Private School Needed for Ivy?

Answers
#1

Hi, My son is in 5th grade and in public school in the US. Overall very good gifted student. We tried once so far to get him into a top private school in our state (nationally top 10 also) but were unsuccessful. Wondering if going to a good private school provides a leg up vs. public school for eventual Ivy admit and whether we should keep trying to get him in?

Also, as far as passion is concerned we are confused on what all we need to expose him to in order to ensure he develops a passion and eventual “spike” when the time comes in high school. Choices are endless. Are we thinking way too early or parents do start at middle school about preparing a roadmap to Ivy?

#2

It is unclear how beneficial attending a private school would be to college admissions. One recent study looked at students with similar backgrounds from public and private schools and found that “these numbers suggest there is no advantage regarding college admission from attending private school.”

If your son’s public school (and the schools he will feed into for middle and high school) do not offer challenging or higher level courses, then he might be better off attending a school that can challenge him and better prepare him for college level work.

Where to develop a “spike” should depend on your son’s aspirations and interests. It would not be unusual for him not to know as early as 5th grade what he wants to do in the future. There is still plenty of time for him to figure out what he wants to do and how to work towards that goal.