Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Gifted private / public schools in NJ

Hi !
I 'am trying to find private/public schools for gifted children in NJ and the only one I ‘am seeing that is focused solely for gifted kids is a private school called Primoris academy (http://primorisacademy.org/). The school seems new and I cannot find many reviews.

1. Can I get recommendations for good private/public schools in NJ for gifted kids
2. Have you known any kids who have attended Primoris academy?

Thanks !

I'm in NJ, as well and trying to figure out the same thing. It doesn't seem like there are a lot, from my research (though I would LOVE to be proven wrong!).

What age group/grade are you looking into? and what area of NJ (north, central or south?) That will narrow the scope of schools.

As far as Primoris, I believe it is brand new, and so, probably won't have many reviews. Though it looks pretty cool from the website, if not expensive.

Just wanted to mention, if you are in the southern area, there are a few schools in Philly, and likewise, if you are all the way up north, there are some schools in NY. Also, There seems to be a sort of concentrated area of gifted-type schools in Princeton (central jersey).

if you want to talk more (or in more detail), we could always exchange a PM.

I don't know about early years but I believe Haddonfield is open to acceleration and the high school has a great program with Drexel.

Princeton's school is for HS students.

http://www.prismsus.org/

If you can be in the Philadelphia area, there are lots of private schools - they are not specifically for gifted kids, but there are plenty of gifted kids in many of the private schools. As far as public schools go, Lower Merion, Radnor and Tredyffrin-Easttown are just outside Philly and are good. They don't cater to gifted kids, but there are plenty of gifted kids in those districts.

Of course, the private schools are pricey, and homes in the good districts are not cheap.

Haddonfield is also a wonderful town to live in--I think it would be worth checking out.

mmom, sent you a PM.

Re: the other thread about Sudbury style schools, if part-time homeschooling is an option, the center where my kids to is in Philly. The website is www.talkingsticklearningcenter.org.

My son is at PRISMS (www.prismsus.org) referenced above, and loves it. It's only the first year, so there are many issues being addressed, but there are some extraordinary faculty and no age restrictions. The school is affiliated with a top high school in Beijing. This past summer they (the Beijing high school) hired a wonderful woman who recently earned a PhD in gifted education from Purdue. I'm hoping she moves to PRISMS to help both the kids and the faculty create an even better school. No word on that yet, but it certainly shows the intent in China with regard to its students.

Before PRISMS we homeschooled. I've heard great things about the Talking Stick co-op referenced above and if we were closer to Philly, would have looked into it then.

I've attended a couple of NJAGC conventions and was shocked to meet trained GT teachers in NJ. There is nothing where we live (Montgomery Township).

I live in South Jersey, just outside of Philly. If I had the choice to live in PA or in NJ for my gifted child, I would choose PA. Granted, I only have experience with one school district, but getting accommodations is like banging my head against a very polite brick wall. NJ is required to provide gifted services, but there's no structure beyond that to explain what they need to be, and there's no funding. PA has a legally required Gifted IEP program that I often think would be very helpful to us as we advocate for our daughter.

As a grown-up giftie myself who was in a gifted program in a really great district, and as the aunt to several gifted kids in some really excellent districts in this area, I can say that most of the gifted programs are just fluff.

stacey, sent you a pm.

We are on the Hunterdon/Warren county border in Hunterdon. Our district has become more gifted friendly over the past year or so. We introduced our district to the Iowa Acceleration Scale with they can use now to gauge appropriate placement. DD8's current teacher and all of our DD's teacher to date have been exceptionally supportive.

Stacey, you'll want to check out specific districts in PA. It all sounds great, but the better districts are very controlling of the gifted ID process. I guess the process is fine if the kid is PG and will score well on any IQ test under any testing conditions, but if not, the process could be a problem.

In our district, the district chooses the IQ test and they administer it. Must be FSIQ >= 130, no GAI. I know of a number of districts that operate in the same way.

You also need to consider that your kids are young. I don't know of any district near us (SE PA) that has a good gifted program for young kids. The advantage of being in certain school districts is that some have quite a few very bright/gifted kids. My eldest, now in college, was probably in the top 15-20% of her class. There were a number of kids brighter than her (she was IDed based on IQ > 130).

There are also a lot of great private schools in the Philadelphia area. I attended one. I see a lot of neat programs they have in the younger grades, but I still think that the academics in the elementary years would not be challenging. I am nowhere near PG (and never IDed so may not be gifted) and I was bored in the elementary years. I spent a lot of time moving around the typewriter key caps to confuse others.

amazing!

We looked at Quaker schools in our area, and though we felt they'd be better, in the end they would have been a major financial hardship for just moderately better.

I get what you say about different districts. Sometimes, I have to remind myself that the grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side of the bridge!