Hello from a newbie!

We have lived outside the US for the last few years, and are likely to move back in mid-2019. DS9 met an educational psychologist a few months ago, as he was visibly bored and disengaged at school though he had good grades there. After he was identified as gifted, we had DS6 tested as well � turned out that both of them have FSIQs in the low 140s.

DS9 likes to set his own agenda (even at school, as it happens!) and is most interested in math and science, though his favorite activity is reading adventure / fantasy fiction. DS6 is quite creative and sporty, relative to DS9, and did well in both the math and language parts of the test.

DS9 and DS6 are currently in a private school. We are currently evaluating gifted-only private school options in the US. We do have some flexibility around our location within the US, so DW and I are trying to first identify the school(s) that are likely to be a good fit.

Our current short list of 7, based on research we did online and some conversations with parents is: Open Window (Seattle), Logan (Denver), Nueva (Bay area), Helios (Bay area), Roeper (Detroit area), Nysmith (Washington D.C. area) and Speyer (New York). We recognize that some of these schools are very selective, and that DS9 and DS6 may not get in even if we apply.

We would greatly appreciate any feedback that you might have on these schools. If you had to recommend 4-5 schools that we should apply to anywhere in the US (whether in this list or outside it), what might those schools be? Thank you very much for your guidance.

1of2parents

Dear fellow boarders,
Any feedback that you might have on our earlier post (please see below) would be very helpful.
DW and I would greatly appreciate it if you could DM me with your thoughts. Thank you once again.

I can only give you some feedback on Nueva.

If you are not applying at one of their entry points - K, 5 or 6th G - it is not easy to get in regardless of IQ. For example, this year they expect 24-28 applicants for the 2 to 4 open spots in second grade. Bay Area has very high number of gifted kids and yet, there are very few schools that cater to their needs.

Helios is too far from us so I never looked into it.

Not sure if you made your decision yet but my daughter ( rising 3 rd grade ) is in Nysmith in Herndon VA. We absolutely love it. She is challenged without being stressed . She has fun and looks forward going to the school everyday . Please let me know if you have any specific question.

1of2Parents, there are gifted programs in every major city with private and public options. The spectrum of cities you listed are all over the cultural spectrum. You may be better off just deciding where you want to live and what suits your families other needs (eg. cost of living, work options, extracurricular interests, lifestyle, pace of living, etc. ) and then look within that specific city for schools. Based on the best school options you can then look at housing in those areas. As an example I am in Atlanta. There are probably 20 really good private schools here that cater to every personality/background/academic interest. There are even gifted only schools, which I have utilized for my 4 kids. I have also used a gifted only public magnet school for one of them that was free. I just think going about it from your families needs and then the school situation will fall in place. I am from Massachusetts and there were plenty of choices there too. Living in NY can't be more polar opposite of living in Denver. Just saying. Maybe something to consider.

Mirman School in Los Angeles has a good reputation. We have friends who are happy there. Los Angeles generally has lousy schools but has better than average gifted services. It also offers a very small highly gifted option K-12 but the only way to qualify is through their own clumsy testing. North Hollywood High School hosts it. There is also a small special honors program at Walter Reed MIddle School/ IHP where they except a wide range of data points as well as offer their own test. All public schools are free of course but most families donate $1-2k.