best high school for math/science (St. Louis, Chesterfield: home, school districts, university)

[groundhog74]

What high schools near STL do you think are best for math and science? We want to relocate for better schools, and our son is very good at math. Ideally we would love an area that is more intellectual/nerdy vs snobby. lol

[flynavyj]

If you want good schools, follow the money. In St. Louis there is a direct relationship between school districts and home prices, want the best expect to find a few snobs in the process...I'd recommend everything from Ladue westward on I-64 towards Chesterfield, with small deviations North and South of route.

[groundhog74]

So do you think Ladue is better than Clayton then? Thank you for your reply.

[flynavyj]

I'd say both are on par with each other...might be able to look up math scores on Greatschools.com but i haven't checked.

Good luck.

[zach_33]

I'd go with Metro Classical Academy. Clayton, Ladue, Kirkwood, Parkway, etc are all good, but if you want a strong concentration of alphas geeks (like nobody is even average, they are all above average by definition) with minimal snobbery, you will not be able to beat Metro in the STL area based on what I've heard.

[billiken]

I'd say Metro is a good bet, however there's no guaranteed admission, OP.

[topospace]

Originally Posted by groundhog74

What high schools near STL do you think are best for math and science? We want to relocate for better schools, and our son is very good at math. Ideally we would love an area that is more intellectual/nerdy vs snobby. lol

First of all, what do you mean by very good at math? Has he been identified as gifted or by his teachers as very talented in math? I only ask because many parents over estimate their children's abilities. So many parents think their kid is a genius, but that is another topic.

If your son is really gifted in math, the best thing you can do is get him out of the high school all together for his math classes. He won't be truly challenged in a high school math class, even an AP class. He will likely have better math skills than his high school teacher too.

Enroll him in a math class at a local community college or better yet, a real university. Community colleges are basically glorified high schools and a gifted student is unlikely to be challenged there. Contact your local university math department and see if they have any programs for talented high school students or a math circle.

[groundhog74]

Well he is young still, 5th grade, but he is in the gifted program and came in 1st place in his grade in a regional math competition. He participates in Math Circle at Wash U during the school year. We are also looking at the MEGSSS program for middle school. I just wanted to find a school that would be most likely to challenge him and offer him peers with similar abilities/interests.

[NettieV6]

For what it is worth, I don't think the kids in Ladue public schools are snobby. I know lots of intellectual/nerdy kids and many talented in math. One of my kids is one grade advanced and I personally know others that are two grades advanced in math. For example, this means going to the high school for math while in middle school.

[Elana04]

From what I understand PEGS program is tops but really hard to get into. It in in Lindbergh district but open to others who qualify. Good luck!