Moving to Dallas - Best Academic Private Schools (Fort Worth, Plano: chapel, neighborhoods)

[mj2011]

1) Can the good samaritans of this forum help our family pick a strongly academic-oriented but (mostly) non-denominational private school for our academically gifted son in Dallas or Fort Worth (or suburbs)? Affordability is not an issue. We are looking for Grade 4 through High School.

So far, I am seeing St. Marks and FWCD consistently seem to come up as highly ranked in each of these cities .

Also, if you could please let us know what are some good suburbs to live within reasonable driving distance of the schools recommended, it would be greatly appreciated.

2) Would the Plano, Coppell, or Highland Park school districts be as good as the recommended private schools?

Thanks

[parabrand]

Cistercian
St. Marks
ESD
Jesuit
Greenhill

I should comment that St. Marks and Greenhill are the only ones that are non-denominational on the list.

I dare not say anything about the public schools; there are many others here who know more than I on this topic and if you skim the posts here you will find this to be hotly debated (as are the private schools, but to a lesser degree).

[Big G]

St. Mark's is a nominally Christian school (as you might guess by its name). Religion is not emphasized, but it IS there.

Grade 4 is going to be almost impossible to gain admission to for any of the schools listed. The big-name private schools usually only open new spots in Grades 5 & 9. (Beyond that, Jesuit is 9-12 only, and Cistercian is 5-12 only.)

The admissions deadline for the elite privates is long gone for this year - you'd have to be looking at Fall 2012 admission from here.

IMO, Coppell, HP, and Plano all have extensive opportunities for the academically elite. They all offer a wide variety of AP classes. They all have a history of extremely high-level achievement (Intel Science Fair, Scripps Spelling Bee, etc.) from its very tip-top students. They all rack up National Merit Scholars at rates far, far above the national average. Their top grads regularly gain admission to Ivies and other elite schools.

As such, only the best 4 or 5 Dallas-area privates would be worth sending your son to instead of those publics. (For boys - Definitely St. Mark's & Cistercian, probably Greenhill, possibly Jesuit, maybe ESD, probably not Parish.) From there, the list of privates drops off to the point where you're selling your kid short by NOT having him in the public system.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by parabrand

Cistercian
St. Marks
ESD
Jesuit
Greenhill

I should comment that St. Marks and Greenhill are the only ones that are non-denominational on the list.

I dare not say anything about the public schools; there are many others here who know more than I on this topic and if you skim the posts here you will find this to be hotly debated (as are the private schools, but to a lesser degree).

Not exactly true. Chapel is required at St Mark's. Hockaday and Greenhill are the only two I know of with no affiliation...from St Mark's website->

http://www.smtexas.org/images/faq_q.gif (broken link)What is the religious affiliation of the school?
http://www.smtexas.org/images/faq_a.gif (broken link)While St. Mark's was born out of the tradition of the Episcopal Church, a non-sectarian chapel program provides spiritual and moral direction while exhibiting respect for the multitude of religious traditions represented in our community. The Chaplain incorporates the teachings and traditions of many religions faiths, and frequently invites other religious leaders to participate in chapel services. Chapel services raise questions, share information and perspectives about different religions, and offer guidance on living a moral, responsible, and spiritual life.

St. Marks School of Texas (http://www.smtexas.org/admission/faq/default.asp - broken link)

[FarNorthDallas]

I know a couple of super gifted kids who attended this school through 8th grade:
The Westwood School

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by mj2011

1) Can the good samaritans of this forum help our family pick a strongly academic-oriented but (mostly) non-denominational private school for our academically gifted son in Dallas or Fort Worth (or suburbs)? Affordability is not an issue. We are looking for Grade 4 through High School.

So far, I am seeing St. Marks and FWCD consistently seem to come up as highly ranked in each of these cities.

4th Grade is tough for admissions. St Mark's opens the class up in 5th grade since Lamplighter stops at 4th. Per St Mark's website, an avg of 12 spots open up in 4th grade, but 25-30 open up for 5th. By 6th grade, it's 6-8 spots.

You may call Lamplighter to see if they have openings - it is a GREAT springboard into the elite privates in Dallas.

Your job location/ commute would have to be a non-issue to consider both FWCD & Dallas schools. It would easily take 3+ hours to drive back & forth to school and to my knowledge no busses from Dallas go to FWCD.

As far as entire DFW area, FWCD and St Mark's would be the two top schools, with Greenhill right behind.

Originally Posted by mj2011

Also, if you could please let us know what are some good suburbs to live within reasonable driving distance of the schools recommended, it would be greatly appreciated.

If you look at Lamplighter/ Greenhill/ St Mark's, look no further than the surrounding North Dallas neighborhoods of Preston Hollow (75220, 75230) or HPISD's the Park Cities (75225, 75205). This would be between a 0-15 minute drive to any of those schools.

If you look at FWCD, post in the FW forum for better advice.

Originally Posted by mj2011

2) Would the Plano, Coppell, or Highland Park school districts be as good as the recommended private schools?

In my humble opinion (as a HP grad), only HP schools are going to come close to the elite privates due to the small & intimate size of the district and schools, as well as the amount & quality of parent involvement/ support.

Cna you get a great education in Plano ISD? Abosultely! One of the best. But for a family looking at small privates, I can't imagine being "ok" with your child graduating in a class of 1300 kids from Plano West or Plano Senior. There is nothing quaint, small, or intimate about PISD. Not even in elementary school - the kids may be important in their one school, but to the district admin, that school is "just a number." Whereas the HP Superindendent would take personal calls from parents all day long if he had to.

You can find the same "small envirnonment" vibe in Carroll ISD (Southlake, TX- northeast burb of Fort Worth), a wealthy "enclave" type suburb modeled after the HP schools. However, the academics are not as good as HP's, as evidenced by college admissions.

[parabrand]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Not exactly true. Chapel is required at St Mark's. Hockaday and Greenhill are the only two I know of with no affiliation...from St Mark's website->

What is the religious affiliation of the school?
While St. Mark's was born out of the tradition of the Episcopal Church, a non-sectarian chapel program provides spiritual and moral direction while exhibiting respect for the multitude of religious traditions represented in our community. The Chaplain incorporates the teachings and traditions of many religions faiths, and frequently invites other religious leaders to participate in chapel services. Chapel services raise questions, share information and perspectives about different religions, and offer guidance on living a moral, responsible, and spiritual life.

St. Marks School of Texas (http://www.smtexas.org/admission/faq/default.asp - broken link)

While chapel may be required, it is non-denominational. Their chapel-book includes hymns from Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. When I toured as a prospect for a place of employ, it distinctly struck me as a place of openness to other religions (much like the posted FAQ question above states).

[padcrasher]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

4th Grade is tough for admissions. St Mark's opens the class up in 5th grade since Lamplighter stops at 4th. Per St Mark's website, an avg of 12 spots open up in 4th grade, but 25-30 open up for 5th. By 6th grade, it's 6-8 spots.

You may call Lamplighter to see if they have openings - it is a GREAT springboard into the elite privates in Dallas.

Your job location/ commute would have to be a non-issue to consider both FWCD & Dallas schools. It would easily take 3+ hours to drive back & forth to school and to my knowledge no busses from Dallas go to FWCD.

As far as entire DFW area, FWCD and St Mark's would be the two top schools, with Greenhill right behind.




If you look at Lamplighter/ Greenhill/ St Mark's, look no further than the surrounding North Dallas neighborhoods of Preston Hollow (75220, 75230) or HPISD's the Park Cities (75225, 75205). This would be between a 0-15 minute drive to any of those schools.

If you look at FWCD, post in the FW forum for better advice.


In my humble opinion (as a HP grad), only HP schools are going to come close to the elite privates due to the small & intimate size of the district and schools, as well as the amount & quality of parent involvement/ support.

Cna you get a great education in Plano ISD? Abosultely! One of the best. But for a family looking at small privates, I can't imagine being "ok" with your child graduating in a class of 1300 kids from Plano West or Plano Senior. There is nothing quaint, small, or intimate about PISD. Not even in elementary school - the kids may be important in their one school, but to the district admin, that school is "just a number." Whereas the HP Superindendent would take personal calls from parents all day long if he had to.

You can find the same "small envirnonment" vibe in Carroll ISD (Southlake, TX- northeast burb of Fort Worth), a wealthy "enclave" type suburb modeled after the HP schools. However, the academics are not as good as HP's, as evidenced by college admissions.

I'd agree with that..but I will say I was surprised to find out our kid's elementary school in Southlake scored higher than any HP elementary school in these TEKs tests. I thought that was pretty impressive. It was a few years back though.

[EDS_]

Someday I'll start a thread about this topic. But as someone who has paid tuition to both Jesuit and Ursuline I have a few secrets to tell.

Make sure no one is reading over your shoulder.
Both schools have, get this, students who are not Catholic! Can you believe it! Keep this quiet too. Jews, Muslims, Undecided Christians, Hindus, agnostics and others attend both schools! I have proof! Don't let these secrets out.

Can you believe that my son's best friend during his Jesuit years, the friend entered Jesuit as a Hindu 9th grader, actually remained Hindu at graduation and beyond? Shocking, I know, but true. My son's second best friend at Jesuit was and remains to this day - black! Can you believe they accepted a black kid, smart as heck but still black, what was the Jesuit brain-trust thinking?

It gets nuttier - one of my daughter's best friends at Ursuline is a Jew! I know that's hard to believe, I can hardly believe it myself. My daughter tells me those crazy Ursuline Sisters allowed little Mexican and Jewish girls to enroll in the 1800s. That's just impossible!

And don't believe the story floating around about an Ursuline student being a finalist for the 2011 Intel Talent Search (the old Westinghouse Prize). That can't be true either.

[mSooner]

2) Would the Plano, Coppell, or Highland Park school districts be as good as the recommended private schools?

Plano--don't know enough about it, but I think it depends on the school
Coppell--Probably
Highland Park--Definitely

Southlake Carroll and Flower Mound High School are two others.

None of them are "small" schools though. The "elite" students do tend to hang together in the advanced classes, though.

Bottom line...your kid will have the same collegiate/academic opportunities as a private school at any of these public schools.