Yes, but the students have many opportunities to get the academic support they need if they want it.
I’d say your assessment of the other two schools is fairly accurate, but not sure by what you mean about MP being less diverse? I’d also say EA has a big Main Line influence, as well. All 3 are highly competitive in sports.
Thank you for reply.
I think - in academics, EA is higher than Haverford which is higher than MP
in sports, MP is higher than EA and Haverford.
One thing about Haverford is that they don’t have AP courses.
In terms of diversity, Haverford and EA has probably around 1/3 students of color which is probably not the case with MP.
Between MP and Haverford, which one you would choose?
Thanks
On what basis ?
Seems like this would be a personal decision based on the better fit for a particular student.
@NDA2021 , you need to pick the place that works for your family. Consider
What does daily commute look like?
If your kid plays a sport, what’s the program like?
If there’s an outside EC (sport, music, etc), how does that dovetail with school schedule/policies?
Is the structure of academics suited to your kid? (Do you meed monitored study halls? Learning support? Instruction in study skills? Discussion based classes? More accelerated classes? Experiential learning. Overall philosophy, course offerings. )
How comfy are you with other kids and families?
One school isn’t better than another, but one may be better for you. That is the beauty of private schools - you go where you can thrive.
Sent you a PM.
I also agree that it’s a very personal decision based on what your son and you are looking for in a private school. The other posters bring up great points to consider. I’d also suggest trying to talk to current or past students from each of the 3 schools. Also, if he has not, set up a visit with all 3. He can follow a student to classes for the day to get more of an idea on the academics and culture piece.
All 3 schools are rich in tradition and I believe you can’t go wrong with whichever one you go with.
My S21 attended Haverford. We wanted a single sex school so we did not look at Episcopal. Malvern doesn’t start until sixth grade so did not consider it. I know boys who have attended all 3 and the cultures at each are very different/distinctive. I second the recommendation that your child visit all of them to see which one fits best.
May not be truly related to the thread but what is the expectation as far as ISEE/SSAT scores for these 3 schools ? Does it have to be all 9s?
Might not be accurate but its the only like online source, not sure about the other.
I went to Irwins. Brothers went to Haverford, nephews current students at Haverford. I probabaly know 100 people who have attended these three schools. They are all excellent and I can point to dozens of alum from all of these schools that have done very well. Both of my brothers are at the top of their respective fields. I think Haverford and EA are comparable academically. MP is a great school but I would say the religous based private schools are always considered a step down. That said I would say the difference is:
EA- Co-ed
Haverford- Single Sex
MP - Catholic
I would send my son to any of these. If Sports aren’t in the picture and the single-sex/religous issue is not a factor to you then honestly, I would send them to whichever one has the easiest commute. You’ll be doing a lot of driving back and forth over 4 years. A balanced life is one of the best gifts you can give a teenager.
Thank you. You’re spot on about these 3 schools.
So, MP is out of question. We are not catholic and Haverford and EA are better academically. Though, my daughter went to ND (catholic school) from 6 to 12 grade.
My 9th grader boy is interested in playing basketball in high school and college. If he goes to Haverford, he will be repeating 9th grade because he wants to play competitively basketball on school teams and he is on the younger side on basketball team. We would like him to have a balanced school life in academic and sports.
It will be a little bit more commute to Haverford (than EA) from West Chester. He can take bus in the morning. Due to commute considerations, we did not consider other schools like Penn Charter, St. Joe, La Salle.
Thanks again.