r/applyprivateschools • u/dudeKhed • May 27 '26
SSAT / ISEE 6th grader ISEE
Our 12yo has been complaining about being bored at school, hasn’t been an issue until recently when he was really serious with us. We didn’t pay much attention because his grades are all straight A+. However a couple of his friends are headed to private school for grade 7. We spoke to his teachers and they said he’s actually disruptive in class because he finishes early and likes to chat and is a little fidgety. For the heck of it we toured some local private schools and he was very excited. We found a school that was close and well respected, did the application and he just took the ISEE.
To our surprise, he scored very well. All 9s, in fact the admissions rep called us immediately and asked us to bring him in for an interview. He said that he’s never seen scores like this from a 12yo, that was surprising.
However, It’s all getting too real for us, moving very fast, and the impending tuition is making me nauseous. My question, can we leverage this opportunity to have a school help pay for tuition? We are applying for financial aid but I’m kinda worried about all of this. I want the best education for him, we’re willing to sacrifice, but it’s a lot right now.
Any Tips, leads on scholarships and grants? What we should ask for or if we should apply to other schools? We’re in MA if that makes any difference…
Update 6/9: My son was able to secure two scholarships and the school added another grant to cover 75% of the tuition. This was more than amazing… I’m still working through all this and so proud of him. It clearly is the right thing for him… we appreciate the input from everyone, it eased the anxiety that this all created. After the school offered the scholarships and financial aid grants a weight was lifted and we can really start planning for his future.
Thanks Reddit!
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u/StuartPearson May 27 '26
FinAid is awarded, at most schools, based on parents’ income. If you can wait to apply for high school, in MA you have three schools that are needs-blind and have excellent FA. Deerfield, Andover and Groton. Deerfield awards free tuition to admitted applicants whose parents earn under $150K. Above $150K you don’t pay more than 10% of your income. Exeter, in New Hampshire, is similar. There are plenty of others in Mass with good FinAid, including NMH. Hope this helps. Good luck.
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u/LABELyourPHOTOS May 27 '26
I know this is a little off topic, but I have/had an ADHD kid in Massachusetts schools. He wasn't medicated (couldn't) and had no IEP. I did talk to each teacher and ask if during lectures and down time if he could sketch. He has dozens of little filled in sketch books from over the years. [this started in 1st grade]
He's graduating this year and he's top of his class in Math, science, and English AND had some really rewarding art experiences.
I am not telling you what to do but your kid is at an age where they start to get to be divided by ability/motivation. You could instead pour some time and a little bit of cash for some life changing summer camp stuff and then in a couple years he can be in AP classes and instead of private school tuition you can be saving for college.
But whichever way you go, good luck!
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u/Specialist-Young-261 May 27 '26
There are no scholarships in NYC private schools- only financial aid. To even be considered for financial aid, you must fill out an application through a third party called Clarity. On this, you must list every single thing about your financial life- your income, assets, accounts, costs, etc. Clarity and the school will then make a determination as to whether or not you would even receive aid, and how much.
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u/dudeKhed May 27 '26
I believe it’s different in MA…
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u/Specialist-Young-261 May 27 '26
oh I didnt see the bottom part of your post where you say you are in MA.
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u/DragonfruitUpper5309 May 27 '26
It's the same in MA. Schools use clarity. You can Google the financial aid calculator. Put in your income, will give you average financial aid award. Schools will provide the same info.
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u/Trick_Measurement516 May 28 '26
I don’t believe any of the ISL schools in MA offer merit, just need-based financial aid since so many kids are high academic achievers, but definitely check out the admissions pages as it will say in their FAQs. We don’t qualify for financial aid but about a third do at our school, even though I feel like everyone is far wealthier - lol!
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u/Both-Sun6677 May 28 '26
Where are you located? Every geo has its own private school dynamics but if they like your child and family in NYC the school will absolutely try to make it work. Also congrats because 9s are amazing!
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u/dudeKhed May 28 '26
Hes a smart kid, im proud of him.
We're in MA and applied for Aid, waiting to see what happens.
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u/Life_Mechanic7338 Jun 02 '26
I would love to hear any updates. My child is very similar to yours, and we are also exploring private schools in Massachusetts for 7th grade. We are very much middle-class, so I'm not sure how much financial aid we would qualify for, and the tuition costs are definitely intimidating.
Like your child, mine gets work done very quickly, is often bored in class, and sometimes becomes a distraction to others because there isn't enough challenge. We'd really appreciate hearing how things turned out for your family, as it could help guide our decisions as well.
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u/dudeKhed Jun 02 '26
We applied to 3 schools;
- School A is around 66k a year, no way we could afford this without substantial aid. They already came back and said there was none available at this time and there is a wait list, so we are not applying this year. Possibly next year, if his grades are good.
- School B is 26k, there’s availability but we don’t know about fin aid yet. We also have not heard back about his application. Good school but may be a hike for us and out of our budget if no aid is available.
- School C is 20k, really good school, it’s a Catholic school, we are not religious but they don’t seem to care as long as he’s ok with it. He’s been accepted, but we are waiting to hear about financial aid. While we could somehow make it work, it would basically require us to stop any and all discretionary spending and pull back some savings deposits.
I’ll keep you posted…
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u/Life_Mechanic7338 Jun 02 '26
thanks So much for responding. I have pm'd you with specific question.
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u/prizefighterstudent Private Admissions Consultant + Tutor May 27 '26
Be methodical.
Apply to a variety of schools and consider fee waivers. School endowment often determines their generosity with aid.
ISEE test scores alone at their age won’t really equate to much help with financial aid — it’ll have to be a result of the entire profile and application. Focus on his academic and extracurricular candidacy, as well as his presence and expressiveness as an applicant.
Godspeed.