Thacher vs East Coast Boarding Schools

CateCAParent
Mon, 25 Jan 2021 02:52:01 +0000

We are on the West Coast, but applied to mostly East Coast schools, and kiddo ultimately chose Cate. Didn’t apply to Thacher (if they had a dog program instead of a horse program he might have considered it, lol).

Thacher is a great, unique school. If it calls to you, listen.

I would have been ok with having a kid across the country because I thought my kid was ready for the separation and he needed to be exposed to other ways of being. I had faith that the schools we were considering were fits, he would thrive, and they would care for him. And that I could adequately stay informed.

Our decision to stay in California was 90% fit and 10% geography. All things being equal, I would break a tie between schools with how easy it would be to get to a school in an emergency. Cate was a clear winner on fit, but it helps that I can get in a car and drive there in 6 hours.

Eta: ease of access may have more to do with how close an airport is - 6 hours in a car isn’t all that different than a non-stop flight. It is layovers and treks to airports that will get you. I calculated how long it would take door to door to each school. That was actually something the school visits really helped to understand.