Thanks so much, Grinty - very helpful!
DS12 is doing okay - academically and socially - at his current school but I really worry that he isn't "working to his potential" and all that goes with that. He just seems to absorb stuff by osmosis and isn't learning or practicing good study habits, etc. I was hoping 9th grade honors classes and such would push him to stretch some but they really haven't. I think he's PG but have no IQ numbers or professional diagnosis to back that up. He has no known @2E's. He tends to be a perfectionist. Seems to display all the executive functioning difficulties typical to 12-year-old boys.
He's drawn to Exeter for the Harkness style of teaching - and the huge library to feed his 50,000+ - give or take 40,000 - pages-a-year reading habit. Oh, and their generous financial aid (without which boarding school is not possible). I think he would thrive in a boarding school environment but it needs to be a good fit. I'm not as concerned about the school name or top-notch status as I am about it being the best type of school for him. (I really have no idea if he would even have the slimmest of chances of being accepted to a school like Exeter.) I want to see that spark of his glowing! And I would love to be 'delighted and relieved' about his educational needs being met rather than fretting and stressing.
So happy your family found the right fix and fit! It's good to know that it can actually happen.
Off to check out the link you sent and the library to see if there are any "Boarding School" books we need to read. Thank you again for all the helpful information.
