Picking a Public high school for my son...a few questions on researching them..

[Minnesota!]

Hi, all!

My kids have gone to a small, Catholic, private school from K - 8. Except for one semester last year where my oldest went to the local public middle school due to some issues with a teacher at the private.

Anyway, we are going to be moving out of this district as the private schools are 15K+ for him now and I would rather use that for his college fun, and the public schools...blow.

I am researching districts and I am confused on what I should "believe"...

Two different websites - schooldigger and greatschools, have VASTLY different rankings for quite a few of the districts we are considering. For instance, the TOP district we had considered, as it is the town we used to live in, and loved living there - one website has it ranked 2/10 (very, very poor), and the other has it 9/10 (amazing ratings).

One site has the charter school he already applied to as a 10/10 and ranked in the top 5 in the state, and the other has it at a 6/10..

This is all very new to me. I know a little about a lot of the schools, and, like with anywhere, I get wildly different opinions on everything.

Which website would YOU say is more reputable? Is there somewhere else I can look?

Thank you! Go easy - this is all so overwhelming!

 

[NYCgrrl]

Does the state or municipality/county run a website that lists how many students graduated, how many entered college in each class? NYS/NYC does and it's pretty useful. Are there specific extracurricular activities your child has an interest in?

 

[Minnesota!]

Does the state or municipality/county run a website that lists how many students graduated, how many entered college in each class? NYS/NYC does and it's pretty useful. Are there specific extracurricular activities your child has an interest in?

We have a data tracker, yes, which also differs from the great schools/school digger websites. I assume the state run one would be most accurate, but....

 

[Minnesota!]

Does the state or municipality/county run a website that lists how many students graduated, how many entered college in each class? NYS/NYC does and it's pretty useful. Are there specific extracurricular activities your child has an interest in?

My son is very into athletics and wants to go wherever there is a baseball, basketball, bowling, team. As long as there is a team, he will be happy. Could be on the moon and he wouldn't care.

 

[mnrose]

It's so hard to say. The BEST resource is parents you know in the district. Test scores aren't necessarily the be all and end all because a school could have lower test scores for a variety of reasons not reflective of the quality of instruction. The best school for your kid is the one that meets his/her needs, whatever they may be. I don't put much credence in any on-line resource, preferring instead to trust the judgment of people I know. If that's not an option, look at the course they offer (is there sufficient rigor available in the area(s) of interest to your child), what percent of students go on to higher education (indicative of a more "serious" student body as a whole), what extracurriculars are available, how well paid are the teachers relatively to neighboring districts (would tend to indicate teacher satisfaction and ability to attract better talent).

Based on those review sites, I'm not sure I would put my kids in the district they are in. In reality, however, I've been very satisfied by their experience and the quality of the both the courses offered and the teachers they have had. My twins have consistently performed well on standardized tests, have gotten excellent AP scores (for the most part), and easily got into the colleges to which they applied. None of that would be clear from on line review sites.

 

[stsomewhere]

My kids went to a small charter school. Once they hit high school, my son hated it. We looked at a lot of school of choice districts around us since we heard our district was not the best. What we found was that every school has issues. We toured and researched many schools. My son ended up choosing our local district. He loved having friends within walking distance. My daughter decided to change school in middle school instead of waiting for high school. WHat we found out is that the teachers were wonderful. The counselors were very helpful. There is a lot of school spirit and support. We are very happy with it. However if we would of went of advice of the website and others, we would not have chosen our district.

 

[Minnesota!]

It's so hard to say. The BEST resource is parents you know in the district. Test scores aren't necessarily the be all and end all because a school could have lower test scores for a variety of reasons not reflective of the quality of instruction. The best school for your kid is the one that meets his/her needs, whatever they may be. I don't put much credence in any on-line resource, preferring instead to trust the judgment of people I know. If that's not an option, look at the course they offer (is there sufficient rigor available in the area(s) of interest to your child), what percent of students go on to higher education (indicative of a more "serious" student body as a whole), what extracurriculars are available, how well paid are the teachers relatively to neighboring districts (would tend to indicate teacher satisfaction and ability to attract better talent).

Based on those review sites, I'm not sure I would put my kids in the district they are in. In reality, however, I've been very satisfied by their experience and the quality of the both the courses offered and the teachers they have had. My twins have consistently performed well on standardized tests, have gotten excellent AP scores (for the most part), and easily got into the colleges to which they applied. None of that would be clear from on line review sites.

Thanks - I have talked to many people in many districts, and get so many conflicting stories. My son is a great student - when he is not too lazy to be. He pulls fantastic grades with little (no) effort. It's infuriating, honestly. He is a skilled athlete - lettered this year as an 8th grader for the current-district high school. He knows what he wants to do for a career when he gets older, and the top (for me) district currently has dual enrollment at the local community college that would get him 2 years into that degree before high school ends. Plus the CIS program has quite a few offerings.

I am REALLY leaning towards this school district, but with so many conflicting stories/websites...I just don't know where I put my faith.

PS - do you have any information on northeast metro/east metro/south east metro school districts? Taking any advice I can - so new to this game! When I was growing up, I didn't have a choice - private k-12. Public schools were "bad"...

 

[Minnesota!]

My kids went to a small charter school. Once they hit high school, my son hated it. We looked at a lot of school of choice districts around us since we heard our district was not the best. What we found was that every school has issues. We toured and researched many schools. My son ended up choosing our local district. He loved having friends within walking distance. My daughter decided to change school in middle school instead of waiting for high school. WHat we found out is that the teachers were wonderful. The counselors were very helpful. There is a lot of school spirit and support. We are very happy with it. However if we would of went of advice of the website and others, we would not have chosen our district.

Thanks for your story!

My son has had a miserable time, socially, the last few years. He is picked at daily, etc. We moved him to the public school last year when the teacher joined in. However, at the public school, it got worse; he was pantsed twice in front of the entire student population. Ugh. He begged to go back to the first school, and we addressed the issues (and demands, for lack of a better word) with the principal.

So, we are choosing a district to move to that NO OTHER KID that he has EVER known goes to...sucks, but we all want him to have a fresh start. It's deciding which district to move to. Based on our jobs, we have about 10 districts to choose from... The current one we are in is NOT an option and that is where 99% of his issues will be going to school next year..

Sorry - probably more info than you asked for

 

[pweyl36]

My kids went/go to a Vo-Tech high school

 

[mnrose]

Thanks - I have talked to many people in many districts, and get so many conflicting stories. My son is a great student - when he is not too lazy to be. He pulls fantastic grades with little (no) effort. It's infuriating, honestly. He is a skilled athlete - lettered this year as an 8th grader for the current-district high school. He knows what he wants to do for a career when he gets older, and the top (for me) district currently has dual enrollment at the local community college that would get him 2 years into that degree before high school ends. Plus the CIS program has quite a few offerings.

I am REALLY leaning towards this school district, but with so many conflicting stories/websites...I just don't know where I put my faith.

PS - do you have any information on northeast metro/east metro/south east metro school districts? Taking any advice I can - so new to this game! When I was growing up, I didn't have a choice - private k-12. Public schools were "bad"...

Sorry, no. I'm a northwest metro kind of person. I'd definitely lean toward those that have a CIS or strong link via PSEO to either a community college or the U. As mine are now in the process of graduating and entering college (fall 2018), having 40-60 (that's how many mine will have when they graduate) BEFORE entering is a HUGE advantage. To me, it's not so much about saving tuition (although that is definitely true), but also it takes the pressure off considerably to take a full load each and every semester with no room for error in order to graduate in "just" 4 years. We learned yesterday, for example, that my D's chosen program is USUALLY 4.5 years unless you take super heavy loads EVERY semester. Who wants to do that? But, she ill have just about 40 credits (1.3 years of college credits) when she enters and will be able to apply for admission to her program a full year ahead of her peers....meaning it is entirely possible to finish up her 4.5 year program in 3.5 years. Both of mine took as many AP classes as they could (passing 10 out of 11 for my son and 7/8 for my daughter), took foreign language as a CIS class, and are now PSEO students full time. All this from a school which "on paper" isn't that great. I beg to differ.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

We did opposite. Kids went public 0-8 and then catholic hs. We have real good school districts by me but we were more scared of developing bad habits at public HS. Though one child made Laguadia and I was hoping she'd go but she did not feel great about taking subways.
They have more and more magnet schools in our area and they seem to be trying to grab more ambitious kids, thing is many don't seem to be performing very well.

 

[tvguy]

Hi, all!

My kids have gone to a small, Catholic, private school from K - 8. Except for one semester last year where my oldest went to the local public middle school due to some issues with a teacher at the private.

Anyway, we are going to be moving out of this district as the private schools are 15K+ for him now and I would rather use that for his college fun, and the public schools...blow.

I am researching districts and I am confused on what I should "believe"...

Two different websites - schooldigger and greatschools, have VASTLY different rankings for quite a few of the districts we are considering. For instance, the TOP district we had considered, as it is the town we used to live in, and loved living there - one website has it ranked 2/10 (very, very poor), and the other has it 9/10 (amazing ratings).

One site has the charter school he already applied to as a 10/10 and ranked in the top 5 in the state, and the other has it at a 6/10..

This is all very new to me. I know a little about a lot of the schools, and, like with anywhere, I get wildly different opinions on everything.

Which website would YOU say is more reputable? Is there somewhere else I can look?

Thank you! Go easy - this is all so overwhelming!

My kids did private Pre-K through 12. Catholic High School, the rest were private for profit schools. It was a huge financial struggle, college tuition ended up being less for DD than High School was! But BOTH my kids say the private high school portion was the best money we spent on them. So have you looked at if the schools offer scholarships? That may be an option to stay private. Hard to generalize, but around here, many folks here do public school through 8th grade, then bite the bullet for private school tuition for high school so their kids are better prepared for college.
As for public, look for a school with either AP or IB programs. We have Fundamental Public High Schools here, Vocational Public High Schools, even a Culinary Public High School as well as the IB and AP ones.

 

[Minnesota!]

Sorry, no. I'm a northwest metro kind of person. I'd definitely lean toward those that have a CIS or strong link via PSEO to either a community college or the U. As mine are now in the process of graduating and entering college (fall 2018), having 40-60 (that's how many mine will have when they graduate) BEFORE entering is a HUGE advantage. To me, it's not so much about saving tuition (although that is definitely true), but also it takes the pressure off considerably to take a full load each and every semester with no room for error in order to graduate in "just" 4 years. We learned yesterday, for example, that my D's chosen program is USUALLY 4.5 years unless you take super heavy loads EVERY semester. Who wants to do that? But, she ill have just about 40 credits (1.3 years of college credits) when she enters and will be able to apply for admission to her program a full year ahead of her peers....meaning it is entirely possible to finish up her 4.5 year program in 3.5 years. Both of mine took as many AP classes as they could (passing 10 out of 11 for my son and 7/8 for my daughter), took foreign language as a CIS class, and are now PSEO students full time. All this from a school which "on paper" isn't that great. I beg to differ.

Thank you! I am definitely impressed with the CIS programs.... we, thus far, only visited private (Hill, Cretin, St Agnes, Chesterton, and dangit, I forgot the other one) and then the one public school. A teacher at Hill said that one of her students graduated last year, and was already a junior at the U based on the CIS classes. That blew my mind - I mean, the parents were paying 13K/year, but got college rolled in there, too...

We have quite a big task in front of us the next few months - it is exciting but so scary!

My kids did private Pre-K through 12. Catholic High School, the rest were private for profit schools. It was a huge financial struggle, college tuition ended up being less for DD than High School was! But BOTH my kids say the private high school portion was the best money we spent on them. So have you looked at if the schools offer scholarships? That may be an option to stay private. Hard to generalize, but around here, many folks here do public school through 8th grade, then bite the bullet for private school tuition for high school so their kids are better prepared for college.
As for public, look for a school with either AP or IB programs. We have Fundamental Public High Schools here, Vocational Public High Schools, even a Culinary Public High School as well as the IB and AP ones.

I went private, too, and I think it definitely gave me a heads up all the way thru high school. There are a ton of scholarships, but even still, it would leave us with 7-10k/year for private...having a hard time swallowing 10K/year for the same education they can get for free 5 miles down the road. Literally, 5 miles from the one private school we looked at, is the top ranked (free) school in the state.

Private schools also bring around the uber wealthy - which we are not. I was on the bottom rung as far as wealth went when I went there, too, and it was definitely a big divider. The haves and have-nots. I hate that. Typically, at public schools, you have more equality as to income. And, same for diversity...I want my kids to have a diverse class. The private schools have very, very low ethnic/religious diversity..

I appreciate all the advice - it is like being a new parent all over again - so scared of making the wrong decision!

 

[tvguy]

I went private, too, and I think it definitely gave me a heads up all the way thru high school. There are a ton of scholarships, but even still, it would leave us with 7-10k/year for private...having a hard time swallowing 10K/year for the same education they can get for free 5 miles down the road. Literally, 5 miles from the one private school we looked at, is the top ranked (free) school in the state.

Private schools also bring around the uber wealthy - which we are not. I was on the bottom rung as far as wealth went when I went there, too, and it was definitely a big divider. The haves and have-nots. I hate that. Typically, at public schools, you have more equality as to income. And, same for diversity...I want my kids to have a diverse class. The private schools have very, very low ethnic/religious diversity..

I appreciate all the advice - it is like being a new parent all over again - so scared of making the wrong decision!

My point is, the education is not the same. My kids went to a private Catholic High School where over half the students were on scholarships. Yes, there were uber weathy folks around. Funny thing is, most were older and their kids were long out of the school system, or they never had kids. Yes, I went to a school auction where a basketball signed by the girls basketball team sold for $5,000 and the big auction item was a new Lexus. But most of the parents were working class.

 

[Southernmiss]

It's so hard to say. The BEST resource is parents you know in the district. Test scores aren't necessarily the be all and end all because a school could have lower test scores for a variety of reasons not reflective of the quality of instruction. The best school for your kid is the one that meets his/her needs, whatever they may be. I don't put much credence in any on-line resource, preferring instead to trust the judgment of people I know. If that's not an option, look at the course they offer (is there sufficient rigor available in the area(s) of interest to your child), what percent of students go on to higher education (indicative of a more "serious" student body as a whole), what extracurriculars are available, how well paid are the teachers relatively to neighboring districts (would tend to indicate teacher satisfaction and ability to attract better talent).

Based on those review sites, I'm not sure I would put my kids in the district they are in. In reality, however, I've been very satisfied by their experience and the quality of the both the courses offered and the teachers they have had. My twins have consistently performed well on standardized tests, have gotten excellent AP scores (for the most part), and easily got into the colleges to which they applied. None of that would be clear from on line review sites.

Best post. Says all of what I wanted to say.


Based on websites and community beliefs, our kids should not have excelled in high school, not gotten Great ACT scores, not gotten into the flagship School in our state, and certainly should not have gotten great scholarships and done well in college.

Our kids had amazing teachers and their school suffers from years of a bad image that will take a very long time to overcome.

I would not put a lot of credence in opinions and ratings on websites. That's like going to the dis website to get your answer. You are going to have the most outspoken people be the ones with the most negative attitudes. And more inclined to give a review online.

I think y'all need to go visit a few schools that you might think are a good fit. I would treat it just like doing college visits. How are the student teacher ratios? Extracurriculars? Test scores but I would not put a lot of emphasis into that. Visit a few classes. Talk to a few students. Get a reading on your son's vibe at that school. Then visit another school and another. And then make your decision. Regardless of who has the better scores on paper.

 

[Southernmiss]

Thanks for your story!

My son has had a miserable time, socially, the last few years. He is picked at daily, etc. We moved him to the public school last year when the teacher joined in. However, at the public school, it got worse; he was pantsed twice in front of the entire student population. Ugh. He begged to go back to the first school, and we addressed the issues (and demands, for lack of a better word) with the principal.

So, we are choosing a district to move to that NO OTHER KID that he has EVER known goes to...sucks, but we all want him to have a fresh start. It's deciding which district to move to. Based on our jobs, we have about 10 districts to choose from... The current one we are in is NOT an option and that is where 99% of his issues will be going to school next year..

Sorry - probably more info than you asked for

I want to be as kind as possible, but think it's important to say it.

Are you helping your son to build skills to help himself in these situations?

For me that has been helpful in different situations when my 4 have had issues with others. You can't change others, but you can change how you handle or deal with what comes your way. Middle school years can be brutal on kids. Somehow, these issues mostly work themselves out by high school.

 

[Minnesota!]

My point is, the education is not the same. My kids went to a private Catholic High School where over half the students were on scholarships. Yes, there were uber weathy folks around. Funny thing is, most were older and their kids were long out of the school system, or they never had kids. Yes, I went to a school auction where a basketball signed by the girls basketball team sold for $5,000 and the big auction item was a new Lexus. But most of the parents were working class.

I will disagree with the education, around here at least. Comparing what the private schools we have looked at offer and what the "good" public schools offer - the only difference is the religion in the private. We really have some damn fine schools in MN (I know, shades of a former poster on the DIS coming out there...), and even our "eh" public schools beat out "excellent" schools in other spots, so our BEST ones can blow even the private ones out of the water... which is why I said I would prefer to NOT pay for the same education, if at all possible

I want to be as kind as possible, but think it's important to say it.

Are you helping your son to build skills to help himself in these situations?

For me that has been helpful in different situations when my 4 have had issues with others. You can't change others, but you can change how you handle or deal with what comes your way. Middle school years can be brutal on kids. Somehow, these issues mostly work themselves out by high school.

Oh, definitely. We work with him daily. We have worked with him, the students, the parents, the teachers, the admin, the counselors, etc. Without droning on, my son sticks out for a myriad of reasons. However, he is the kindest person I know, and the smartest, too. Kids have been expelled based on what they did to him, etc. He gets along fantastically with the kids older than him and the kids younger than him. His class has just always been a bunch of *******s. He is the youngest in his class, by a wide margin, and I know that doesn't help...being a bit more immature than the others. I had wanted to hold him back at kindergarten but he was SO academically ready, I didn't. I still kick myself for it, to be honest.

It is definitely brutal, unfortunately it is more than just "middle school" issues - ongoing since kindergarten. Being as he plays community/rec sports, he knows kids at every district school, and has "haters" that torment him everywhere. We just want a clean slate for him so he can go into high school fresh, without a story behind him. Let him write his own chapter, vs what someone else has said.

Anyway, I spent my slow day making a beautiful spreadsheet comparing scores, grad rate, ACT, demographics, school hours, rankings, pros/cons of living in that community, etc., for 14 schools. From here, who knows. I appreciate all the help and words!!

 

[QueenIsabella]

Yeah, you have to take those online things with a very large grain of salt. I'll tell you our story--we were moving from the Northeast to North Carolina in 2015. Our older two had finished HS, but #3 was starting 8th grade the fall after we moved, so landing in a good location, school-wise, was a priority for us. We needed a district where she would be challenged, and our younger two play strings, so we wanted, at a minimum, strings classes at the MS level and higher.

There is a school in our district that's ranked 98/100 on school digger--sounds fabulous, right? But, here's what they don't tell you--that's an Early College HS. It's physically located on a college campus, and the kids graduate with their diploma and an associate's. So clearly it's stellar from an academic standpoint, but...it's not for everyone. Not every child can (or wants to) have that level of academic rigor. They have no extras--none. No yearbook, no sports, no music program. In fact, most kids who go there end up dropping all extras (private lessons, dance, etc.) due to the academic workload. Now, this might be the right school for some kids, no doubt--but, looking at that super-high ranking, it's really misleading.

OTOH, our local (districted) HS is ranked, maybe 65/100, BUT...it offers much more variety. There are sports, orchestra, tons of extras. You can take honors and AP classes and they have an IB program for those looking for a challenge. We have total school choice here--something I didn't realize when we were looking from up north, I only figured it out once we got here. DD had a choice of 8 public schools, each with its own "draw" (I don't want to use the word "magnet", that has its own meaning). She could have gone to the STEM school, the Early College, a school with a Marine Biology focus. She chose our districted school--it has a nice balance that suits her. She's in the IB program--again, it's rigorous enough for her, but she's still in with "regular" kids for some classes.

My point is, you really have to do your research. Check out the schools' websites, bore every parent you meet with questions. Your weakness may be bowling, so I would start by checking which schools have that. FTR, our weakness was strings--not knowing about the whole school choice thing, we chose the district with the best orchestras at MS/HS. Visit the schools, talk to the coaches--online doesnt' tell the whole story. Good luck!

 

[NYCgrrl]

When choosing a school for DGD I used some online resources yet also local IRL ones as well. I leaned a lot on the government based ones since it's harder for them to lie or dissemble. I spoke with current students' adults and alumni. Looking in depth at the tutorial and enrichment programs the schools offered was mind stimulating. To get an idea of the behavior of students during the crucial hours between 3:00 to 4:30 (when they get out) I rode mass transit near those schools in that time frame. Sheer joy observing the kiddos interact without the "leash" school authority figures can place on them. With all that research in hand it was easy for me to pick the best school for her.

I'll be honest, school sports and such, had little weight in my choice. She's already invested in after school activities that involve the development of her body and mind.

 

[Nettester]

What's most important to your child? What kind of environment would he thrive in? What classes and activities are offered that he would join? Trying to figure out which school is "the best" school is maddening. You only have to find the best school fit for your individual child. What's great for some, isn't a good fit for others. One of my children went to a few small charter schools which suited her needs very well. At one point we tried a large public high school for her and she was overwhelmed, like trying to fit a square peg in a round whole. We wanted it to work, but it was a disaster until she got back into a smaller environment more tailored to her learning needs.

Our younger daughter is the complete opposite. She loves the big city public school. She's had a ton of class options to choose, and she is getting great grades, plus she enjoys playing on the volleyball team. The large size doesn't bother her at all. She has a diverse friend group, and she loves going many of the sports games and activities. A lot of people don't consider her city school a "good" school, when you look at test scores and data and compare them to suburbs or privates. But in a school that large, there is a definite segment of AP and IB classes and sizable group of college-bound peers. We just came back from her conferences, and we were impressed with all of her teachers as well.