Reclass 8th grader with gap year before applying to BS

Prep School Admissions Prep School Parents
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Fasten your seatbelt… this is very out there. If you are going to disrupt the typical trajectory, why not go wild with it? Your son would gain tremendously in both maturity and teamwork (helpful for life as he is competing in individual rather than team sports and won’t get this opportunity elsewhere.) He would really stand out as a hardworking and independent candidate. A little disruption of the right kind is immensely powerful if timed right.

7th: full school year
8th: half school year until Christmas

Jan of what should be the second half of 8th: Timbertop one year program until early December of the same calendar year, while applying to boarding.

Jan to June following the outdoor program could be second half of local 8th. Then off to boarding school after that summer.

Crazy? Sure. But the programs like this are life changing. Only suggesting it as your screen name indicates your family might be game for the journey and you would enjoy the parent weekends. They do take overseas applicants. Here is a fun link:

The other renowned program is Glengarry. Six months. Legendary. Is it boys only, a bit more physically intense, with a huge mountain biking program as well. I’m unsure if they accept students from outside the school for just the duration of the program.

Too far out there? Scrap these ideas and come up with something else that is truly unique that builds character and independence? Your kid only gets to be a young adolescent once. You can solve a problem (need time for maturity) and simultaneously create an extraordinary opportunity (grow in communication, confidence and leadership.) Build his foundation for what lies ahead.

Mostly, if you take a gap year in middle school, consider something that has physical structure and social interaction. Preferably with no screens. At 13, kids benefit tremendously from this. Many don’t want be sitting in a classroom or in front of a screen all day long. Too boring for the age of adventure!

TLDR: Dream big. And good luck!

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Will your son be okay repeating 8th grade with the kids who are currently a year behind him while his current friends move on the high school?

My parents moved when two of my brothers were heading into jr and sr year of high school, and the younger one decided to repeat 10th grade. That worked out for him especially because he was going to have to make new friends anyway. Both had August birthdays and were always the youngest in their classes.

It seems that your son will have 3 years in a row of making new friends and then leaving them: 8th grade home schooling, 8th grade in public school, 9th grade in bs. That’s a lot of adjustments for a kid who may not be as mature as you’d like.

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Reclassing for sports has become somewhat common, but its effectiveness is proving to be questionable.

There are no rules and he is yours so you need to make the call. Personal experience with it in sports is that kids receive a 1 year catch up and fall to the back 1 year later. Kids who end up becoming 6 foot 3 or greater seem to benefit most and it does not sound like your son is on that path.

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In my friend’s case, and in response to some comments (and fun suggestions here), doing the gap year abroad allowed the family to avoid some of the local legal issues around reclassing. You’d have to do the research on that.

I agree that reclassing to attend JBS or BS is common and simple.

Your description of your son and your reasoning sounds similar to my friend. It wasn’t about academics or sports, and there was no major “problem”, just a need for recalibration.

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What does the transcript look like for a student who repeats 9th grade? Does the school include the classes from the first 9th grade or only from the second 9th grade? If the former, doesn’t the 9th grade section of the transcript look like a student took twice as many classes as is normally possible?

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I’ve heard different things, so I’m not sure. Maybe it varies. But, I’m pretty sure it’s not something that stands out or that anyone cares about. They are looking at your rigor. If you end up with 4 years of challenging classes (after the repeat year), you’re in good shape.

Repeating 8th grade: about the only rigor you’ll gain is starting 9th grade on the algebra 2 track and graduating with Calc(+)

Repeating 9th grade: Graduating with Calc(+) plus an additional year of language, lab science and electives. They’ll also get a taste of managing a high school schedule and maybe get to play on the golf team.

This is all assuming he currently attends the typical public middle school that doesn’t offer accelerated courses.

I teach in a middle school, and off the top of my head, I can’t think of one kid that would benefit from a gap year between 7th and 8th grade. I always told my own kids “don’t peak in middle school”. Those bigger, more mature kids that are running the show are not the kids that do well after high school graduation. I do, however, see kids going off to high school that I think could use a bit more time, but 8th grade is very much a “finishing” year, and I don’t think a good one to repeat unless you were doing it at a school that was very different from the one you left, such as going from public school 8th grade to Jr. boarding school 8th grade. If you went that path, he could stay at JBS for 8th and 9th and then do 10/11/12 at traditional BS. I’m not sure if that’s a better option, though. Depending on the school, where he comes in academically, and what they offer, he may be able to get the additional years of high school classes. It’s certainly more expensive with an extra year of BS prices. This could be the way to go if you were applying to the most competitive BSs, but it seems like that isn’t your goal.

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If you switch schools (ie don’t repeat at the same school) colleges only see the 2nd (later) 9th grade transcript.

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If a student repeats / reclasses in HS, both transcripts are required for college admissions

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But, I believe GPA is only based on the 4 years at your BS. This allowed kids that reclassed (repeated 9th grade) to take more APs and boost their weighted GPAs.

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How the HS handles GPA for internal purposes depends on the HS. Most will only use grades since matriculation for their GPA

How, or if, admissions recalculates GPA again depends on the university. It is what it is

Regardless, for admissions, it’s common to see reclassed students. It’s not a negative

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Currently navigating exactly this. Agree with @skieurope, with one caveat. If the gap or repeat year (or “half reclass” due to seasonal misalignment of the school year) is a structured but non academic program, there will be no transcript to offer, just a written evaluation of skills, insights, strengths and areas for growth. I don’t think it gets sent to colleges?

Not sure how we will record the current 9th grade program, if at all, on future applications. It might just get listed toward the bottom of the ECs, as it ends just as freshman year begins at boarding school. It is substantial, meaningful, and unique. Yet, my hope is that the next three to four years bring experiences and interests even more exciting and reflective of who they become. Yr 8 seems so big when you are in it. The hope is that it nonetheless fades/pales relative to what comes next.

We didn’t choose our current path for any reason other than we love who the boys who attend it become. It just doesn’t come with grades. But if you are worried about grades, why not find a program that doesn’t assign them?

Any family who thinks their child needs something more developmentally before high school might want to focus on that, and worry less about grades. The whole child concept is far more important at this point in time. And if the extra time yields the intended result, the transcript 9-12 will be stronger. That takes care of itself.

Taking your kid out of the anxiety zone of this generation might have life long benefits. I can’t imagine being 13 and having my parents worrying about my grades limiting my life. That sort of thinking is contagious. Don’t pass it to your child.

I am probably an outlier here, but I think letting go of grade focus is worth considering. Recent suicides and attempts in this age group due to excessive pressure to be academically perfect is real. I think the seed to that can start with pressure and worry from parents about grades. Kids sense it even if it is not explicitly stated. We all need to check ourselves.

Give your kid not only a little extra time, but also the love, support and freedom to get the most out of it. That is the gift. It also gets the best result, imo. Win/win.

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This is exactly my sentiment. I see it as pouring into him in different ways than just the traditional K-12. I believe different kids need different grades reclassed. I don’t believe mine is ready for 8th grade. I think it’s the most difficult year.

Can I ask what you mean when you say you chose your path because the you love who the boys who attend it become? Do you mean boarding school in general?

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It was residential boarding but not academic. There was a good deal of reading for pleasure, though.

Between 8th and 9th, he was part of a half year program that focuses on personal growth and development. It’s difficult—mentally and physically—by design. And also fun. Very social and totally analog. Not academic. Character and work ethic are at the core. It is transformative. I just love how the kids turn out, who they become in the immediate time following graduation from the course, and then down some rather interesting roads in life. I’ve known several. After, they re-engage academically as more mature and excited learners. Self determination and confidence are noticeably improved. They drive their own ships (to some parents chagrin!)

You know your son best. What type of experience would he benefit from most? We are not talented homeschoolers, nor could we have provided the richness of peer learning from home. But it sounds as if you have had success in that arena. I will say, as your son is older now than during Covid, peers will be of greater importance to him. And they will help with social growth. Something to consider. If maturity is the goal, I don’t think I would keep him home on a computer. A social skill set is a muscle of sorts. Build it, use it or lose it.

And, finally… my advice is worth precisely what you paid for it. :winking_face_with_tongue:

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Would you mind sharing the name of the program?

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Cheerfulmom says above “Jan of what should be the second half of 8th: Timbertop one year program until early December of the same calendar year, while applying to boarding.” She also mentions Glengarry.

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Those are awesome but also intense and there are several schools here that offer this type of program with varying intensity.

But OP could also look to Europe or South America. There are so many ways to tackle this. Outward Bound runs teen programs in so many countries. String two or three together? Follow up with a family holiday via Backroads? The family could do a long working farm stay (more budget friendly)?

If you took some time and got into it, you might be spoilt for choice. I do think the option get better at 13+, as opposed to 12.

Imagine if one of the Jr Boarding Schools offered an outdoor adventure Yr 9 as a capstone to middle school? Then head off to Yr 9-12 boarding school after. That would be ideal.

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We had a nearby place doing that the year after S23 graduated middle school. I just checked, and it appears they are now back to the academic/boarding school prep type program.

This place has a program that is different from traditional school/boarding school. No cell phones, outdoor program, farm. https://northcountryschool.org/our-approach/

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