Anyone struggling with finding high schools?

[chris1gill]

deleted

 

[themarquis]

ummm.... you can't find a "good enough" school so you're going to move to australia??

 

[Katie]

this is a joke right?

 

[dairyou]

If this isn't a joke, maybe home schooling is not so severe as moving to Australia...

Deb

 

[chris1gill]

It's no joke, but thanks for understanding...

 

[Cindy's Mom]

[confused] I don't have similies

 

[CEDmom]

Lots of countries have those types of HS but I find it hard to believe that the best thing would be to move 1/2 way around the world to educate your child. Why not just move to one of the better suburbs in MA. Even if you had to rent rather than buy it would be a whole lot easier than Australia.

Also, I don't know what you do for a living but you'd need a visa to stay there. It's just not that easy to go live in another country.

 

[Barb D]

...We have two children, one will be in seventh grade next year, the other in fourth. The seventh grader presents great challenges as he is extraordinarily capable, operating on or above a 9th grade level as tests have shown.... This was at the beginning of sixth grade. There are several challenges with him, he tends to slack off and not try his best, because he knows that with little effort he can get a B, why do the extra work? Obviously I know this is an issue.

It's now become a bigger issue.... Originally we were going to keep them at their school (that operates at about two years greater than normal grade level) until the end at 9th grade, but I have found out some disturbing information. The local preparatory schools have less than a 10% acceptance rate & cost 30 grand a year per child (we'd qualify for quite a bit of aide), I have to, just statistically speaking write those schools off, I don't think he's got the ONE thing they are looking for, or the combination of things that they are looking for... Public school is out of the question in this area, they've already proven in the past they could not educate either of the children.

I have been thinking for the last several months that our best option would be to bring them to Australia where they have Selective Public schools (you MUST test in and be a very good student) in Sydney and Melbourne...

What kind of school are they in now? And when was the last time they were in public school? My previously-homeschooled kids are doing fine in public school. Perhaps if your and your DH's jobs are flexible enough to move to Australia they are flexible to move to another part of the country with better public schools.

 

[CEDmom]

how bizarre

 

[I'mNoPrince]

Well ours are not 30 grand but we will be cutting down a bit on our trips as DD starts HS next year and it's going to be 3 times what we pay now.

We are Ok and have next years in the bank already but boy it's a lot of money.


And we don't dare send her to a Public City HS as DW and myself barely survived with our lives 20 some years ago.

 

[chris1gill]

Barb D. They are in a private gifted Independant school right now... They've been there for 2.5 years now... The bad habits our older one developed by not having to do work in the public school are what have led him to have a more difficult time adjusting to even having a workload. Our younger child was caught just in time while in the first grade...

I've looked at the various school districts in MA, but I find that with financial pressures in the state the way they are, that the programs that get cut are the exact programs my kids need. They have band, orchestra, drama, foreign language, wood shop & academics two years their senior & they are thriving. If our school went to grade 12, I would keep them there, but it doesn't, and that puts us in a bit of a pickle.

Australia appeals to me, because we would only pay 12K total tuition for both children & the three of us would qualify for a student/carer visa, it's not at all complicated. We also have friends there and have taken the children there more than a few times and for more than a few months....

I am open to every single option out there, finding the one that suits us best is a real pickle.

 

[chris1gill]

Well ours are not 30 grand but we will be cutting down a bit on our trips as DD starts HS next year and it's going to be 3 times what we pay now.

We are Ok and have next years in the bank already but boy it's a lot of money.


And we don't dare send her to a Public City HS as DW and myself barely survived with our lives 20 some years ago.

Can I ask where you are sending her? What prompted you to decide on the school? We are totally flexible in where we bring them... Although I do feel they should have at least one year abroad.

 

[I'mNoPrince]

Can I ask where you are sending her? What prompted you to decide on the school? We are totally flexible in where we bring them... Although I do feel they should have at least one year abroad.

We are sending her to a Catholic school as she is coming from one as well.They have AP courses as well as on-sight media lab that lets College professors teach classes from remote locations.This way they get credit ,don't have to travel and stay in a safe enviroment. It's an all girls school as well.

There are many Private /Catholic schools here in MD that are well under 30 grand as well as a few that are in that range as well.

Most of the County's in MD have HS systems that are very capable for standard schooling with very high college placement but here in the City it's Private or literally death.

 

[phillybeth]

If I were you, I would make sure that you have exhausted EVERY opportunity here in the states beofre relocating your family to another country!

For example, here in PA there are many fine private boarding and day schools:

http://www.georgeschool.org/ This is where Bill Cosby and Jim Henson sent their kids

http://www.baldwinschool.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1 Girls only

http://www.shipleyschool.org/ Coed, K-12

http://www.penncharter.com/root.asp?display=flash

 

[barkley]

i'de also suggest checking into the seventh day adventist educational system. they have some incredible schools and for the most part all of the one's above 8th are totaly structured as college prep's. their tuition (even for non members) is generaly a good deal less than other options-and they offer both boarding and day schools (on the same campuses in some case).

 

[golfgal]

Or you could move to Minnesota and go to the public schools for free, they offer all those things and more. We have statewide open enrollment so you can go to any school in the state, providing they have room for you. Jrs and Sr's can take college courses for free that count toward college and high school, some kids graduate high school as a jr in college. With the various accelerated courses offered there is something for everyone.

My SIL taught in the Boston area and felt that her best classes there were worse then her worst classes here. Many of the 'new' programs being introduced to the schools there are things Minnesota has done for years.

 

[Hedy]

I find it incredibly hard to believe that there's no program in MA that will suit your children. What about Sudbury Valley School? Exeter? A Country Day? BUA? Move to the Western part of state and go to PVPA?

 

[GoodFairies]

Most of the County's in MD have HS systems that are very capable for standard schooling with very high college placement but here in the City it's Private or literally death.

There are a few great schools in Baltimore City -- Poly, Western, City, and School for the Arts. Of course you have to be accepted into them. The city's zoned schools are as you said, but these are the other options outside of paying for costly private school.

 

[I'mNoPrince]

There are a few great schools in Baltimore City -- Poly, Western, City, and School for the Arts. Of course you have to be accepted into them. The city's zoned schools are as you said, but these are the other options outside of paying for costly private school.

School of the Arts I agree.

But the standards for the others with no child left behind and the fudging of grades are not far off from district schools. I live real close to Poly/Western so many of the kids here go there.Brother was a grad of Poly and oldest goes to Western now.

I went to Mervo in the 80's and we had all kinds of problems with the City students coming and causing trouble,as if we didn't have enough of our own.


Please I don't blame the Teachers or the students . I blame the politicians that have and continue to let the school system be robbed blind.

 

[GoodFairies]

School of the Arts I agree.

But the standards for the others with no child left behind and the fudging of grades are not far off from district schools. I live real close to Poly/Western so many of the kids here go there.Brother was a grad of Poly and oldest goes to Western now.

I went to Mervo in the 80's and we had all kinds of problems with the City students coming and causing trouble,as if we didn't have enough of our own.


Please I don't blame the Teachers or the students . I blame the politicians that have and continue to let the school system be robbed blind.

True. O'Malley and the city school budgeting fiasco I'm sure did a number on them. I graduated from Poly in 1995 and something like 90% went on to college with a good percentage being accepted into Ivy League schools.

Hopefully all the political issues haven't completely obliterated the value of getting good grades at those schools -- it meant quite a bit just 10 years ago and it would be a shame if the value of an education at any of those declined that rapidly. They always had much, much higher standards than the other city schools, and even the county schools.

At least you don't have to worry about being shot or beaten senseless at any of them.

I had a wonderful, wonderful education and general school experience at Poly.