Looking for school recommendations

Prep School Admissions
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I’m posting as the mom of a 9th grade dancer who breathes and dreams dance. She is good at all forms, but best at contemporary and modern. She has worked with a whole bunch of NYC dancers, a couple of whom have called her a “prodigy.” She participated as a 14 yo in the Joffrey pre-pro program and was offered early admission, and just submitted the audition for the Juilliard summer pre-pro. Etc.

She also happens to be really strong at academics (4.0/4.0, loves AoPS math, strong writer, hasn’t taken SSAT yet but practice tests are ~90th percentile.)

She wants to apply to prep schools because she is currently out of the house at 7:30 am and home at ~9pm — then starting homework. Her friends and teachers have no idea how hard she works. She needs to be at a school where dance and academics are integrated.

Phillips Exeter is her top choice, in part because she is a legacy and is hooked on Harkness.

She wants to be at a school where she can continue to develop technique and connections. We want her to be at a school where she can continue to connect her dance to the “big ideas” of humanity.

Any suggestions for alternatives?

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Look at St. Paul’s. Dance is not my child’s wheelhouse, so I didn’t look too closely, but I remember watching a video and thinking that the kids dance as part of the school day in addition to the after school EC time. It is also very academically rigorous.

Good luck to her!

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St. Paul’s would be a great option.

Deerfield’s program isn’t at that level but may appeal.

If you are in NYC, a completely different direction is Professional Children’s School coupled with full time ballet training. She could get a higher level of dance training than at any school and still get high level academics. Obviously, a completely different environment and option.

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Emma Willard looked to have a fantastic dance program!

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Would also suggest you look at Walnut Hill. It solves the integration of ballet and school but is definitely more arts focused than any of the other BS mentioned upthread. The exercise of comparing, though, might help clarify how much dance you want/are willing to give up to get the mix right.

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I second the Walnut Hill suggestion.

I’d also add that you should consider the Cambridge School of Weston. It’s not Harkness, but their Module system has its own student lead quirkiness. The dance program is more modern/contemporary.

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Paging @Calliemomofgirls for thoughts on dance + boarding schools.

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You should consider Kent. The art program is great and the Dance section is important. Also the school is doing great academically. They received 1500 applications last year and accepted 170 students. No SSAT needed for the application. Good luck!

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Thanks for the page @DroidsLookingFor !
Yes mom of pro-bound dancer and mom of 3 boarding school kids here.
Lots to unpack so I’m happy to get into details and answer super specific questions via DM if that’s helpful!
But short version:
In our experience, the only boarding schools that would possibly be considered pre-pro level out in the non-boarding school world were SPS (assuming Kate is still heading it) and Walnut Hill (assuming they are still partnered with Boston ballet). But both of those are ballet, which sounds like your daughter isn’t looking to do.
I’ll add that in the contemporary world it’s probably less important to be at a true pre-pro level than if she were planning to make a career in ballet. Also way fewer pre-pro contemporary programs, probably for this very reason. You really can’t afford to train casually for a few hours after school for 4 years at that critical age and think you’ll be tracking for a ballet career. But you could absolutely train for 15 hours a week in some other genres in high school and be fine to continue on to a career, or more training in a BFA program. In fact many/most we met in the BFA audition process were NOT true pre-pro dancers. So totally not a requirement for all dancers; but maybe more of a requirement for ballet dancers specifically. (And I’ll say for women more than men — that’s a whole other conversation though.)
It’s hard to get a sense for your daughter’s level in ballet and other genres and I also don’t have a sense for her career plans.
But I will say my daughter who is 100% sure about dancing professionally decided not to go to boarding school because it really wouldn’t support her goals. I agree 100% with her take on that. But again there are some great strong recreational programs out there in BS — Deerfield and Mercersburg were the ones that stood out to us that were less ballet-focused than SPS amd WH. Oops have to run but feel free to ask questions!!!

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DC is applying to Kent. So far it looks like a terrific fit. I am a little concerned about the 170/1500 you reference. This would be a sub-12% acceptance rate.

Can you let us know where you got the info? My concern is that we should probably add a school or two to our list if this is the case. Wouldn’t be surprised if Kent’s acceptance rate has dropped meaningfully in recent years. But I am surprised if this info is not available anywhere. Glad I read your post before January 15😎

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Guessing that they had 170 new students. Probably accepted about twice that many (assume 50% yield).

They may have had 1500 inquiries, interviews or started applications. It’s likely that some smaller number were complete and competitive. Let’s say 1000.

With those two guesses, that’s a 34% acceptance rate. But what really matters is your pool. How many boys for 9th? From your country? Needing (or not) FA? Rowers?

It sounds like your S is a good candidate and that you have targeted schools that are a good fit. If you have 6-8 schools that are a good fit and affordable, you are likely set. He can only attend one!

Btw, it’s not unusual for schools to send acceptance letters with stats that the uninitiated will misinterpret. “We had 1500 applicants for 170 spots” is technically correct and not incompatible with "Of the 1000 completed applications received, 340 received offers of admission. "

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The school has 520 students total, including PGs. So the freshman class is likely 100+ ish (class size grow each year). So accepting 170 makes sense.

The 1500 is the number I’d like to verify. Is it okay to call and ask the school directly? Or that is bad form?

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The 170 may be not just freshmen, but sophomores, juniors and PGs too. The letters that go out with acceptances may not differentiate. But I understand what you’re asking (and it’s not that!)

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Google’s generative AI tool says Kent has an acceptance rate of 39%. Still trying to see what it’s pulling to come up with that, but it feels in the ballpark.

Update: it’s a bit outdated (from test innovators), so odds are it’s lower – maybe even 29% – but probably not more than that.

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@zenmindmom I highly recommend that you join the Facebook groups „Dance Parents: College Bound“ and „Parents of Pre-Professional Ballet Dancers“

There is a wealth of information and wonderfully supportive parents in those groups.

As a dance mom whose DD (current college student) also lived and breathed dance in 9th grade, here is my short list:

St. Paul’s in NH, but I recommend researching where their dancers end up. While it’s a great concept, I am not sure how successful their graduates have been.

LaGuardia Performing Arts School has produced some amazing dancers, but you would have to establish residency in NYC. They only accept applications for 9th and 10th grade. Audition Overview - Admissions - Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts

University of North Carolina School of the Arts offers a high school program with focus on ballet or contemporary.

She could also audition for a preprofessional division of a major company (ABT, NYCB) during a summer intensive. It would involve online school in the latter years. For a brick and mortar school in NYC, the Avenues School is more academically rigorous than the Children’s Professional School. We seriously explored this option.

Contemporary Companies like Complexions and some colleges with highly competitive dance programs like Berklee, Oklahoma University also have summer dance intensives.

Unfortunately, the schedules and athletic requirements of many private college prep schools do not allow for concurrent intensive preprofessional dance training. My DD was fortunate enough to continue intense training thru 9th grade because of the hybrid schooling during the pandemic. In 10th grade, the academic rigor and injuries forced a decision. While she still danced regularly, she focused more on academics and high school ec‘s. She applied and was accepted to college dance programs, but chose instead a more traditional academic path, takes dance classes and is part of a college dance company.

From what I have observed, professional bound dancers often finish high school online (which some public schools offer) while training with a professional company. I have observed other dancers doing this, but do not know the specifics. I think some state‘s high school requirements (like CA, MN, NH) allow for this and others do not (MA).

If she has a particular college program in mind (like USC Kaufman or Juilliard), you might want to explore the educational and training backgrounds of their existing students.

If she does attend Exeter, continues training, and ends up in Boston for college, Harvard has some amazing dance companies.

Good luck!

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Hi! Apologies for not being more specific earlier. I’m a Kent mom, and I got those numbers directly from the school.

They processed 1,500 applications, accepted 500, and ultimately offered a total of 170 spots (from freshman to PG). Unfortunately, I don’t have the breakdown by grade level.

It’s fantastic that you’re considering applying to Kent! I really hope it works out for your family. My kids absolutely love the school and are thriving there. Kent truly is a special place in so many ways.

Best of luck!!

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How selective is the Juilliard summer program? Does it look good on college apps, or will it be seen as a paid activity?

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You should pick your summer activities based on your interests. On their own, they don’t really move the needle for college apps. If you are passionate about music, however, this may help you improve and get to the next level. It demonstrates that you are willing to invest your time in what you love. All good.

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I’ve heard that they accept about 8% of their summer intensive applicants. It’s definitely not a paid activity!

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Selective or not may not matter to admissions in general. It might be interesting to someone in the music department who may or may not be able to put in a good word for you with admissions. But they might also want a clip of you performing, which might be of greater value to them.

In short, don’t do this just for college admissions. And by all means, take advantage of this great opportunity if you truly love music!