Prob been asked, but about choosing schools..

In ,
Rosalie B. wrote:

*x-no-archive:yes
*"lizzard woman" wrote:
*
*"Hillary Israeli" wrote in message
...
*
* Why those states? I'm thinking of private K-12 schools near me...
* off the top of my head, within a 20 mile radius...:
*
* 1. the one on Stenton Avenue I can't remember the name of right now
* 2. Germantown Friends
* 3. Germantown Academy
* 4. Penn Charter
* 5. Shipley
* 6. The Haverford School
* 7. Baldwin
* 8. Agnes Irwin
* 9. Episcopal Academy
* 10. Chestnut Hill Academy
* 11. Friends Select
*
*Philadelphia?

Well, I'm on the outskirts, but yeah - I'm just on the far side of
Chestnut Hill.


--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large

In ,
chiam margalit wrote:

*Gosh, I know where you live! :-) My mother went to Germantown Friends
*(she was born in Germantown), my college roomate went to Shipley, my
*brother went to the the Haverford, and a friend of mine taught at
*Friends Select. :-) Cheese steak, anyone? :-)

Heh. My husband and BIL both went to the Haverford, too. Whiz with onions,
please.

--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large

"lizzard woman" wrote

Based on Florida alone, I think there is a proliferation of private schools
in states which perennially "own" the basement in standardized test scores.
The thinking is that people will want an alternative to public school.

But there's another situation in which you find tons of privates: lots
of wealthy people. I live in an area that has both lots of very
expensive and prestigious proivate schools *and* lots of school
districts that are considered quite good, as far as student-to-teacher
ratio and standardized test scores etc. I think the privates here
exist as an escape route not from awful schools but from, well, "the
rest of us." They give that much more of an edge.

"Mary E" wrote in message ...
Where do I go for statistics about schools in my area? I've got 8 private
grade schools (son will be starting kindergarten next year) that would work
for me as far as location and reputation (that I know of) is concerned. I
also know student to teacher ratio and enrollment figures.

What I need to know is how the students perform. How does the teaching
stack up against other schools locally and nationally?

Is there any place I can get this information for private schools?

Thanks a bunch - this is SO important!

Mary

I don't know of one location that rates privates or publishes such
info, though there may well exist such a publication. Ask a librarian?

However, each school should have a packet of info that should include
info on where their students go after they leave the school, whether
to which high schools or to which colleges. This is a very common
concern among "shopping" parents. If the school publishes the info,
I'd trust it.

I'd also visit each school, if possible during the schoolday. If not
possible, have a good talk with the head of school or some such person
and hear the philosophy that rules the school. Ask for a list of
parents willing to talk about their experiences at the school.

Just some ideas.

Hillary Israeli wrote:

In ,
Rosalie B. wrote:

*x-no-archive:yes
*"lizzard woman" wrote:
*
*"Hillary Israeli" wrote in message
...
*
* Why those states? I'm thinking of private K-12 schools near me...
* off the top of my head, within a 20 mile radius...:
*
* 1. the one on Stenton Avenue I can't remember the name of right now
* 2. Germantown Friends
* 3. Germantown Academy
* 4. Penn Charter
* 5. Shipley
* 6. The Haverford School
* 7. Baldwin
* 8. Agnes Irwin
* 9. Episcopal Academy
* 10. Chestnut Hill Academy
* 11. Friends Select
*
*Philadelphia?

Well, I'm on the outskirts, but yeah - I'm just on the far side of
Chestnut Hill.

Isn't there also Friends Central and Spring Hill (or something like that
for girls)? And this is just the list of very well established private
schools - there must be some that were created in the last 50 years.

Jeanne

In ,
Bruce and Jeanne wrote:

*Isn't there also Friends Central and Spring Hill (or something like that
*for girls)? And this is just the list of very well established private

OK, actually, I went to petersons.com to look up what private schools are
around here. This entire list of schools is within 10 miles of my home;
those marked with a * are within 5 miles. So note that to address the
original question, there are 10 private *grade* schools (more if you
include private schools which only have upper school and not lower school)
within five miles of my home, which is north of the Mason-Dixon line

Here's the list:

*The Agnes Irwin School
Rosemont, Pennsylvania
preK-12

*The Baldwin School
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
preK-12

The Episcopal Academy
Merion, Pennsylvania
preK-12

Girard College
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
grade 1-12

The Pathway School
Norristown, Pennsylvania
no grades; ages 5-21 [for LD students]

*The Shipley School
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
preK-12

*Springside School
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
preK-12

Valley Forge Military Academy and College
Wayne, Pennsylvania
grade 7 - postgrad

*Chestnut Hill Academy
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
preK-12

*The Haverford School
Haverford, Pennsylvania
preK-12

*The Hill Top Preparatory School
Rosemont, Pennsylvania
grades 6-12 [primarily LD students]

Abington Friends School
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
preK-12

Akiba Hebrew Academy
Merion Station, Pennsylvania
grade 6-12

Christopher Dock Mennonite High School
Lansdale, Pennsylvania
grade 9-12

*Country Day School of the Sacred Heart
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
preK-12

Delaware County Christian School
Newtown Square, Pennsylvania
K-12

Devon Preparatory School
Devon, Pennsylvania
grade 6-12

Friends Select School
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
preK-12

*Germantown Academy
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
preK-12

*Germantown Friends School
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
K-12

Lansdale Catholic High School
Lansdale, Pennsylvania
grade 9-12

*La Salle College High School
Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania
grade 9-12

Merion Mercy Academy
Merion Station, Pennsylvania
grade 9-12

*Mount Saint Joseph Academy
Flourtown, Pennsylvania
grade 9-12

*Philadelphia-Montgomery Christian Academy
Erdenheim, Pennsylvania
K-12

Saint Basil Academy
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
grade 9-12

St. Joseph's Preparatory School
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
grade 9-12

William Penn Charter School
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
K-12

The Woodlynde School
Strafford, Pennsylvania
grade 1-12



--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large

What I need to know is how the students perform. How does the teaching
stack up against other schools locally and nationally?

The difficulty is that high average test scores can occur by several different
means. In the case of a private school, the likeliest reason is simply that
they don't have all that many really low-scoring students. It doesn't
necessarily mean that they teach their higher-scoring students any better than
any school does.

Also, quite a few of the highest-scoring students are getting those high scores
because of native ability and home teaching, not because they are necessarily
being taught so well in school. Probably on the lower end some of those kids
are getting low scores not because they're being badly taught, but because
their educators are still working on getting them up to grade level.

I would look for schools where kids of the type that your kid is are obviously
happy and challenged. Test scores might figure into that, and they might not.

--Helen

"Hillary Israeli" wrote in message
...
In ,
Bruce and Jeanne wrote:

*Isn't there also Friends Central and Spring Hill (or something like that
*for girls)? And this is just the list of very well established private

OK, actually, I went to petersons.com to look up what private schools are
around here. This entire list of schools is within 10 miles of my home;
those marked with a * are within 5 miles. So note that to address the
original question, there are 10 private *grade* schools (more if you
include private schools which only have upper school and not lower school)
within five miles of my home, which is north of the Mason-Dixon line

Here's the list:

(snip)

Well it seems I need to get out more, both north and south of the
Mason-Dixon. : 0

I'm amending my original sentence to include not just low-scoring states but
also affluent areas in any state, as some people have already pointed out.

--
sharon, momma to savannah and willow (11/11/94)

"Tina" wrote in message
m...
"Mary E" wrote in message
...
I live in Ohio and I ruled out about 10 other schools just within my
city
alone

I thought I *could* get data from them, but I would then wonder about
the
absolute truthfulness and objectivity of the information and of course
it
would be much simpler to find the info in one location...

Thanks for your help!



Where are you in Ohio, Mary? I'm in Ohio, too, and there are a
similar number of private elementary schools near me -- I wonder if
we're near each other? A friend and I are already planning to split
observation time in the schools and babysitting time (trade off);
maybe we could add you to the group, or combine data? If you're not
near me (West Side of Cleveland), I do have several relatives who
teach in other areas of Ohio, they might have some info for you, or a
way to get the info..

Let me know!

Tina.

Not near - I'm in Toledo. But thank for the thought!