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I'm a product of the APS school system. I can reed and write good. I can also do maths.
Seriously, though, any school system is only as good as what you bring into it; there tends to be a bit of an advantage to going to the wealthier parts of town (teachers spend less time having to discipline less-serious students). Many people think that their so-so kid will become brilliant by attending the right school, and this tends not to be the case.
The smattering of private schools in town definitely have advantages (science instruction tends to benefit from having a larger endowment, but not all schools have such a great endowment) but also disadvantages (some kids are rich troublemakers as opposed to poor ones and they bring a different kind of negative peer pressure on).
Many of the parochial schools in town (particularly the lower grades) tend to underperform expectations, particularly in comparison to parochial schools in other places.
I've seen many instances of students who I thought would be better prepared for college in public school than in private school; I do think that many of my public school teachers were exceptional and that I was lucky to have had so many good ones. Many of my public school friends have gone on to exceptional careers that private school would not have prepared them for any better.
So, in short, don't be afraid of APS, particularly if you can think of better ways to support your children's education with $10k+/yr.
Before I entered jr/sr. high, I hated school. It seemed like a waste of time. That was before I got to choose from an interesting array of classes.
I entered APS half-way through my 9th Grade year. The classes at my high school, Rio Grande, were OK, but what really thrilled me were the classes I could take at the Career Enrichment Center, a magnet school fed by all of APS. I loved that place! I took Astronomy, Aerospace, Advanced Physics and Russian (dropped). I should have taken a Computer or Electronics class, but I just did not have time, and my focus was on pure science (I couldn't pass by the Aerospace class, though).
Because CEC offered classes that were not practical for individual schools to offer, it had students from all over the system. The academic classes attracted some of the brightest students in APS, and I had the chance to meet some of them, when I would not have met them if I had remained in my high school in the South Valley.
APS required 20 hours for graduation. I knew a girl through CEC who was an Honors student with a 4.5 (out of 4.0) GPA and a scholarship for a semester at Brown University who graduated with 30 credits. I graduated (considerably farther down the roster) with 29.5 credits. I would have stayed 2 more years if I could have.
Also, I took a concurrent enrollment class at University of New Mexico when I was in 11th Grade, "Freshman Introduction to Engineering," besides "University Chorus." I had a mentor in the University's Physics Department for my high school science fair project on Optical Computers, thanks to the help of my high school's Gifted and Talented Adviser. I was recognized as a gifted child after I was administered an exhaustive IQ battery through Rio Grande's Gifted and Talented program. In theory, my IQ exam qualifies me to join Mensa, though I've never made the attempt. APS connected me to UNM's annual Engineering Fair, and I was able to organize a field trip for the combined science clubs of my high school and another high school to see the Cray supercomputer and the PIT laser at Sandia National Labs. I attended U.N.I.T.E. (Uninitiated Introduction To Engineering), for Summer camp at UNM and I was part of a group that was given a tour of Los Alamos National Lab.
I began with regular classes at Rio Grande, because my family was unfamiliar with the school system (we had been living in Mesa, AZ, before we were forced to move over Christmas vacation). I was sent to Enriched English in 11th Grade, then Honors English in 12, putting me in contact with the brightest students in the school. I took all the science classes I could (Astronomy, Physics, Biology IG and Chemistry). I also got to take 3 years of Swimming classes in a 1/2 Olympic-sized swimming pool at my high school. I took Advanced Jr./Sr. Lifesaving and Water Safety in my senior year.
APS offers many honors & AP classes, and a host of other challenging classes through the career enrichment center and through UNM. It's now a graduation requirement that each student take at least one dual-enrollment class through UNM beginning with this year's sophomores. Personally, I'd rather save the $10k-$15k per year for college. My daughter wants to be a doctor, so the money is being saved for college, not private high school. If the support network is there at home, the coursework is there to support students who want to be challenged.
You're welcome. I hope it all works out well for you and your boy.
What sort of things interest him academically, if you don't mind my asking?
My son loves history and science. He has Asperger's Syndrome (autism spectrum disorder), but it very high functioning. With the Asperger's, he really loves to research many topics of interest. He is pretty much like a walking encyclopedia, and amazes people (including people we just meet on the street), with his wealth of knowledge. My son actually made honor roll this year.
We live in the DC suburbs, and our public school system is actually one of the best in the country. I have been torn, because I don't know how APS support kids who are on the autism spectrum. My son is mainstreamed, but he does need extra help when it comes to organization, staying on task (he also has ADHD) etc. Hence, that is why he has an IEP (Individualized Educational Program).
We love NM, and are actually going back there to visit at the end of March. We won't be able to spend that much time because we are going for Spring Break, and will be driving to Arizona.
Being a single mom, I really want to research everything before moving us half way across the country! I have always felt like NM is where I belong. I have lived in this area for over 30 years, and would really like a new change of pace (aside from this rat race I currently live in now).
APS offers many honors & AP classes, and a host of other challenging classes through the career enrichment center and through UNM. It's now a graduation requirement that each student take at least one dual-enrollment class through UNM beginning with this year's sophomores. Personally, I'd rather save the $10k-$15k per year for college. My daughter wants to be a doctor, so the money is being saved for college, not private high school. If the support network is there at home, the coursework is there to support students who want to be challenged.
Hi Lobo,
Does the graduation requirement apply to ALL HS students, or just the ones enrolled in honors/AP/career enrichment center. Am I also understanding you correctly, that they have to pay for this "dual-enrollment class"? Also, what type of dual-enrollment classes are available?
We don't have any requirements like that here, so I am a bit confused. The only thing extra our HS students have to do in order to graduate, is complete 75 hours of community service.
My son loves history and science. He has Asperger's Syndrome (autism spectrum disorder), but it very high functioning. With the Asperger's, he really loves to research many topics of interest. He is pretty much like a walking encyclopedia, and amazes people (including people we just meet on the street), with his wealth of knowledge. My son actually made honor roll this year.
We live in the DC suburbs, and our public school system is actually one of the best in the country. I have been torn, because I don't know how APS support kids who are on the autism spectrum. My son is mainstreamed, but he does need extra help when it comes to organization, staying on task (he also has ADHD) etc. Hence, that is why he has an IEP (Individualized Educational Program).
We love NM, and are actually going back there to visit at the end of March. We won't be able to spend that much time because we are going for Spring Break, and will be driving to Arizona.
Being a single mom, I really want to research everything before moving us half way across the country! I have always felt like NM is where I belong. I have lived in this area for over 30 years, and would really like a new change of pace (aside from this rat race I currently live in now).
I attended APS 1981 to 1984, and I haven't lived in Albuquerque area for a few decades, so I don't know what the school system does now for autism or Asperger's.
I think he would enjoy Zimmerman Library on the main UNM campus. I spent a large part of my high school years in that library, waiting for my mom to get off work or out of class. It is quite extensive. UNM also has an Engineering Library (to go with their extensive Engineering college). If your son gets really good at physics, he might even be able to talk the administration over at the Physics and Astronomy Department into letting him visit their own little library, that they keep locked all the time.
One thing that I regret is that I did not travel more of the State when I was a teenager. I'm glad I got to go to some of the highlights, though, especially the science events. Perhaps your son would be interested in visiting Spaceport America, which is getting close to launching its first humans towards space? New Mexico has many science research facilities.
You may want to look into the AIMS@UNM, the Albuquerque Institute for Mathematics and Science, a charter high school on the UNM campus.
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