Classical High School vs. Barrington HS (Providence, Cumberland: sale, real estate, daycare)

[xyzchessdude]

We are thinking of moving to Providence from upstate NY.
Key to our decision are school options.

Can anyone share thoughts about Classical HS.
We have a 14 y/o daughter, who will be in 10th grade next Fall.
Strong student, a little shy, a little over-protected but well-loved.
We want the best for her educationally and socially.
We value public education, but want to keep her safe, avoid unnecessary exposure to the negative side of popular culture.
Socially, would like her to grow but feel welcomed.
Academically, would like her to be challenged and supported.

How does this match Classical HS?

We are also thinking about Barrington, but would rather avoid the commute and get a little more diversity in our lives, if possible.

[traceyr13]

Hi - I know a bit about Classical HS, although certainly not as much as Barrington HS where I worked for 8 years. But I did interview 2 students over the years (from Classical) as an alumni interview for my university, and was able to get a feel for it. Also, one of my professors for my Master's degree at Providence College was the director of guidance for Classical (Lou Torro) and he talked ad nauseum about Classical as a point of reference.

Academically, I think it's very strong - I honestly can't compare it to Barrington HS, but I feel that, as far as academics, I would feel comfortable placing my own children there, if that's any help.

If you are looking for a nurturing, welcoming (aka a bit sheltered!) community, you have to know that Classical is still an urban school. For example, they still have a clinic doling out birth control and (I believe, at least they did 5 years ago) a daycare for students' children. I'm not saying there is a problem with any of that, but if you don't want your child being exposed to the more "nitty gritty" aspects of urban life, you won't avoid it at Classical.

You will probably find more recreational drug and alcohol use at Barrington HS (not IN the high school, but part of the weekend culture), although I can't say that with all authority. You may very well find "harder" drugs in some of the Classical circles, but again, that is totally speculation.

Not sure if this helps or leads to more questions!

[Apple Annie]

There are some fine private high schools in Rhode Island, and for public schools, please go to this link.

http://www.riliving.com/oceanstate/E...on/default.asp Look at LaSalle Academy in Prov., Prout Memorial in Wakefield, and Moses Brown in Providence for excellence.

The location alone of Classical High, in the heart of the ghetto in Providence, would keep me and many other parents from sending a son or daughter there. A bright child will thrive within her own peers close to her own neighborhood. RI is not a big state.

In a nutshell, it's not necessary. Going to "Classical" used to be a status symbol, that's about it.

[xyzchessdude]

Private schools are expensive ($20K per year), and would seem to be cater to the affluent, right? Paying $80K for a high school education seems pricey, and wouldn't it restrict a child's education in a way? I ask these sincerely, not as rhetorical questions. I'm truly interested in thoughts in response to these questions. Thank you.

[traceyr13]

Prout is okay. I wouldn't put it in the same category as Moses Brown, or even LaSalle. If you truly were going to shell out the 20k, I would go with Lincoln School for girls. Purely for academic excellence, I would go with either Lincoln School, Moses Brown or St. George's in Newport, but who can afford either, and Moses Brown has a horrific drug problem. Makes Barrington look squeaky clean.

The Catholic schools in the state, such as Bishop Hendricken, St. Mary's Bayview, or Prout, are more affordable (being that they are closer to 10k than 20k) but they really aren't as academically rigorous. You WILL see more "middle class" students there, but I'm not impressed with them academically. If you are wondering how I know, my husband and his brother are graduates of BH, my brother is currently a senior at BH, my sil graduated from St. Mary's, and I subsitute taught at St. Mary's. Of course this is still a very subjective opinion, AND in my experience the parents that put their children there are looking for a certain environment religiously and socially, not just academics. So it tends to be a positive experience (from what I have heard) but as a non-Catholic family simply pursuing academic excellence, I don't advise it.

To address your question of private vs public and elitism - yes. You're right. You will find a large chunk of the population to be from a certain socioeconomic status, and yes, that goes against what many advocates of public education believe in. That being said, I coached at Lincoln School for 3 years (arguably one of the most expensive in the state) and I was so pleased to see a nice element of "faculty kids" that were there, as well as scholarship kids. I can't speak to all the private schools, but I WAS impressed with Lincoln's devotion to diversity and honoring financial limitations.

[xyzchessdude]

Traceyr13:
Thank you for your thoughtful comments and comparisons.
I appreciate all the info I can get.
Along those lines: I checked www.infoworks.ride.url.edu (broken link)
to look at AP exam rates for RI high schools. Classical HS and Barrington have impressive numbers of students taking, and passing, APA exams.
I didn't see the Lincoln School for girls listed there. Do they not (have to) report because they are private, or is there another explanation for the absence of the Lincoln School from that list?

Thanks again!

[traceyr13]

Yes, private schools are not required to report data or take standardized tests. I can definitely assure you that the vast majority of girls at Lincoln School are taking several AP exams and scoring well. Their college acceptance/attendance rate has consistently been 100% since I coached there (which was in the late 90s). To my knowledge, no public schools (including Barrington, which has stood steady at a 90% rate for many years, an amazing statistic for a public school) and not many Catholic schools can boast that. Many of the private schools are up in the 98, 99, or 100% college attendance rate, though (makes sense - if I was paying 20k a year for high school I would make sure my kid went to college!)

I don't want to sound like I'm an advocate of private schools over public schools, however. I myself am a product of public schools and spent most of my career in a public high school, so philosophically I definitely lean in the public sector. But it's hard when you see what a private school environment is like versus a public, particularly when adolescence is all about the social setting over the academic one.

[Apple Annie]

There is also the Wheeler School. K thru 12 on Prov.'s East Side.

http://www.wheelerschool.org/pages/s....cfm?page=2915

Although I am not a school teacher in RI, my aunt retired from several years in the Barrington School System (an Olympic gold medal winner in track & field) a Phys. Ed. teacher and is a lifelong resident of Barrington. My uncle (now deceased) taught at St. Andrews for many years. I would go with the Barrington schools; and the beautiful Town of Barrington is a wonderful place to raise children; the boating and access to the ocean is very nice. Barrington has always been a nice bedroom community.

No matter where you are in any state, there will always be a certain element. You cannot protect your children from it; you can only educate your children to its presence and provide a happy healthy non-permissive home life. If your children have the proper values instilled by early teens; they will seek out like-minded peers; and it is best to have friends in the neighborhood rather than importing them. The private schools mentioned above have a very high "snob factor". Both of our children graduated from public high schools in RI, graduated from colleges in RI with GPAs in the high 3's, and have since earned post grad degrees.

[traceyr13]

I had to lol at the "private schools above have a very high 'snob factor'" and then the recommendation for Barrington over them. Have you been to Barrington recently?

Yes, I totally agree that the private schools will have a high snob factor, but honestly, so will the top rated public high schools (eg Barrington, East Greenwich). I think Wheeler will have a lower snob factor than Moses Brown, for example, and that each private school has degrees of snob factor, like any school. Unfortunately, a correlation of academic excellence has to do with parents' education level and ensuing socioeconomic status, and it's a vicious circle. Of course there are anomalies (I have 2 Master's degrees and don't consider myself a snob) but that tends to be the general rule.

It's a problem, not just in RI but anywhere. We moved from RI to Austin, TX in part to try to escape that. I didn't entrust my children's education in RI to many public districts outside of Barrington, but after living AND working in Barrington for 8 years, I was really sad at the community's attitudes. It really depressed me. But here in Austin, the best public district is (you guessed it) the wealthy elite with a HUGE snob factor. I don't know what the answer is.

It's a huge topic among the educators in the Barrington public system - there has been a big jump in the snobbery and elitism in the past decade - it's getting worse. I wouldn't want to raise my children in that environment, but I WOULD want them to benefit from the excellent education there (I have nothing but glowing things to say about the school system - it's awesome). It's a problem...

[Apple Annie]

Well Tracey, what can I say. Anyone looking for "better" than public schools in RI will simply have to expect what is available. It is what it is. Yes, I have been to Barrington lately, several times as a matter of fact. I sold real estate in Rhode Island for several years and am well aware of the pros and cons of the various areas. It has always been one of the nicer bedroom communities of Providence* which attracts a more discerning buyer. The average home in Rhode Island these days is approaching $400,000 and the taxes have kept up as well. Barrington still is a nice place to live and bring up children. Sorry you are missing all that RI has to offer; however, I can understand why someone would take advantage of "cashing out" of Rhode Island when the market hit the top of the charts in the past few years. So many have done that, myself included. It seems lately that the only relocating buyers who can afford to live in Rhode Island these days are coming from other areas with an even higher cost of living. The high property prices and high taxes keep many people from considering private schools. Private schools everywhere are expensive relatively speaking.

* Barrington, East Greenwich, North Kingstown, Cumberland, Lincoln and lately Glocester and Westerly. Jamestown, however, was down about 32% in average sale prices of homes.