Help! which prep school is best for a brainy kid: Boston

prpdd
Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:12:19 +0000

If your son gets in you guys should really consider Commonwealth. It’s certainly not as well known as Andover, but the academics and the teachers are truly outstanding. The kids tend to be very smart and quirky, but not particularly athletic.

I know that as part of the admission process your son had to spend a day at the school going to classes, and hanging out with the current students. If he felt like he “fit” that’s a very good sign.

Commonwealth is a small school in the best sense. Due to its size a strong sense of community develops among the kids and they tend to be pretty tolerant of one another. My perception as a parent is that it’s less cliquey (sp?) than most schools. Also, the teachers get to know their students extremely well and seem to be tremendously invested in their success.

Finally, I personally think a great deal of their headmaster, Bill Wharton. Because he also teaches a couple of courses (one of which all freshman are required to take) he gets to know each student personally and is involved in the academic life of the school on a daily basis.