Reclassing Questions

Hey! I am a current 9th grade girl, and I was born in May, and I am on the youngerish side of my current grade (at an all girls day school). I have not had the easiest time at my school, socially and emotionally, and I applied to boarding school, and will be going to Episcopal HS next year. I felt like having those 4 full years would be really important, and I would enjoy it much more. I am going from class of ‘28 to ‘29, however, and I do have some questions about this?

First off, is it weird? I wasn’t planning on reclassing until I realized how many reclass girls came to my current school, and how much they enjoyed it. The only thing is, I would be 18 for about 20 days at the end of my junior year, and 19 for 20 days at the end of my senior year. Would that be super weird or odd?

Also, will reclassing make me look weaker to colleges? I had pretty good grades this year, mostly As, one B in an accelerated course.

And lastly, will reclassing hurt my chances of making friends/finding relationships at Episcopal, or anywhere? I have heard that it is pretty common there, but I was wondering if anyone here knows how common? Is it harder to make friends, easier?

Thank you so much for reading!

Totally common, no downside!

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It’s extremely common (especially among athletes).

Depending on the school, the number of reclassed students seems to range between 10 and 20%. Not a majority, but by no means strange or stigmatizing.

It won’t hurt your chances at all when applying to college. Most colleges either won’t care, or will have a slight preference for a reclassed student because they’ll assume a greater level of maturity.

The answer to the third question is the same as the first.

The only downsides are the added cost to your family and the potential jealousy you’ll feel toward your current friend group as they head off to college a year before you.

Congrats on being accepted to a great school! Most schools do not publish the percentage of reclassed students, but I know that ratio can be as high as 35% ore more at selective schools. Definitely do not feel odd by any means. Enjoy your 4 years ahead instead!

Btw, there will be plenty of kids your age who did not reclass but waited an extra year before starting kindergarten. This practice is more common in some parts of the country than others, but at BS, you’ll be with that group.

There are a tons of reclass students in BS esp in the top tier schools. My daughter is on the younger side as there are literally classmates 2 years older than her. The disadvantage is hers, not theirs.

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I was in an Interview with an admission officer from (a boarding school) and I’ll never forget what her said:

Me: I’m looking to apply for your 11th grade year group

Him: Hmm, space is quite limited since you not really a competitive athlete

Him: How old are you, you look quite young

Me: (says my age)

Him: Wow, you are kind of young, you would have a better chance by reclassing if anything.

Me; I don’t really get it?

Him: Often times that entry year has a very small number of seats so it’s reserved for athlete. Pushing you a year down would put you into a less competitive year group.

Took his advice and told all schools to consider me for reaclassing.
(did not work out and I got into my desired entry year of 11th!)

I agree that this is very common and should not feel weird at all. And the big advantage with boarding school is that there is no repeating of coursework. There is flexibility so you will be able to take the next level of math or foreign language or even just 10th grade history, etc. as opposed to the standard 9th grade curriculum. This will be advantageous down the road as you will be taking more advanced coursework in 11th/12th grades which should be beneficial to your college applications.