Philadelphia 2035 (York: magnet school, academy, girls)

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

As large and sad to look as it is, I would rather wait for an A+ project to come along rather then settel for some crappy replacement.


I would rather see the lots on Western Market fill in first. They need to go.

Not a single hint of that happening. Sigh....

[cpomp]

Philly-Area High Schools Dominate Niche's 2018 State Rankings - Philadelphia Magazine


Niche rating. Philadelphia area schools always perform very well.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

Philly-Area High Schools Dominate Niche's 2018 State Rankings - Philadelphia Magazine


Niche rating. Philadelphia area schools always perform very well.

These rankings never seem to state that the high school portion of the Masterman student body is quite small compared to its companion high schools in the suburbs. That makes it even more competitive wrt to admittance. Most of Masterman is the middle school, btw.

And what is remarkable is the kind of physical plant kids have at Masterman does not match, in any way, what suburban kids are exposed to. It says a lot about the quality of the faculty, parents and/or extended families of those kids and the kids themselves.

[timeEd32]

Originally Posted by kyb01

These rankings never seem to state that the high school portion of the Masterman student body is quite small compared to its companion high schools in the suburbs. That makes it even more competitive wrt to admittance. Most of Masterman is the middle school, btw.

And what is remarkable is the kind of physical plant kids have at Masterman does not match, in any way, what suburban kids are exposed to. It says a lot about the quality of the faculty, parents and/or extended families of those kids and the kids themselves.

The fact it's relatively small and has selective admissions makes its rankings less impressive compared to true public schools.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by timeEd32

The fact it's relatively small and has selective admissions makes its rankings less impressive compared to true public schools.

Yes, we've discussed this before.

The fact remains the building these kids go to school is an aging 80+ year old relic, with few amenities, compared to, for instance Lower Merion's virtually brand new high school.

[timeEd32]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Yes, we've discussed this before.

The fact remains the building these kids go to school is an aging 80+ year old relic, with few amenities, compared to, for instance Lower Merion's virtually brand new high school.

That's fair - I just hate that magnet schools get ranked side-by-side with traditional public schools and I can't let it go.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by timeEd32

That's fair - I just hate that magnet schools get ranked side-by-side with traditional public schools and I can't let it go.

You don't understand. Look at the physical facilities. Urban magnet schools have considerably older facilities which would need thousands of dollars to bring them on a par to most suburban schools. Look at the student bodies. By being selective, the urban magnets get motivated students with involved parents, like the majority of suburban schools.

[timeEd32]

I'm not debating the merits of these schools or some of the challenges they face.

These rankings, right or wrongly, drive a lot of real estate decisions for people with kids, which is why Philly Mag published an article on it in their Property section. So for me it comes down to one question -- can I move to a certain neighborhood in Philly and be guaranteed that my child goes to Masterman? Since the answer is no I don't think it should be compared equally to traditional public schools.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by timeEd32

I'm not debating the merits of these schools or some of the challenges they face.

These rankings, right or wrongly, drive a lot of real estate decisions for people with kids, which is why Philly Mag published an article on it in their Property section. So for me it comes down to one question -- can I move to a certain neighborhood in Philly and be guaranteed that my child goes to Masterman? Since the answer is no I don't think it should be compared equally to traditional public schools.

Author of the article weighing in.

I actually understand your point. But getting into a competitive or selective magnet school is not that much different from being placed on the academic track at a comprehensive high school that engages in placing students in tracks based on the teachers' assessment of their potential (which is sometimes way off base).

And these schools cost no more for the students to attend than the regular high schools do.

Charter schools, which can also select for students they desire, are also rated alongside the traditional public schools: the best public high school in the entire tri-state region is the Charter High School of Wilmington in Delaware. Maybe the selective/exam schools should be rated separately on those grounds (i.e., no guaranteed admission), but I'm not completely convinced that they should lest parents of students who would benefit from attending them get the wrong impression (namely, that they shouldn't even try).

[cpomp]

All opinions aside, Niche ranked several SEPA school districts as the best in the nation, I believe one of the highest, if not the highest concentration of top public and private schools are in this region.


Niche is just one of many ranking sites, but SEPA is always well represented no matter what the site is, and rightfully so.