upper arlington schools or columbus academy? (Amherst: private school, colleges, living in)

[NYCperson]

if you had the choice to send your kids to upper arlington schools or columbus academy, which would you choose and why?

[BigVill]

Well Upper Arlington is a public district and therefore free, while Columbus Academy is probably the most expensive private school in Columbus. Many of the rich and powerful of Columbus send their children to the Academy. The football program at Upper Arlington is like a religion and many famous people call Upper Arlington home. Both are good choices. It is just a matter of if you want to pay or not.

[YoMikey617]

I would want my kid to have access to the best colleges. Williams, Bowdoin, Bates, Middlebury, Amherst (so they can get into Dartmouth, Harvard, or Yale for grad school). This is occasionally possible with UA Schools... But it's WAY MORE POSSIBLE with Columbus Academy. If money isn't the issue here then I would go with Columbus Academy. Academy is "Preparation H" in that they prepare all their kids for Harvard.

[LancasterNative]

If money is no object, either of these would be fine choices.

Just living in UA takes loads of money in and of itself, so what you've got with UAHS is a pretty de facto exclusive school, even if it is public.

At Academy, you'll truly find the upper crust from all over Central Ohio sending their kids there. It used to be all-boys, but went coed in the '90s. It has long been regarded as the premier private school in the Columbus area.

Academy probably draws a more culturally, religiously & ethnically diverse group of students—with the one commonality being massive family wealth. Upper Arlington is more homogeneous ethnically since it's a self-contained suburban area, but its socioeconomics are more variable (not everyone in UA is rich; some families just break their budget to live there so their kids can attend the schools).

As for college prep, I would concur with YoMikey's assessment above: Academy = pre-Ivy League.