Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums High School Boarding School Ideas?

Hi -
Does anyone have any info around this school?

http://www.indiansprings.org/

Ahhh..... just saw this post. Now I understand why you are looking at Indian Springs.

I don't know anything about the area and the school. The information I got is from web:

National Merit Recognitions:
Class of 2010 Finalists: 8 (13.3% of class)

AP Scholars: 9
AP Scholars with Honor: 2
AP Scholars with Distinction: 5

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The number of national merit finalists per year a school produces is pretty good indication of the quality of education there. In the case of ISS, it has 8 finalists. It is very impressive given the fact that it has only 70 students a year. National merit finalists usually end up in very good schools.

ISS has 5 AP scholars with distinction(5 or more AP classes) for 2010 seniors. These kids will be very competitive in terms of course rigor.

This year, ISS also has two candidates for presidential award program. Usually mean having 800/800 on critical reading/math of SAT.

So it is a pretty impressive school, but very expensive too. Grinity, have you considered Vestavia Hills high school?

Where did the other replies go?

Grinity posted same question on two different forums.

Just in case you want to compare schools, here is the complete list of national merit semi-finalists of Alabama. You just count the number of semi-finalists of each school and you get the school ranking.

https://docs.alsde.edu/documents/55/NewsReleases2009/10ALSemifinalistsNatlMeritProgram.pdf

I know it is a bit simplistic. But I think that it is as valid as US News & world report's high school ranking.

Thanks! I don't actually live in Alabama, I'm just looking for a great boarding school for DS where there are lots of gifted kids, and not such a grind of homework.

When I was in college, I knew plenty of kids who had been at private schools and found college 'really easy.'

I'm looking for an intellectually challenging school that slowly ramps up the product demands so that college looks 'a little hard, but not overwhelming.'

Does that make sense?
Thanks for all the responses!
Grinity

THE INSTRUCTORS HOLD ADVANCED DEGREES IN THE SUBJECTS THEY TEACH.

THAT WOULD BE A MAJOR SELLING POINT FOR US.

hi grinity,
though my kids are too young and we don't have personal experience with it, i have been intrigued with IB international baccauleareate (my kid could spell it!) schools. I have a friend-of-a-friend whose child goes to Atlantic College in Wales. There is one in Pennsylvania called the George School http://www.georgeschool.org/Academics.aspx
I like the international flair, very appealing in the "cookie cutter" world that education is around here. As far as academic rigor, they do have AP classes, and i read somewhere that an IB diploma is considered higher than an A-level in Europe. Happy hunting!
irene

Hi Grinity,

Boarding school is more an east-coast thing. In SF Bay area, there are very few boarding schools (Athenian school in Danville is one of them). I don't know anyone who actually sends kids there.

How far away are you willing to send your son away? You are already considering out of state, why stop there? Boston area has quite a few top private/boarding schools. Phillips Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy are among the well-known ones. These schools send more than their fair share of students to top colleges.

My first thought was about those 'top ten'type boarding schools, but I've heard that PG kids don't nescessarily feel like they fit in socially, and I've also heard that they are more for the kids with excellently tuned up organizational skills that can 'hit the ground running.'

I spoke to the admissions direction, and described my DS13 as a 'work in progress' on the study skills/stamina front. He patiently explained to me that the brightest kids don't have an opportunity to develop study skills in their neighborhood skills because they get used to coasting on their intelligence. He said that yes they get many kids who fit that description and who develop their skills over the years at the school until they are quite strong.

I restrained myself from giggling, but it was exactly what I wanted to hear.

We also talked some about the level of pressure applied to kids of this age group. I used to envy the kids who attended my college and felt that it was 'so much easier' than High School. Now I think about them as 'not having a chance to develop all of themselves.' I'd ideally like a school that provides tons of intellectual delights, and looks for enough product so that a top tier college is 'a little bit harder, but not overwhelming.'

That's what I'm looking for!

Grinity