I'm following this discussion with interest. We will be facing this same decision in a couple years. Our local high school is an IB high school that is one of the top public high schools in the state. It also has a disproportionate number of NMS. As the only IB school in the area for many years, it has stolen the highest achieving kids from other area schools. I think that it is a dramatic case of high achieving kids/families self-selecting for the program.
Talking to other folks, people either love or hate the IB program for their kids. Some people love the academic rigor and the skills needed to succeed. Other people hate the rigid structure, lack of ability to pursue passion areas and copious amounts of homework of marginal value. Some love that certain colleges (though definitely not all) give college credit for IB work. Others complained that their kids suffered burn out and needed to take a year or more off before contemplating college. Some love the language requirement while others have kids who just don't have the ear. My question is how do I figure out if my kid will thrive in this environment or grow to hate school. I've seen both happen in my extended family. I haven't seen a good tool for helping with this decision.
