Not exactly. Just to give you some perspective, here’s a comparison using data from Shell showing the average math grades in 12th grade versus actual SAT scores (top tier) Looking at various high schools in New York City (both public, which shows some fascinating trends, and private ones)
High School | 12th Grade GPA / SAT Score School XIII: 4.15 / 2.55 School XII: 3.68 / 2.26 Titus: 4.4 / 3.67 Luciana: 4.4 / 3.51 School IX: 3.78 / 3.15 School X: 3.59 / 3.19 School I: 3.92 / 3.5 School II: 3.9 / 3.9 School XI: 2.89 / 3.47
As you can see, schools XIII and XII have much higher class GPAs than their actual test results suggest. On the flip side, Spectra (School XI) has a significantly lower GPA compared to their testing performance—honestly, I wouldn't want to take a math class there! School II seems to be the most accurate representation of the real deal And based on those numbers for XII, I definitely wouldn't enroll there if I were planning on pursuing anything involving mathematics (that 2.26 is quite a jump 😲 )
mellowskipper said:The tuition for those programs at MIT is pretty steep. I mean, I don't know if it's actually worth all that cash. Everyone seems to rave about the community college, though.
It absolutely is worth it (especially if you go with applied computer science)
Most students coming out of General Electric tend to head toward the local community college—I think it's the building right next door—so I suspect the location is a huge factor. A good number of them choose to study Algebra, while a few head off to FO, MIT, or even the FBI (and I'm specifically looking at the track for a Computer Technician here) Looking at those from Isaac Newton, the biggest group moved on to the community college, though if you add up everyone going to FO, MIT, and the FBI, they actually make up more than half the total.
Honestly, your best bet is to check the Sher website; that’s really the only place where you'll find the actual, verified data.
Joseph Martinez4 said:Wait, so there isn't even a computer technician track over at Tesla?
Actually, no. You’d still find that kind of specialization back in Technical High School (like the old General Electric vocational program) Last year, the cutoff score for the final student admitted was somewhere around 69 points.
Personally, I feel like Tesla isn't quite measuring up to Isaac Newton, especially when you look at the GPA rankings and those final high school graduation scores.
Most private high schools actually publish their SAT pass rates quite openly, and they don't seem to have any issues with transparency there. While there’s definitely room for improvement when it comes to the actual scores, some of these private institutions are actually outperforming certain public high schools.
Just look at the data, for instance. If you compare the SAT results from the first major private academy in Washington, D.C. (the general track) against Lincoln High, the difference is clear. I should also mention that every single student from the private school passed during the initial testing window, whereas Lincoln had students needing retakes in the fall session... Those are just the facts, not hearsay (hint: looking at the public school stats: Math A/B averages are 2.26/2.40, English is 3.40/3.0, and even their easiest subject, English Lit, sits at 3.84/3.78).
Broadly speaking, comparing the success rates of private versus public school students isn't some big mystery; if anyone is interested, all the data is right there on the Department of Education website.
I noticed you mentioned proab. I'm not quite sure what you meant by that, but if you were trying to start a conversation or ask a question, please feel free to elaborate! I'm always happy to chat or help out however I can. kaže: That's coming from someone who spends half their time spreading urban legends themselves!
What's the point of this? ovog Are you guys thinking about enrolling? 😕 Selective reading and nitpicking posts without actually offering any constructive feedback? That’s a tough way to engage.
I wrote this.:
I still stand by everything that was said...
u postu If you look at my previous post from earlier today, I laid out exactly how people start building these myths about whether a school is "too hard" or "too easy." It’s a pattern I see all the time.
At the end of the day, if you know how to read between the lines, you'll understand this post
I always love hearing how kids perceive the world... and I truly just take it all with a smile (and I'm always surprised at first by how much they differ from us, which is actually a great thing for the future).
The goal is to point out (as you've already repeated) the hypocrisy at play here. You seem to be looking down on kids while simultaneously spreading urban legends about how hard or easy certain schools are, all while preaching about "relentless daily grinding" and lecturing us about "future surgeons." Honestly, even my own child has a more realistic view of those schools than the distorted version you're peddling online.
Susan James said:Where did you actually read that if you didn't have perfect grades for four years, you aren't cut out for a prep school? I never said that. My point is that there are plenty of kids who pass with high marks but still aren't suited for that kind of academic environment:
-Any kid who can't just sit down and study on their own during middle school isn't ready for a rigorous prep school. -A child who finds it incredibly stressful to handle just a few tests a week isn't built for that lifestyle. -A kid who skips hanging out with friends or traveling with their parents on long weekends just to maintain an A average isn't meant for that path. -A child whose entire grade depends on one final exam—not just in one subject, but in most of them—probably isn't ready for that pressure. -A child whose parent has to take vacation days just to help them finish projects and reading assignments likely won't thrive in a standard academic track; they might be better suited for vocational paths, maybe working at a Coca-Cola plant or training as a chef or pastry artist.
Kids with a 3.8 or 3.9 GPA typically enroll in these schools quite normally. In Washington, D.C. Sure, they might not get into those ultra-elite private academies, but honestly, who actually wants their kid studying relentlessly from dawn to dusk? This is the age when they should be falling in love, going to concerts, hanging out in the park, or just being teenagers. There’s only a tiny percentage of kids who are truly mature enough to know at age 12 that they want to be surgeons and therefore need those top-tier schools. But those kids are fine; they usually breeze through middle school. They might struggle a bit with gym or art, but even then, they often excel because they're so focused on everything else.
Susan James said:So from seventh grade 🤣 😂
The ones with older siblings are the ones spreading paranoia as early as third grade. 😠🍿
My daughter goes to some after-school programs where her friends are now eighth graders, and at both her sports practices and language classes, there are already high schoolers enrolled alongside the eighth graders. Plus, there are our friends' kids too. I am incredibly grateful for that experience; it gives you a completely different perspective than the one parents tend to spread (especially the ones from her specific class). Besides, I find it pretty funny to listen to them trying to build "urban legends" about whether a certain school is easier or harder... I just sit back and smile through it.
Spoken like someone who's busy spreading urban legends herself...
Well, that’s definitely from a different era than mine. By the time I was growing up, the whole idea of just enrolling in whatever school was closest to home had pretty much faded away 😁 . It’s funny because that specific rule seemed to sit right in that gap between my mom's generation and mine... my mother and her sister actually chose their schools based on specific programs and interests rather than just proximity. Even my grandfather used to trek halfway across town before World War II just to make sure he could attend the specific high school he had his heart set on 😁
Wait, sorry, but when exactly was that happening? My experience was more like the late '80s or early '90s Back then, nobody really worried about which school was closest to home; we just applied wherever we actually wanted to go (a lot of us would commute all the way across town just to get into UC Berkeley School of Law) In my case, because I was so determined to get into UC Berkeley School of Law, I actually started studying English on my own during the summer (since you needed it as your primary language for admission). I ended up taking English classes every single year of grade school just so I could qualify to list it as my first language
Honestly, looking back, my mom was such a huge support system for me—she gave me great advice and even helped out with the heavy lifting when it came to the logistics. My grandma also stepped in to help me prep for those math entrance exams 😁 It wasn’t just a matter of "hey, go enroll in the nearest school" either; you actually had to maintain solid grades and pass those exams to get in. My parents were super hands-on about everything, too. They kept a close eye on all the details, constantly checking the newspapers for school lists, seat availability, grading scales, and exam schedules... There was definitely a certain level of elitism back then at my middle school. The vibe was basically: if you aren't willing to put in the work, you can just head over to ____ (name of a local high school). And it happened again once we hit high school—the warning was always, if you don't want to study, you might as well move over to ____ (that same neighboring high school), which is actually where a few students ended up transferring after their freshman year.
Well 🤣 I’m reading through these posts and honestly, I’m just stunned...
The internet forums really are like digital fossils, aren't they? It reminds me of my own school days back home. We had this "wonderful" classroom dynamic where if you even mentioned wanting to get into a top-tier prep school, people would immediately label you a massive nerd and mock you for it. On the flip side, if someone with a decent GPA—say, a 3.5 average—actually thought they had a shot at a prestigious academy, they’d be publicly ridiculed and told they weren't smart enough to make the cut. Honestly, it was such a toxic environment.
On a different note, I was chatting with an acquaintance who already finished the enrollment process for private academies. She mentioned that the waiting lists are absolutely slammed, and many schools have already finalized their rosters. Apparently, some kids technically qualify with a passing grade, but because they lack points in those "core" subjects, things get tricky. Looking back at last year's scoring, she decided she just didn't have the patience to drag her kid through that whole bureaucratic circus. For her, choosing a private school felt like a much better move for her child's mental health.👍
From what I can gather, there are several people here weighing similar options, while others seem to be pointing toward Slava Raškaj as the go-to solution.
Jeffrey Edwards5 said:Are we absolutely sure the math entrance exam is identical for Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Luciana, Brooklyn Tech, and even the local magnet schools?
Actually, Des Moines uses biology, chemistry, and physics for their exams. The other schools on this list are STEM-focused academies located right here in New York City, and they all use the exact same exam this year. That’s actually why the registration window was shortened so much—they have all these exams scheduled within just a few days of each other.
northerntiger9 said:It doesn't have to be that way—you could just pick a combination of irrelevant classes that slowly drags down your GPA every year. Like, say, 4.6 + 4.8 + 4.8 + 4.8 and suddenly you're sitting at a 79.
Edit: Actually, looking closer, I see you're aiming for that second decimal point, but... honestly, the post targeting a 79 wasn't exactly going for mathematical precision.😬
Oh, it’s definitely possible, but let's look at the reality here: most students either land comfortably above an 80 or they fall into that 7x.xx range with those extra decimals. Those rare cases where everything just happens to line up perfectly on a whole number? Honestly, they aren't exactly common...
hiddendriver34 said:Actually, you can definitely have a 79.xy score. 😉 To hit a perfect 80, you'd need to have maintained a straight 4.0 GPA through all four years of high school. A 79 is what you get if you earned an A in every single core subject but didn't quite maintain that perfect 4.0 average the whole time.
A score of 79 can only happen if you’ve already cleared the fifth year. Otherwise, the only way to land there is if someone cruised through their fourth year with a 4.0 and then maintained a perfect 5.0 for everything else. Actually, whenever there’s a 4 involved, the result always ends up being some kind of decimal. 😁
My daughter is almost certainly going to have at least one B in her core subjects, which means she’ll likely end up with a GPA somewhere between a 3.1 and a 3.2. There might even be a chance she hits a 3.3 if we can find a school that doesn't weigh her geography grade quite so heavily. 🤣
Dana Smith2 said:The point is that there will always be idiots out there, and you just have to learn how to deal with them. To me, it also feels like you're being a bit hysterical—maybe I'm wrong, and I certainly hope you aren't passing that negative vibe onto the kid, but rather pulling back and guiding them in the right direction instead.
Only three students with a 4.0 in a class of 36? That's pretty much how it is here now, too. In a grade of about 100 kids, you might have seven of them hitting a 4.0. Though, honestly, I suspect some of those grades are handed out as favors. For instance, I know for a fact mine wasn't earned in Art class.
Overreacting? LOL I'm simply assessing the situation for what it is. I stayed calm for my child's sake and was perfectly honest with them, saying exactly what I wrote here: you just have to power through these next three and a half weeks with these people, and then it's over. You move on and don't look back. 😁
Besides, when it comes to specific individuals and how they actually operate, I went in for an information session a few months ago. After just fifteen minutes of talking, everything clicked, I went home, and decided our next steps. That's why my little one consistently hits those top marks on every single test, every single time. 🥳 My "vibes" are never about feeding a child nonsense; they are rooted in pure honesty and being practical.
Carl Bishop2 said:Quick question—what’s the highest possible grade point average here? I'm not quite sure which specific classes are being factored into the calculation or how many there actually are total.
To be as precise as possible, here is how they calculate the total: - The averages from 5th through 8th grade, rounded to two decimal places → this accounts for a maximum of 20 points. - Final grades at the end of 7th and 8th grade for English, Math, the first foreign language, plus three additional subjects—two based on the school's curriculum and one elective chosen by the school itself → this adds up to a maximum of 30 points per grade level (so 60 points total for both years).
+ Extra credit from competitions (strictly academic contests + school sports), though keep in mind that not all schools weigh these the same way. It really depends on the specific school's policy regarding which national-level competitions qualify for extra points; they always look exclusively at state-wide rankings.
Honestly, you only need one choice to get in. From what I’ve gathered, pretty much everyone just applies to all six possible schools right out of the gate. Then they just play the hand they're dealt based on their GPA. I mean, let's be real—nobody is actually sitting there refreshing the admissions portal every five minutes until the very last second, praying they stay just above or below the cutoff line for their third or fourth choice. That sounds exhausting! And my point wasn't really about how many applications are necessary, but rather why there's such a massive surge of people flooding the most popular programs. It’s pretty simple: everyone follows the same strategy. They pick six programs based on what they want—say, five specialized majors and one general major just as a safety net. Or something along those lines...