Moving to Dallas - Best Academic Private Schools (Plano, Garland: fit in, universities)

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Big G

Well, if you're able to open the conversation with "I was just transferred to Dallas as the Senior VP of blah blah at XYZ,.." where XYZ is one of the Fortune 500 companies around here - it's funny how those application deadlines magically become a lot more flexible. I know of someone who got admitted to the Upper School of Greenhill (with a MAY application!) under just that circumstance. It really is WHO you know as well as WHAT you know.

The best time to late apply at all of the top school is very late. During the summer the schools learn of kids moving away etc.

[Big G]

Originally Posted by EDS_

1. Regarding the first part your statement factually accurate but your thesis is wrong. It's not just the top tier that thrive it's that at Jesuit for example about 90% of the kids get into their first choice university and ALL of them go to college somewhere and they most often graduate.

One thing to remember is that there's a cutoff to get into Jesuit, ESD, etc., that doesn't exist for the publics. So you can't directly compare the bottom halves of Jesuit and, say, HP. It doesn't make sense to compare Jesuit kids to kids from the publics who would have no chance of being admitted to Jesuit, due to lack of brainpower.

It would make more sense to compare the privates to that segment of the public school body that could qualify academically for the privates. Off the top of my head, I'd assert that the worst student at Jesuit would compare to maybe the top 1/3rd at HP, the top 20% of Coppell, or the top 15% of PSHS.

2. mSooner didn't say the top public school performers have most of the same opportunities. mSooner said they have the same opportunities. That's just not accurate.

You're right. In PISD, due to its massive size, they can offer more than 25 AP classes, including 4 Art AP classes, AP Music Theory, and AP Chinese and AP German. Highland Park's list is almost as long, as is Coppell's. Most privates don't come close to matching that selection. Also, for those so inclined, only the publics (and Jesuit) offer the opportunity to compete athletically at the highest level available in Texas. So no, they don't have the same opportunities. That's what you meant, right?

[SMS_Parent]

Originally Posted by Big G

In PISD, due to its massive size, they can offer more than 25 AP classes, including 4 Art AP classes, AP Music Theory, and AP Chinese and AP German. Highland Park's list is almost as long, as is Coppell's. Most privates don't come close to matching that selection.

True -- many private schools do not offer the whole AP catalog. At Cistercian, for instance, they don't offer a single AP class -- shocking I know. Nevertheless, the average boy takes at least 4 AP tests despite not having a single AP class. Here's the list of the AP tests administered at Cistercian over the past 4 years. (I count 29 subjects). 93% average pass rate -- not bad for such a shockingly substandard AP curriculum.
Art History
Studio Art--Drawing
Biology
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Chemistry
Chinese
Computer Science A
Computer Science AB
Economics: Micro
Economics: Macro
English Language & Comp.
English Literature & Comp.
Environmental Science
European History
French Language
German Language
Gov't. & Politics: US
Gov't. & Politics: Comparative
Human Geography
Music Theory
Physics B
Physics C - Mechanics
Physics C - Electricity & Magnetism
Psychology
Spanish Language & Comp.
Statistics
U. S. History
World History

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by SMS_Parent

True -- many private schools do not offer the whole AP catalog. At Cistercian, for instance, they don't offer a single AP class -- shocking I know. Nevertheless, the average boy takes at least 4 AP tests despite not having a single AP class. Here's the list of the AP tests administered at Cistercian over the past 4 years. (I count 29 subjects). 93% average pass rate -- not bad for such a shockingly substandard AP curriculum.
Art History
Studio Art--Drawing
Biology
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Chemistry
Chinese
Computer Science A
Computer Science AB
Economics: Micro
Economics: Macro
English Language & Comp.
English Literature & Comp.
Environmental Science
European History
French Language
German Language
Gov't. & Politics: US
Gov't. & Politics: Comparative
Human Geography
Music Theory
Physics B
Physics C - Mechanics
Physics C - Electricity & Magnetism
Psychology
Spanish Language & Comp.
Statistics
U. S. History
World History

My son very strongly considered Cistercian. That school is amazing by any measure.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Big G

One thing to remember is that there's a cutoff to get into Jesuit, ESD, etc., that doesn't exist for the publics. So you can't directly compare the bottom halves of Jesuit and, say, HP. It doesn't make sense to compare Jesuit kids to kids from the publics who would have no chance of being admitted to Jesuit, due to lack of brainpower.

It would make more sense to compare the privates to that segment of the public school body that could qualify academically for the privates. Off the top of my head, I'd assert that the worst student at Jesuit would compare to maybe the top 1/3rd at HP, the top 20% of Coppell, or the top 15% of PSHS.



You're right. In PISD, due to its massive size, they can offer more than 25 AP classes, including 4 Art AP classes, AP Music Theory, and AP Chinese and AP German. Highland Park's list is almost as long, as is Coppell's. Most privates don't come close to matching that selection. Also, for those so inclined, only the publics (and Jesuit) offer the opportunity to compete athletically at the highest level available in Texas. So no, they don't have the same opportunities. That's what you meant, right?

IIRC Bishop Lynch has 30 dual credit/AP courses. A friend's son graduated from BL two years ago. When it was all said and done he APed and DCed his way through all but 3 hrs of the first two years of an electrical engineering degree at a very well respected university in the southeastern US. Think about that for a minute.

I'll find out how many UA and Jesuit offer.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by mj2011

Thank you all for your considered and insightful opinions in helping us make this decision; Some of the best advise on private schools in the shortest period of time. I will keep my eyes and ears open for more good advice. To clarify one of the questions I telecommute and, therefore, have the flexibility to stay in proximity of either cities.

By the way don't let all this side banter get you down. Consider the privates that make sense for your family and consider the better public schools and how to live in the proper district if you go that direction. You - all have a number of excellent options.

[mSooner]

You're right. In PISD, due to its massive size, they can offer more than 25 AP classes, including 4 Art AP classes, AP Music Theory, and AP Chinese and AP German. Highland Park's list is almost as long, as is Coppell's. Most privates don't come close to matching that selection. Also, for those so inclined, only the publics (and Jesuit) offer the opportunity to compete athletically at the highest level available in Texas. So no, they don't have the same opportunities. That's what you meant, right?

Couldn't have said it better myself

Not to say Private Schools aren't worth it--I just think there happen to be very comparable public options in the DFW area. My husband went to a private Catholic high school in Houston (comparable to Bishop Lynch but GHETTO). I went to Flower Mound. He drove 45 minutes one way to school. I could walk. His high school could have easily been condemned. Mine was state-of-the art. My parents paid taxes. His parents paid taxes +$6k of tuition/year. In this particular case, the public school easily wins out (he agrees).

However, the first two years of high school he lived in Dallas and attended The Highlands School. While the academic opportunities left something to be desired, he enjoyed a very close group of guy friends and could play whatever sport he wanted to. That wouldn't necessarily have happened at a large public school.

[Big G]

Originally Posted by EDS_

...

I'll find out how many UA and Jesuit offer.

Go ahead if you want, but I wouldn't have thrown out that factoid if I didn't already know it would back up my view.

Truth is, each school offers its own set of advantages and disadvantages. It's all about what's best for the individual child and family. I've already gone on record (in this very thread) as saying SOME of the private schools in DFW (Cistercian, for one) exceed even the best public schools for highly-academic kids. I just don't put Jesuit in that class, especially for an OP who specifically DOESN'T want a denominational education. Sorry if that tweaks you.

[Big G]

Originally Posted by EDS_

IIRC Bishop Lynch has 30 dual credit/AP courses. A friend's son graduated from BL two years ago. When it was all said and done he APed and DCed his way through all but 3 hrs of the first two years of an electrical engineering degree at a very well respected university in the southeastern US. Think about that for a minute.

OK, I thought about it.

1) Is this really typical of BL grads?
2) Is this something he couldn't have accomplished at Coppell or HP without having to pay $$$$ tuition for 4 years?
3) Is Bishop Lynch even that hard to get into? Most people don't consider it one of the top-tier privates here in Dallas.

You're kinda making my point for me. Real academic go-getters don't HAVE to attend St. Mark's or Cistercian to achieve great things.

[SMS_Parent]

I would say that at 21 AP courses offered (per the 2010 - 2011 profile), Ursuline does come pretty close to PISD's offerings -- particularly when you consider the vast size disparity of the PISD vs. Ursuline. Moreover, just as the regular curriculum at Cistercian prepares boys to take the AP test without taking an AP class, Ursuline girls also regularly take AP exams even though there is no class with the name "AP whatever." For instance, a large portion of the sophomore class (more than 20% -- both in the regular and honors level classes) takes the AP World History Exam even though Ursuline doesn't nominally offer AP World History -- so you cannot necessarily judge the strength of a school's curriculum just by counting the number of offerings that bear the title "AP whatever."