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    Joined: Apr 2013
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    Hello!
    Wanted to hear any reviews and opinions on Mirman School in Los Angeles? Good, bad, anything?
    I am seriously considering it and would love to hear from parents from this forum who have had some experience about the school.
    Thank you!

    Best,
    GiftedKid-LAmama



    GiftedKid-LAmama
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    Thank you. Waits. Great insight on the admissions and acceptance process. It's good to know all that. Thanks!

    I'm interested particularly in substantive reviews of the school; how parents of kids who are attending/have attended the school view the school. (Or kids themselves or alumni)

    How would you rate the school based on how your child/children flourish? Or not flourish? How does your child/children like it there?
    Good reviews or bad reviews?

    Thanks again!


    GiftedKid-LAmama
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    Hi LAmama,

    I am thinking about applying to that school too since my child's scores qualify him. Thank you for posting this and I look forward to other parents' responses about the school.


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    Originally Posted by Waits
    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!

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    22B Offline
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    How much does this school cost?

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    Originally Posted by 22B
    How much does this school cost?

    A lot.

    For SY2013 - 2014, roughly $24,000 for elementary school and $26,000 for middle school.

    http://beyondthebrochurela.com/los-angeles-private-school-tuition-a-list/

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    Does that include lunch?

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    It's a bit weird that they take the SB-LM not the SB5!

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    Originally Posted by Waits
    To be clear, if you are sufficiently affluent to afford a $25,000 a year private school that serves well behaved students who are one year ahead of the public school curriculum, Mirman is a fantastic choice. If you have a kid with any OEs who works farther ahead than that. No.

    In an odd way, it is reassuring to me to hear this about a school in a metropolis like LA. There are schools like that here (Research Triangle Park area in NC) and apparently also in Atlanta, but it took me and my family awhile to figure out that that was what this particular type of school was really aiming for. Partly though I think the schools market/ build themselves up as places for 'gifted' kids, which can be misleading to parents of PG/EG, 2e kids who are also trying to find a school where their kids can be happy and successful. It would be nice if there were a positive-sounding label for this kind of school that would help both kinds of families/parents understand exactly what is intended, but I don't know how you could do that without inadvertently insulting somebody. Anyway, Waits, thanks for the posts. smile

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    Huh. So I'm getting this same thing for free, basically (my DD attends a public GT magnet for 98th-99th%, well-behaved kids--curriculum is typically 1-1.5 years ahead). I feel rich all of a sudden.

    I consider her school by far the "least worst" option but not ideal.

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    Originally Posted by 22B
    Does that include lunch?

    That's exactly what a friend of mine asked when I told her I was looking into a preschool program that meets 3 days a week, 3 hours a day; their tuition was $9000 a year and they are on a traditional school calendar. I replied, "No, but at that price point, it doesn't make a lot of difference either way."


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    Originally Posted by Mana
    Originally Posted by 22B
    Does that include lunch?

    That's exactly what a friend of mine asked when I told her I was looking into a preschool program that meets 3 days a week, 3 hours a day; their tuition was $9000 a year and they are on a traditional school calendar. I replied, "No, but at that price point, it doesn't make a lot of difference either way."

    Above, someone protested that the families at these schools are not so affluent. I was wondering how many kids at these schools qualify for free lunch.
    http://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/national-school-lunch-program

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    The affluent comment obviously hit a nerve. Affluence is relative and to most people I know being able to find $25,000 a year while still being able to provide the basics of life equals affluence. Even the reasonably well off people I know would be seriously stretched to manage that though they could probably manage it for one child if they really really wanted too.

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    I think what hit a nerve was the term "profoundly affluent," which looks to me like it was just a rhetorical device. Let's move on.

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    I would love to see a school for the gifted in NYC costing 25,000 - here all non-religious privates (and some of those too) are in the 40,000 range!

    DeHe

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    i thought speyer cost 30K

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    34,000 and going up steadily each year now that they are filling. But they do offer that nice 2000 sibling discount!!! Lol! But they will be or are in their new building so that will likely add cost.

    DeHe

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    Luckily in my city there are aren't enough people who could afford that kind of money to justify opening such a school. The two private schools I know of are a Steiner primary at $6000 a year and a prep school for years 7/8, I know a lot of not very affluent people who manage the latter simply because it is short term even though it is expensive by our standards.

    And yes profoundly affluent was probably rough but I think it came under poetic license. It sounds like an excellent school for the population it serves - and who could ask for more?

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    Guys, to be clear, it is completely ok to be profoundly affluent (I wish I was, really:)), it is just not the general fact for the Mirman population. Someone asked if some of these kids would qualify for free lunch - no, most likely not - these are highly educated, professional families - they either buy lunch at the school for kids or send lunch bags!

    The concern was more with the combination of profoundly affluent with moderately gifted - it practically suggests ok rich kids, incorrect impression for Mirman which would misguide someone considering the school. The school by its charter and practice is focused on highly gifted, not moderately gifted or exceptionally or profoundly gifted. The school's name includes highly gifted in it, so it is range bound in HIGHLY gifted range - WPPSI III range of 138-145.

    Again, these titles don't mean much for real life success - not all Mirman kids are leaders of the world or business community and not all leaders were classified as gifted. No one school will determine a child's future, it is up to that child and his/her family.

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    Thanks for all the input, everyone. Secured, how awesome that we have a current parent respond to this chain! Thank you. You provided great insight. So far, everything I have ever read online about Mirman at this point is consistent with all you have described here.

    We were invited to apply online into the Mirman program after the psychologist submitted DS's WPPSI-III results. Tomorrow night is the once-a-year open house informational night and my husband and I are looking forward to attending it to learn more about the school. I also ran into a kid wearing a Mirman shirt at DS's Robotics class the other day. I approached the kid's dad and explained that I would love to chat with a parent about the school as we are seriously considering it. He gave his name and number and mentioned that they have been there 1 year and are very happy with the school and his son, he says, loves it. I plan on calling him after the open house and before I submit our application.

    I will post as we progress. If anyone else has any input, please keep them coming! Much appreciated.


    GiftedKid-LAmama
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    Hi LAmama,
    Were you able to attend the session and were you called for an interview. If so how was the experience. Would love to know as we go for the interview at mirman soon. Thanks!

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    Thank you for your input. I appreciated your comments!

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    Hello!
    I have 2 questions for this forum.
    1. I found that there are parents with more than 1 or 2 children enrolled at Mirman. How come that can happened? It is the IQ cut off just an "optional" requirement for siblings?
    2. There is any financial aid option at Mirman, any type of scholarship?

    Thanks.


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    Manitou, sorry I didn't see your post last month...
    Mirman has the same IQ test requirements for all applicants, even siblings. But:
    1) They expect that IQ is heritable and runs in families.
    2) Mirman's IQ requirement of 138 isn't THAT sky high.
    3) Mirman accepts SB-LM which can skew higher.
    4) Approved Mirman testers KNOW why parents are requesting (and paying extortionately for) the test... some are "easier" than others... scores of 138 on the dot are not uncommon...
    5) Mirman WILL prioritize siblings that meet the IQ requirement.
    6) Parents will often retake IQ tests with various testers to get one result that qualifies for Mirman.
    7) Mirman has an IQ requirement, BUT it selects on the basis of "fit" not IQ... once the 138 requirement is met, they'd rather go with a family that is already known to them.

    As to Financial Aid. Yes. They give a great deal of financial aid, but:
    1) They distribute it in such a way that MANY families get small quantities of aid, and it is rare that families get substantial amounts.
    2) Their internal FAFSA type forms are part of the application process, and are seen by their director of admissions before her decisions are made.
    3) All family/personal assets are considered part of their application process, including things like automobiles, and material possessions... this creeps some applicants out.
    4) Complaints have been made about Financial Aid applications prejudicing the selection process.

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    My daughter attended Mirman under an almost full scholarship.

    It is untrue that the admissions officer reviews/sees FA applications. She is not involved in this process AT ALL. She does not know who applies or receives FA.

    By the way, my DD, a DYS, PG child, received a superb education at Mirman. I cannot think of any other school anywhere that could have met her needs better. They identified her strengths and went our of their way to meet them. My DD has fond memories of her time at Mirman.

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    Hello, this is a super old post, but I am waiting for a Mirman decision and wanted to know more about financial aid. ikaldelmar, if you don't mind, how much did you end up paying?

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