51³Ô¹ÏÍø

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Why Do a Gap or Post-Graduate (PG) Year?
Learn why more and more students are choosing to do a gap or post graduate (PG) year at boarding school.

The "gap year" is more popular than ever, with thousands of students taking an interim year between high school and college to pursue a passion, do meaningful volunteer work, or explore a new culture. However, some students feel that an academic gap year is the best way to spend the year. They know that an academic year will help them to improve their grades and SAT scores, have a taste of structured independence and develop study and writing skills.

For many of these students, a "post-graduate year" at a boarding school is a wonderful option. Over 1400 students are currently enrolled as "PG" students at boarding schools in the US, Canada, and Europe. The PGs have graduated from their local high school, and come to boarding school to join the senior class and to be part of the tight group of PGs on campus. These popular members of the school community are able to participate in varsity athletics and extracurricular activities and have access to the school's college admissions counselors.

PG programs are varied in terms of academics and social life.

Just as colleges have different levels of academic rigor and a variety of social settings, PG programs also have differences and should be evaluated carefully. Strong students can enroll at highly selective boarding schools where they can take upper-level classes and experience the grind of three to four hours of homework a night. This rigorous academic environment will prepare them for the fast pace and independence of a

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5 Reasons to Choose a Junior 51³Ô¹ÏÍø School

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5 Reasons to Choose a Junior 51³Ô¹ÏÍø School
Junior boarding schools provide a unique learning environment tailored to young students. These specialized institutions offer structured academics, strong extracurricular programs, and essential life skills, all within a nurturing residential setting. This article explores five compelling reasons why families choose junior boarding schools to support their child's growth, independence, and success.

5 Reasons to Choose a Junior 51³Ô¹ÏÍø School

51³Ô¹ÏÍø schools come in two flavors: boarding schools and junior boarding schools.

Selecting the right educational path for your child is a decision that shapes their future. Junior boarding schools provide students with a strong academic foundation, a structured residential experience, and a supportive community—all designed to prepare them for higher-level education and lifelong success. Whether you're considering boarding school for its academic rigor, personal development opportunities, or specialized programs, this article dives into five key reasons why a junior boarding school might be the perfect fit.

  • 51³Ô¹ÏÍø schools usually offer 9th grade through 12th grade.
  • Junior boarding schools are residential schools that offer 9th grade and lower.
  • Most junior boarding schools cover 6th grade through 9th grade.
  • A few schools take boarders beginning as early as the 3rd grade.
  • The lists ten schools as members.

They offer accelerated learning.

Probably the most compelling reason to send your child to a junior boarding school is to jump-start his academics.

  • Having experienced, credentialled teachers in middle school is a huge plus for impressionable adolescents.
  • If your son is passionate about math and science, he will have the opportunity to give wings to that passion.
  • That's what a junior boarding school can do awfully well.

Junior boarding school students discover that despite all the pressures of adolescence, it is cool to be smart.

  • Learning is challenging and stimulating, and always full of discovery.
  • Your son
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What About Canadian Schools?

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What About Canadian Schools?
Canadian boarding schools have a lot going for them. Great value, location in a foreign but friendly neighboring country, English speaking, fine academics, all kinds of sporting activities besides hockey and skiing and much more.

Most American families thinking about boarding school tend to stick to schools located within the United States. But, depending on your circumstances and inclinations, you might want to think about Canadian boarding . Here are five reasons why.

1. The foreign factor

Canada is not the U.S. It is a sovereign nation with a multi-ethnic population of just over 33 million. Most of the population resides along the U.S.-Canadian border. The three are Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Each has its own particular characteristics and attributes which you can discover as you explore their websites.

Canada is close to the United States. Most major Canadian cities are short flights from most American cities. So you don't have to fret about getting there quickly if something happens to your child. You do need to have both to enter Canada and, perhaps more importantly, to return home to the United States.

Canadians and Americans share much in common. The shops and restaurants are similar to what you would find stateside. While you will encounter a lot of French in , the rest of the country uses English. The climate is northern with a short summer, fall and spring and a long cold winter. Vancouver and Halifax, being on the water, have much more temperate weather though it can get pretty cold there too.

2. A

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Girls' School Graduates Have an Edge

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Girls' School Graduates Have an Edge
Exciting new research shows that a girls' boarding school can offer your daughter many advantages.

trumpets the headline on site. The research comes from UCLA. This is peer-reviewed research as opposed to anecdotal evidence or hearsay. But first, let's examine the background of single-sex education in order to understand the significance of these important findings.

Single-sex schools were the only kind of school that existed for many years starting as far back as colonial times. But they were usually boys' schools as girls were still considered inferior and generally not worth educating. As the country grew and education matured with it, coeducational schools became the norm. The idea was to promote the equality of the sexes. Girls would be given the same opportunities as boys to learn and advance.

This video offers an overview of Garrison Forest School, Owings Mills, Maryland.



In theory, coeducation is a good idea. But there were many subtle prejudices against girls which had to be overcome. Gender stereotypes, for example, held many girls back. Women could be telephone operators, nurses, and teachers but not doctors, lawyers, or business executives. And so on. These barriers for women were real in most of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Here is how Foxcroft School describes :

"This affordable boarding school for girls in Virginia is truly a community of understanding hearts, where each girl is

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Why a Progressive School?

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Why a Progressive School?
Sending your son or daughter to a progressive school sounds like a real leap of faith. It is until you look more closely at the kind of education your child will receive. Then you will understand the idealism in action which progressive schools embody.

Do you have a child who just doesn't fit nicely into a conventional classroom? Are you one of those parents who doesn't see the point of standardized testing? Do you want to let your child explore and discover things for himself in a less structured learning environment? Do you believe that children learn by doing? If you have answered affirmatively to any or all of these questions, then you probably should be looking at progressive schools.

Parents consistently select progressive schools such as for the pre-school and primary years. However, when it comes to middle and high school, they tend to feel that they have to follow a more traditional college preparatory model based on or curricula. Why? Most parents seem to think that a test-oriented educational approach ensures their children a better chance of getting into a good college.

Standardized tests are a very common feature of American professional and academic life. It's been that way for the past forty or fifty years. But should children in K-12 schools be subject to standardized testing? You get the feeling that teachers have to teach to the test, as opposed to being able to teach their subjects. Now, most private schools have developed enriched curricula which far exceed the requirements put forth by most of the common high school standardized tests, e.g., SAT and ACT.

Is your child very intelligent? Is she gifted? Does

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