As with most LA private schools, what you're paying for is largely access to a particular community. Mirman's community is profoundly affluent and moderately gifted... If you want profoundly gifted and moderately affluent, you should probably look elsewhere.
I was tempted to respond based on the comment above, as well as what Waits suggested in previous post. Waits, how do you know what is the IQ test score range for Mirman kids? Specifically, most of them falling between 138-145? As far as secrets go, I put this information in the same league as the Coke formula! On the other hand, even if that was correct, the school would not have a choice but to focus on this group as they would need a critical mass to run the school in a sustainable fashion - there are aprx. 330 pupils in the school today, if they chose only children with IQ score of 150+, I am not sure they can make enough money to pay teachers and utilities - it is a numbers game.
My son goes to Mirman - we have been there for four years. I am not sure what is the practical difference between gifted, highly gifted and profoundly gifted and NOT gifted - I think these differences are profoundly more important to certain parents than kids themselves. Gifted children just process certain type of information faster and more efficiently, this does not necessarily make them the next rulers of the world, but they do need an accelerated and more intense educational approach. As a matter of published admission process, Mirman would NOT provide admission materials to parents unless the applicant has IQ score in 98th percentile range or higher. Whatever label you give to these kids, you must admit that they are a bit different, but they are not born PhDs, rocket scientists or brain surgeons and because they go to Mirman, there is no assurance that they will automatically pursue any such fields. Academic success depends on what children do outside the school as much as what they do in the school.
Overall, every child I have met at Mirman is very well behaved and bright. Unlike what Waits suggests, all these kids do not have a label on their forehead at the age of 5 to declare them well behaved, but Mirman has a culture to teach kids how to behave, be confident and accomplished. Just like any other private school, Mirman obviously would not admit a child that is unruly during the application process - no surprise there.
My son is typically educated with materials/concepts that are used for children 1.5 yrs. older than him. E.g. he is 8 years old and he learning Math that would be used for common core middle to end of 4th grade. I think they are far ahead of similar standards for language and arts - my son and a lot of his friends are reading 500+ page books written for 10-12 yrs.+ and they read these these things in a day and a half! In third grade, they taught him Newton's laws of motion and laws of energy - while still somewhat superficial in details (after all, these are 7-8 year old kids!) - try that at any other school!
School does have its issues - it is practically a hermetically sealed system. Over the years, I have had to rely on limited interaction with teachers, administrators and parents gossip to understand what they were doing in class. If you are not keeping a close eye on what your child is learning and the quality of it, quite possibly, a nasty surprise would await you in middle school when you transfer. If you are not quite ready to accept this system, although it might open up under the new leadership, this might not be the school for you.
Finally, on the family and the school community. Mirman parents are NOT profoundly affluent - I am one of them, and I know I am not profoundly affluent. However, each parent I know, cares deeply about education above anything else, that's why they pay the fees and donation (98%+ parents donate beyond tuition). This makes this school very different. Almost all parents are highly educated, most I know are doctors, finance professionals, lawyers, engineers, etc. There are some entrepreneurs, media professionals and artists as well. I don't think most would have ever gone through an IQ test, but as IQ is 80% hereditary, I would not be surprised if a lot of them have a high IQ. There is no show off, although, there are quite a few well to do parents - this is Los Angeles after all! I know for a fact that Mirman does not tolerate bad behavior from children of affluent parents, there have been instances where such children were asked to leave - even after massive donations!
So, here's my two cents - if you are thinking that your child's IQ score potentially qualifies him/her for a PhD program, you will be sorely disappointed, as there is no such school. But, if you want a reliable, fundamental education with dedicated parents focused solely on education, Mirman is the school for you. There have been times when I did question the school and what they were doing, but I cannot argue with the results. I am not sure what happens at other private schools or public schools, but I know that my son is very happy at the school and he is learning a lot for his age. Not to mention, if you do care about the perception, Mirman has a stellar reputation for good academics and bright kids.
Hope this was helpful - all the best!
