Although there are not many JBS, I’m assuming they do vary in quality. The one near my house serves its purpose (parents that travel or have custody issues, international families that want an ESL program, kids that have been kicked out of other private schools and local hockey players attending as day students that are subsidized by the former), but seems vastly inferior to other schools I’ve researched and sells itself as something it isn’t. Best to know what your goals are and do your homework so that it’s a good match.
Thank you for the very helpful reply.
As an aside, not seeing the “irony” of looking at a nearby rural school with great faculty, that’s private, as a day student option, that happens to have a cohort of boarding students. JBS, yes, but really more of a hybrid boarding school/day student situation…
Still processing the various reasons and motivations of families to have sent their kids to board at this specific place. This matters to us. As we dig deeper, we have connected with more than a few of its domestic families that seem to have sent their young ones to JBS mainly for a BS admission advantage.
Another forum member noted elsewhere:
I tried to send link to a couple of review sites but it was rejected on here by the moderator! So, I will share with you that you can go to Boarding School Reviews and Niche to look up specific schools with links to more information - including videos from admissions officers addressing the reasons why parents send their kids to JBS.
Here is a link for one school.
Parents who are interested in learning about JBS can find information on Niche and Boarding School Review sites. Here are a couple of reviews sites.
https://www.niche.com/k12/cardigan-mountain-school-canaan-nh/
https://www.boardingschoolreview.com/blog/5-reasons-to-choose-a-junior-boarding-school
Late to the party … but such an amazing post @PhotographerMom I just had to comment.
I also went to JBS (not in the US) at the tender age of 9!! yes well I turned 10 a month later. It was an amazing experience and I am still in contact with my friends from that time. In fact last year there was a reunion of those that now live in the US and it was simply amazing.
Both my children have loved hearing me talk about my JBS experience and it is likely responsible for them also wanting to attend. I gave my DD the British ‘Malory Towers’ book collection which is the story of a young girl who attended JBS at age 12 in the UK, she loved reading about it even though it’s a different experience/country/education system.
However, just like with everything… one person’s poison is another person’s medicine 