Polytechnic High School(USA,California, Pasadena) and Flintridge Prep(USA, Californaia, La Canada)'s rankings in the Private high schools of America rankings.
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My dh participates in the admission process for his Ivy alma mater, and Poly and Prep are considered equal, same as H-W. Stats vary year to year, but overall they are similar. In reality, Prep is probably a bit more rigorous than Poly, with tougher grading policies, this is info from parents with kids at both. However, Prep seems to be a more supportive community of students (study groups, sharing study guides, etc), Poly tends to stress kids out more, they tend to be more competitive with each other. Prep isn't into PR with the public, while Poly is. This is why there will be more applications per space at Poly, but don't let that scare you, when you go to the classroom experience, you will see that many applicants are no where near qualified. Chances are a Poly student would never turn down an Ivy, even if they hated it, while a Prep student would, and do. Prep students are generally the top students, academically AND socially, at all the local top K - 8s, while Poly students are smart but often are less socially astute. Sports are more important at Poly than Prep, if you're a good athlete it will help for Poly. At Prep it's a big thing to get kids to step outside of their comfort zone, athletes trying drama, nerds trying athletics, etc. Poly tends to be more organized overall, more structured, but Prep is ok in that respect. To be blunt and concise - Prep = laid back, Poly = uptight. Both are great schools, but different personalities, to each, their own. If you visit both schools, you should know which one is the right fit for you. Go with your instincts. Some kids are immediately turned off by Poly's totally guided visit (which they've had in the past, don't know about this year), in which you had to go with a certain group, and couldn't wander and look at what they wanted to, while other kids really like that kind of structure. If you didn't score in the high 90's x 4 on your ISEEs, without much studying, you are in for a lot of stress at either school. 5+ hours of homework a night for the naturally smartest students, the ones who seem to learn by osmosis, and often about the same on the weekends, 2+ hours of sports practice or academic rehearsal, often on the weekends too, clubs, community service, etc. Many very bright kids at both schools go to sleep at 1 - 2am. The schedule keeps kids busy and out of trouble, as the headmasters will tell you. Either school will be a big bump up, some of the private middle schools are not as rigorous as the parents are lead to believe, and the public schools are a step behind. But hang in there, get mentally prepared, make school your priority, and by the 2nd semester you will be doing much better. A step down in rigor, but still great schools are Mayfield (lots of top students who were admitted to Poly and Prep, but need to spend a lot of time on other things, like athletics, dance, etc), and Westridge (but it tends toward high stress). Then there is LaSalle, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy (FSHA / Fa-Sha), Alverno, and Maranatha. (And the boy's schools, St. Francis and Loyola.) All great schools, it depends on which is the right fit for you. If you are interested in Poly, be sure you respond immediately if you get any handwritten notes from your tour guide or anyone else there. And be sure your parents sign up early for the tea, and all parent events, they do get filled up. If you don't show major interest, they tend to figure you're not interested, they like to only admit those they know will commit, they don't like to have a high percentage of students turning them down. Either school will give you a great education, it just depends on which one is the better fit for you. Good luck!
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