North shore Country Day School vs Lake Forest Academy for High School (transfer)

[ramirami12]

Hi -
I am trying to decide between NSCDS and LFA for high school for my kid. Any experiences or insights would be helpful and highly appreciated.

Note: Not looking at comparison between these and other (private or public) schools.

Thanks in advance

[847mom]

Well my kid transferred to NSCDS this year from a very large public High School. The transition has been very easy and a pleasure for our family. They have been very accomodating and he is really enjoying it and says that it is so much better than his old school. The facilities are fantastic and we have been very impressed with the teachers, administration and classes. Everything is very organized and they go out of their way to make sure everything is going well and being handled. The classes are very small and there is no hiding in the back or disappearing, as they are noticed and appreciated. They can get individual attention or help from any teacher if they ask. NSCDS expects a lot from the students as it is very academically challenging. My son took mostly honors classes at his old school and his classes at NSCDS are as challenging or more challenging than his prior school.

The only negatives are due to the size of the student body, there are less variety of course offerings. They offered everything my student was interested in but there are definitely less offerings than a large public HS. Also, since the student body is so small it can be a little gossipy at times. However, those are the only negatives thus far. The pros greatly outweighed the cons for our kid and family.

We are new there, but I can try to answer specifics questions if you have them. I know nothing about LFA, except for the fact that we attended a sporting event there in the Fall. It is a gorgeous campus and a larger school. You have very good options.

[starbuk]

Originally Posted by 847mom

Well my kid transferred to NSCDS this year from a very large public High School. The transition has been very easy and a pleasure for our family. They have been very accomodating and he is really enjoying it and says that it is so much better than his old school. The facilities are fantastic and we have been very impressed with the teachers, administration and classes. Everything is very organized and they go out of their way to make sure everything is going well and being handled. The classes are very small and there is no hiding in the back or disappearing, as they are noticed and appreciated. They can get individual attention or help from any teacher if they ask. NSCDS expects a lot from the students as it is very academically challenging. My son took mostly honors classes at his old school and his classes at NSCDS are as challenging or more challenging than his prior school.

The only negatives are due to the size of the student body, there are less variety of course offerings. They offered everything my student was interested in but there are definitely less offerings than a large public HS. Also, since the student body is so small it can be a little gossipy at times. However, those are the only negatives thus far. The pros greatly outweighed the cons for our kid and family.

We are new there, but I can try to answer specifics questions if you have them. I know nothing about LFA, except for the fact that we attended a sporting event there in the Fall. It is a gorgeous campus and a larger school. You have very good options.

Hi 847mom - how difficult was it to get your child into NSCDS? We would like our children to attend from K onwards but are concerned about making a home-buying decision without acceptance into the school.

[847mom]

Hi Starbuk,
My kid got in, but honestly I am only sure of certain things that they look for in Upper School students. He transferred from public high school and will be finishing up there soon. I think that it is easier to get in at certain transition points such as 6th grade or 9th grade. Also for Pre-K or K than it is to enter at other points. They definitely look for strong and eager learners who like collaborative education. Also it depends on their numbers if the grade is already established.
It is a fantastic school, I would definitely recommend it. It is an academically strong, caring school community. The faculty and people have been lovely and very helpful and the transition process was surprisingly easy. We really like the small size as a student can try many different things and they value athletics and really the whole child approach.

The acceptance process does not take super long. I think it was about a month process, maybe. I hope that helped a bit. Good luck with everything!