bolles, Episcopal, Paxon or Stanton (Jacksonville, Princeton: neighborhood, luxury, best schools)

[seyboldcanal]

We are relatively new to the area and both our children have been invited to apply to Stanton (IB), Paxton (IB) and Mandarin (AICE), Additionally we are fortunate to be able to afford either Bolles or Episcopal, We have attended introductory programs at all four of the afore mentioned schools.

We have a "gut" feeling about two but would love to hear your opinions of each.

We are curious about the commute to Stanton, Paxton and Episcopal from Olde Mandarin area and quite concerned about the physical surroundings of Stanton and Paxon as you may know they are housed in rather "marginal" part of Jacksonville. Academics of course being primary concern, although one must feel their children are safely housed.

Please advise ......
thank you

[fsu813]

Stanton is one the very best High Schools in the entire each and every year. Usually in the Top 10, if not #1 in the U.S (they've been #1 mulitple times).

Paxon is also excellent, usually in the Top 25-50 High Schools in the U.S. every year. Can't go wrong with either one really, though Stanton has more "prestigious" name recognition I suppose.

If your child is accepted to the #1 High School in the U.S., why would you think twice about it? Obviously the surronding area doesn't have a negative affect on the school....

Unlike Bolles & Episcopal, Stanton & Paxon have a significant percentage of minorities as well, black, asain, and hispanic. Somewhere around 35% I believe. This kind of diversity in a 100% positive setting is rare in life and should be taken advantage of if given the opprotunity.

Speaking from perosnal experience, I attended Stanton from '95-'99. A younger brother attended Paxon from '04 -'08. I enjoyed my times there very much and took pride in the fact that we were ranked as the #1 High School nationally. The atmosphere and courses were college-like, in many aspects, and certainly prepared me for higher education. I'm 29 and have had my Masters for a few years now. During my tenure at Stanton noone ever had any issues with the neighborhood. If that is your only reservation about Stanton & Paxon then you can rest assured and without worry. My younger brother enjoyed Paxon as well, and he excelled in academics and athletics - had a scholarship offer for basketball. He's currently a sophomore in college.

I would say this: it's not for everybody. If your children are not intellectually curious (ie, readers, interested in current events / things they don't understand, self-starters) then it may not be right for them. There is certainly a lot of reading and critcal thinking involved, and a lot of studying relative to many other schools. I have two other younger brothers that weren't cut for that kind of academic load and went to a "normal" public highschool (Lee High School) and did just fine there too. 25 and 22, one is a paramedic and the other is currently getting his MBA. Obviously if you are an involved parent and your children are willing to learn, then they could probably be succesful anywhere.

[lightheaded1der]

I too am a pround Stanton grad. I look back very fondly on my high school experience and like fsu813 mentioned above, appreciate the fact that I went to school with a diverse group of people and learned a lot more than just the subjects being taught. Also, I would say about 50% of the IB student body was from Mandarin when I went there (between '98 and '02).
As far as Bolles and Episcopal, I just can't wrap my head around why anyone would pay for their children to go to one of those schools when Stanton or Paxon is an option.

[Ryde41]

The schools you mentioned are good academic schools. Stanton and Paxon are the best schools to go to for public. I don't know anything about Mandarin. For private school I'd say the academic students go to Episcopal. The sports minded students go to Bolles. The two schools are very different in atmosphere (ask your neighbors why) but are equal in academics. All of them offer classes to get your child into the top colleges in the nation (if they have the desire).

[fsquid]

As far as Bolles and Episcopal, I just can't wrap my head around why anyone would pay for their children to go to one of those schools when Stanton or Paxon is an option.

Some people might not want to "roll the dice" with their kids education. That is why I was sent to private school when I was a kid (not here though).

[lightheaded1der]

I don't see how Stanton or Paxon is a "roll of the dice". The IB program is a rigorous, global program of study.

[fsu813]

"roll the dice"?

(ha)

if you were talking about an F or D rated school I could certainly understand. A+++++++++ schools? Not so much.

[Joe 4520832257]

Originally Posted by lightheaded1der

As far as Bolles and Episcopal, I just can't wrap my head around why anyone would pay for their children to go to one of those schools when Stanton or Paxon is an option.

It makes a difference depending on what their college goals are.

Bolles and Episcopal still offer superior resources to get your kids into elite private colleges. They tend to send more kids to the Ivy League and elite southern schools like Duke and Vandy than Stanton or Paxon, despite having significantly smaller student bodies.

That being said, plenty of idiots and slackers go to Bolles and Episcopal. It's no guarantee for any success. But for elite students they offer better preparation for the Yales and Dukes of the world.

If your goal is to have them get a scholarship to a borderline top-tier like Florida, there's no major difference, in my opinion. You can send your smart kids to Stanton or Paxon and they'll get a good education and they'll have a great shot at quality colleges. Mandarin doesn't have the same reputation as Stanton's IB program, but it's still a good public school - comparable to the much touted public schools in St. Johns County. Plenty of Mandarin students go into the honors program within the Florida university system. However, I'd choose Stanton over Paxon or Mandarin all things being equal.

[lightheaded1der]

I don't know where your data comes from, but many of my peers went to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Vanderbilt and other Ivy League schools. I myself got accepted to Vandy, but I CHOSE to go to FSU because I got offered a full scholarship plus stipend. If I were to hazard a guess, the same amount of students from Stanton and Bolles get accepted to Ivy League schools, but more of the Bolles grads' parents can afford to send them there.

[Joe 4520832257]

Stanton and Paxon have very good admissions rates, no doubt about it. All I'm saying is that Bolles and Episcopal do even better, especially when factoring in their much smaller student bodies.

When you're dealing with colleges like Harvard that have 9% acceptance rates, every little advantage helps. That's why some parents are willing to spend the equivalent price of a luxury SUV to send one kid through 4 years of high school.

I'm just answering the question of why some people think private school is worth it. I have no interest in disparaging Jax's magnets, which again, are quite good.