Emphasis on Middle 
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Great response in general. Option B offers through Spanish V, Mandarin IV, and French III with an option for AP Language as dual credit (no further info on website). Option B also offers Physics: Mechanics and Physics: Electricity and Waves, but not as Honors courses. I assume this is just normal physics split into two one semester classes.
I would argue none of the schools offer what he needs, which is a math track with an actual college (not a HS class for dual credit but a class on a college campus with college students that counts for HS graduation too). Optimally he would take Calc AB then BC in a system where theyāre 2 levels, or directly calc BC where AB is slow paced and BC is accelerated. Then he would take MVC, then various branches of math (combinatorics, discrete math, calculus-based statistics, etc.) AP stats would be a poor substitute because itās either a solid offering for strong students who arenāt good at math or an elective for students who are.
After that, as long as he takes whatever is the most rigorous path at his school, heās fine as long as he has 4 years of English (with some Honors or AP), 4 years of history/social science (honors or AP), bio/chem/physics +1 (AP), and foreign language through level 4 or AP.
He will not be penalized if his school doesnāt offer some classes. However he will be penalized if he had aptitude and interest for math, and did nothing with it.
In short, schools B or C could work well IF they offer a way for him to take advanced classes at a college after he completes BC (and if they consider that for him stats is just a math elective, not a full year of math - heād likely enjoy calc based stars more anyway).
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Iād do course planning for the next 3 years and see how well the schools fit with your sonās interests. While college placement is a consideration, the quality and appropriateness of the education is even more critical. Yes, these 2 go hand in hand, but these are 3 important years of your sonās life, and much of what he learns in these 3 years will be a foundation for college and life. It sounds like A will come out on top. Also make sure the school will work with you on placement. Itāll do you no good to have the classes if they wonāt allow him to enroll.
Because changing schools can be hard, if you have a near tie, consider those other non-academic offerings that will impact his happiness and quality of life. This isnāt an extended admissions test but 3 formative years.
Lastly, while you probably already ruled this out, did you consider boarding school? You might, under the relocation circumstances, be able to get in a few late apps. Most have highly accelerated programs, are used to students coming from other places, and offer all the EDs and sports so juggling driving and schedules isnāt an issue. They tend to have good FA, so it may not cost more than your current options. Just tossing that out there in case youāre not feeling thrilled with these.
Bottom line-- pick the one where he can be his best possible self. Thatās best for him and probably for college admissions too.
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I was actually stunned when I first learned what they offered. Truly looks like a college department. But then I gradually learned this is kinda the norm these days for the really advanced math kids, the ones on track for MIT and such. Not that they all do it in house, but many others do it by taking college classes while still in high school.
So I agree with MYOS1634 that ideally he can do these sorts of classes at a college, which then frees you to choose the HS for other reasons.
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Do your kids have to attend the same high school?
My hard charging academic #1 chose a highly selective private. Academics were grueling, and student body was insular and arrogant. Long hours of homework made it very difficult for the kid to spend time on her interests that distinguished her for college, but she somehow found a way. Wound up at a super selective school.
My social but very capable #2 chose a newer and more progressive school. Academics were more engaging and the student body more diverse. Kid became more ambitious in every way each year, and teachers met that ambition by raising the bar. Admitted to a super selective school.
What makes a selective college outcome the most likely is finding a high school where the child will flourish. Iām very glad #2 chose a different school; they knew they wouldnāt have flourished at the first one.
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From your description of your son it sounds like A is the best academic fit. You should, of course, find out about the outcomes from the other two schools if they are still under consideration - they have the information (most public schools in my area publish something similar so I canāt imagine a private school wouldnāt have it). My last bit of advice is to make his HS selection about HS - choosing a path where he will thrive and maximize his potential (particularly in math). Donāt make it about college - particularly getting into an āeliteā college - because for unhooked kids odds arenāt great and you donāt want your kid to feel he wasted his HS years if he doesnāt get into MIT.
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This. Please help your student choose a HS where he will thrive and enjoy high school. Those elite colleges have single digit acceptance ratesā¦now. Sure, itās fine to consider them, but if that is your only goal, your student might not get there regardless of which high school he attends.
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Absolutely.
Although I have some reservations sometimes even about this, generally speaking I think it is fine to support a kid who loves math in doing a lot of advanced math before college, if that is something they really enjoy and want to prioritize for their own reasons. Including because that will actually translate to all sorts of colleges, not just MIT and such.
I do not at all support pushing a kid into doing that just because they can, and because that will maximize their chances of admission to an MIT. That is how childhoods get ruined, kids burn out, kids end up deeply disappointed even with exciting college opportunities, and so on.
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Is it possible for your son to do shadow days at these schools before he makes a decision? That was very very helpful for my daughter when we moved her to private HS.
We had also narrowed it down to three that all sounded like they could work on paper but one definitely didnāt feel academic enough to her, one had too much of a ācountry club vibeā (her words not mine), and the third was just right.
FWIW, she also had the issue of the sports being so competitive that she had to drop between sophomore and junior year but it turned out to be an amazing decision for her because it moved her into what is now her absolute love EC (and sheās out of college at this point).
Also, my kid raved and raved about school three after her shadow day. Her best friend was with her and was incredibly overwhelmed. She opted to stay in the local public school. Worked out great for her friend too and sheās in her career of choice.
Good luck on the decision!
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This is the case at a school I know well, Penn. This is their policy on DE credits:
āCredit is not awarded for college-level coursework undertaken at other institutions while a student is enrolled in high school or in the summer after high school. Such coursework is considered a part of a studentās preparation for a Penn education. It is used in consultation with the studentās academic advisor to inform decisions about placement into appropriate courses at Penn.ā
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Private schools can be very different in terms of their rigor. College matriculation is one way to tell how serious the students are. And how seriously colleges take their applicants. At some privates, the lowest ranked kid is still going to excel in college because the level of rigor in regular classes is that high (and there was an entrance exam to get in). Your kid sounds like not that kid, but in these schools most kids are pretty smart, even at the bottom. At other privates, they take all comers and they may mostly be college bound but not to elite colleges. Can you ask at school B how many kids take Calc BC in 11th? Is it 4 or 5, or are there 20 kids or multiple sections? Just thinking of the peer group. At our private the āmost rigorousā was # of Honors/AP overall, and I think it was 7 or 8. (Doesnāt sound high but most kids only take one FL to that level, and only one science AP was possible because you had to take regular or honors first.) Mine did not take AP English yet still got that check mark. And as far as socioeconomic stuff, yes, the wealthiest kids may often attend these types of schools, but I think a lot of the schools also have financial aid and many kids receive it. So you do get a mix of a couple actual billionaire families and kids of more regular folks (with most being able to pay something).
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If there is any interest in UK universities, then AP courses would be a better choice. For example London School of Economics (LSE) asks for 5 AP courses with 5.
Imperial College London is one of the best STEM colleges around, so it would be a good option in case the US colleges donāt work out.
Thanks so much for this. Another poster suggested it as well. Even though he has demonstrated elite aptitude in math, we believe that there is real value in him continuing to develop at home for the next three years.
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Maybe go to the school website to see their school profile to see where kids are matriculating. That should tell tons.
This is great advice. I have no idea if heāll even want a super selective school. My objective in the OP was simply to try to understand if weād be closing any doors for him by choosing something other than Option A.
Excellent point. He is doing shadow days this week to help narrow in on a decision. Iām researching the academic side of the schools as part (not all) of the decision-making process.
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As a counterpoint, I offer up Lexington High School, which only offers math through Calc BC, and nothing beyond that.
Lexington shows up on the Polaris List (The Best Public High Schools In America - PolarisList) as one of the public high schools with the most students placed into Harvard, Princeton, and MIT. Outside of the exam schools (TJ and Stuy), I think it is the public high school with the most students placed into MIT, which is worth mentioning because MIT doesnāt do legacy admissions.
My perspective, as a parent of two high performing STEM students who did very well with college admissions, is that high school students donāt need much math beyond BC, certainly no more than a year beyond BC. Instead the way to show STEM talent is through extracurricular activities such as science or math awards.
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Iāve looked for these at Options B and C and been unsuccessful, but perhaps Iām not searching in the right places. If someone is willing to take a look, please DM me and Iāll provide names of the schools. Thanks.
I think that we also need to consider the high school experience. The original post talked about the desire to play sports at the high school level. At some of these schools is it unlikely that the student will be able to play their sport? If school a is the one that it would be difficult to play, is it worth it to give up the sport for a maybe increase in admission likelihood in four years?