Is this one of the best high schools in the country?

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>This year, 95 out of app. 130 students received national merit letters
Median SAT score: 2185</p>

<p>I go to a high school near it. What makes this school more impressive is that its just a normal private high school, not a boarding school or a magnet school. It has a decent football team and arts program.</p>

2

<p>Not necessarily. Private high schools select the kids, so they often do not have the diversity academic wise that public schools have.</p>

3

<p>The national merit cutoff scores are set by state. In one state, it might be 221, in another, 203. Thus, a private high school in a small college town in a state with a (comparatively) low cutoff score might do very well.</p>

4

<p>Having had kids in private schools (even local ones) I can attest they cherry pick intentionally to maintain the appearance of high scores. It’s a recruitment tool, and a means for generating more alumni donations.</p>

<p>At a school near me the unstated criteria is that you must score above first grade level on the entrance exam to get into their kindergarten. Then they brag that their kindergartner’s perform above grade level - without revealing to interested parents that they tested in that way.</p>

<p>Some private schools start prepping their students for the PSAT, ACT and SSAT much earlier than high school. </p>

<p>So don’t believe every number you see. There’s usually something more behind them (albeit it does put kids without those resources at a disadvantage re: National Merit)</p>

5

<p>Some things to point out

  1. The 95 that received letters are for commended or semifinalist
  2. This school also has a middle and lower school, which is where most students come from
  3. They don’t offer their own prep classes at the school
  4. Many students there are several years ahead of math. The average student will take multivariable calculus senior year. Some wont make it that far, but some will also take linear algebra and number analysis, which are all offered by the school.</p>
6

<p>Sounds like you think highly of the school. Perhaps you could share its name. Other visitors to this forum who are local will likely want to review the details and consider it as one of their options. :)</p>

7

<p>st. john’s school in houston</p>

8

<p>Seems like a strong program. Maybe you should consider starting a thread for those Houston-area families who might be interested. Most people I’ve encountered on this forum are here to either learn about schools that they or their children may attend or to provide insight to others based on experiences with different programs. Families in Houston may want to learn more about St. John’s so so to decide on its appropriateness for their kids. Houston is a large city, so presumably there are some other fine local schools as well.</p>

9

<p>My three cousins all went to St Johns. One ended up at Princeton and one ended up at Penn. The youngest one left after 10th grade and went to Lawrenceville. Good school, but it’s not one of the best. The quality of a school is defined by a combination of the student caliber AND the resources/teaching. In my little cousin’s opinion, St Johns aces in the former but absolutely pales in comparison to Lawrenceville in the latter</p>