Would love the opinion of anyone familiar with both Winsor and Concord Academy for high school, or even anyone that ha experience at either school
Looking to learn about diversity at the school, camaraderie of the students, how bad the pressure is from both and school and the fellow students. We would like academic rigor but prefer to avoid toxic pressure or competition. Our daughter is a strong academic student, but has no idea of her interests yet. She is an introvert by nature.
Given that CA does not have AP courses, do students at the school still feel the pressure to take AP exams outside school given the norm of maximizing number of APs for college applications these days?
I would say there is no toxic pressure at CA. It is collaborative and not competitive. It’s a very “you do you” type of school. There is no need to take AP exams outside of school as colleges know that CA has a rigorous curriculum and not taking APs is not held against you when they are not offered. They will just expect to see that you took the most rigorous curriculum offered. Many boarding schools have done away with offering APs as they do not want to be restricted to the AP material.
DD got accepted to these amazing schools (9th grade entrance). I would greatly appreciate any insights or experiences you could share about Winsor vs CA (vs Milton). Unfortunately, the information on the forum appears to be a little outdated.
Could anyone elaborate on the typical workload? I’m interested in understanding the balance between academic rigor and extracurricular commitments/outside sports club type AAU club.
It would be very helpful to gain a sense of the community atmosphere, overall vibe, etc. I would love to hear from any parents, specifically, how conducive it is to forming strong friendships, how involved and supportive the faculty is in students’ academic and personal growth, etc.
Thank you in advance!
I have a couple friends with kids at CA who don’t seem to think it is really all that stressful (not to say it isn’t a great education, but not overloading kids) and at least one has pretty extensive outside commitments. Take this with big grain of salt in that this is second hand, and some of this is based on individual kids, etc., etc. etc. I know they kids all are happy and have friends. Can’t speak to other bits though!
These are VERY different school cultures. Almost incomparable. Be sure you do your homework about Winsor. We are familiar with both schools and know many kids who have transferred out of Winsor due to a toxic culture. Winsor is a day school, CA is a day/boarding. The diversity is different. CA draws kids from all over the world, Winsor only locally.
I have heard this too, FYI, but more as 3rd hand so didn’t initially say… Not many people from my circle look there due to this reputation though…
I’ve heard this as well, and even so, looked closely at the school, its leadership, and even went a few steps into the admissions process during COVID. We exited the process rather quickly as we didn’t sense that it would be a fit.
@CuriousBunny ? Any parents/students from CA? Winsor? Please help Thanks a lot!
I’m a little skeptical that Revisit Days can capture the whole vibe of the school in such a short time! They are also designed to persuade admitted students to enroll!
You’re assuming that responses here have only come from non- CA or Winsor parents. We all need to decide what’s best for our kids. No one has the right answer for the OP though the feedback given on this thread is valuable and I’d suggest taking it seriously. Cultural issues at Winsor - and why kids leave before graduation, or stay unhappily - should be deeply explored. Ask which schools the transfers choose and you’ll learn that CA is on the list. Revisit days are exactly as you say, extended sales pitches. It isn’t too difficult to find a current family who isn’t assisting admissions and will speak candidly about either school.
@JLM1 Well, your remarks are quite insensitive but I apologize if my questions have caused you any discomfort or upset! You don’t have to respond if you’re feeling irritated.
I also know students who received acceptances from both CA and Winsor, and ultimately opted for Winsor and I’m just a parent seeking additional information about 2 specific schools.
Current Winsor parent here. VERY HAPPY. Every school is different and no school is perfect but I think Winsor does a phenomenal job launching young women into the world. And these young women DEEPLY love each other and laugh very hard together. Feel free to PM me if you have questions. In the past few years I have looked closely at Groton, Milton, Concord, SPS, Exeter, NMH and Winsor. My kids landed at Groton and Winsor.
CA was one of the schools my DC applied to as a reach. Our impression was that had academic rigor but lacked (thankfully) the cutthroat environment of some of the others. One parent commented to me that students are often unaware as to who the real academic superstars among their classmates are until college acceptances come out.
Again, as others have noted, CA’s choice to abandon AP courses is hardly unique. While CA will try to help students who choose to study for an AP exam independently (per their handbook), I suspect that the pressure to take APs is far lower than at schools that have AP courses in their curriculum.
Windsor is single sex, day.
CA is more gender inclusive, boarding and day. And yes, that 40% boarding does affect the student body.
I think these differences are well worth considering.
Thanks a lot!