Val, my logic was as conventional as, middle school leads to high school leads to university. Combines with this handy if dated chart http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-COLLEGE0711-sort.html

I don’t want a prep school with a brand name per se. I want my kid at one of the top 5 or 10 colleges in the USA. Again not for the brand name per se. More because, it will give him a better view of the world order. More because, kids are influenced by peers. I figure those universities will have smart peers with good study habits.

That said, if my child knew who he was and what he wanted from life, I’d take that over Yale. However, the odds of that may be just as low.

I wouldn’t mind a school that actually nurtures the kids some and helps them with SEL, rather than expecting perfect specimens walking in the door to kindergarten or grade 5 or 9, but maybe that’s asking too much. Ditto for some understanding of gifted.