Adam Himmelsbach and Pete Thamel of The New York Times write today that Middle School Is Basketball’s Fiercest Recruiting Battleground for DC private schools.
This does not surpise me at all. Many of Manhattan, Riverdale, Brooklyn and Westchester’s best private high schools expand at the 9th grade level, specifically as an entry point for top middle school students.
NYC private schools are judged by their college admissions records. Naturally they want to recruit the very best students–the best athletes, the best musicians, the best scientists, etc.–because these are the students who are most likely to be successful in Ivy and top college admissions.
My top private high school clients routinely receive multiple NYC private high school acceptances, with schools pulling out many bells and whistles to attract them. Unlike at the kindergarten level, when parents have barely a week to make a decision and can’t go back to visit, admitted incoming 9th graders are invited back to the school and feted.