TL;DR Looking for nurturing high school for verbally gifted kids (reading, writing, discussion/debate). Anywhere in US within an hour of a city.
Not sure if this is the right place to post. I have two young sons. H is a professor in one of the big universities in NYC; we live in Manhattan. Neither of us want to raise teenagers in here. H needs a lot of lead time to relocate… (sometimes these academic positions - at his level - take years to negotiate.) So while it is way early to be thinking about high schools, I like to be ahead of the curve given all of the logistical challenges.
And with that preamble…
Looking for some resource/listing of nurturing high schools (day not boarding) that emphasize reading, writing, discussion as well as social justice and community involvement. Classical education. Kids (boys if that matters) are both verbally gifted. Would need to be within an hour of a city.
Again no idea if this is the right place to post – apologies if not!
In Boston I would suggest you look at Boston University Academy (BUA) and Commonwealth School. BUA is located on the campus of BU (there are a few universities in the Boston area for your H to consider). Very strong classics base - Latin or Greek are required for 9th & 10th grade, history and English start with ancient texts in 9th. Upper grades take classes at BU, so course selections are virtually unlimited. Math starts with Algebra 2, with Calculus as a graduation requirement, so need a good math foundation. Commonwealth School (also in Boston) is good for gifted kids - strong arts program along with strong academics - not quite as heavy in the classics as BUA.
George School and Westtown are day and boarding and within 1 hour of Philadelphia. You would not be the first family to relocate to Bucks County for GS. There are a bunch of Friends schools in Philly (William Penn, Friends Select, Friends Central, Germantown Friends) and a few that are day nearby (Moorestown Friends.) It sounds like you want out of the city, though. In general, these schools are nurturing, community oriented, diverse, and have a strong focus on social justice. They all do open houses in the fall, so if any pique your curiosity, it’s easy to check them out without having a soon to enroll student.
If you were interested in DC, there are a whole host of other choices including Sidwell Friends.
Atlanta Metro Area has close proximity to a number of colleges and universities. There are a variety of private high schools around the city, and public charters and magnets.
Atlanta is also full of very active and supportive Homeschool groups. And there are a good number of both homeschool Schools, and Homeschool co ops and stand alone classes. The homeschool community here is very welcoming and inclusive. My D graduated from a classical Homeschool school, where the teachers taught classes once a week, assigned and graded work, and proctored all the tests. Parents were responsible for helping their children learn time management study skills at home, where they did their schoolwork the other days of the week. Classical education model is very popular within the homeschool community.
You can choose to live ITP or OTP, two very different populations and lifestyles inside/outside the perimeter beltway that circles Atlanta.
Almost all the top boarding schools are strong on writing, reading and community service. Have you considered having the kids attend a boarding school as a day student?
Some options are: Andover, Exeter, Choate, Lawrenceville, Loomis, Taft, St Andrews, and the list goes on.
I read this as classics, not classical education. If so then many of the boarding schools could work for a day student. If your children are young it is also hard to tell what high school would be good as kids change a lot in middle school (let alone in elementary school). Andover, Concord, Middlesex, St. Mark’s, etc. could work as a day student with H at a Boston area university. Exeter is a little more remote in NH for H’s options. There are a few boarding schools near Princeton.
If you are looking out to the Left Coast, there is The Cambridge School in San Diego. Incredible faculty, great culture! An independent day school (no boarding).
Almost every major urban area has high schools that fit your criteria. You won’t have a problem finding one no matter where you end up. And your young son may very well be quite different, even unrecognizable, by high school. Kids change greatly during those years.