Private Schools archived

Morristown Beard is really a great school. It starts at Middle School & goes through High School. I think it tends to be a lower pressure option to Pingry and Newark Academy. I would consider this.

Montclair Kimerbly in Montclair and Wardlaw Hartridge in Edison....both about 25-35 minutes from Maplewood.

Montclair Kimberly Academy
Wardlaw-Hartridge
Gill St. Bernard's
Chatham Day School (up to 8th grade)
Red Oaks School (up to 6th grade)

Newark Academy starts in 6th grade, by the way . . .

Cross posted with alison!

You can find a searchable map of NJAIS accredited independent schools here.

http://www.njais.org/page.cfm?p=428

Another recommendation for Montclair Kimberley Academy. It's K-12, spread across three campuses. It's always had a solid reputation. Pingry always struck me as a good option as well.

And remember that Far Brook is not K–12, so you eventually need to find high school options. If you have a daughter, keep Kent Place in mind. Be aware also that middle school can be pretty traumatic socially, not to mention the challenges of getting in to the better-known schools. Also, a child may be quite different as a fifth-grader than as a kindergarden prospect, and you may not yet know what kind of school will suit the child best.

If academics and athtletics and general prestige are key and you have a son rather than a daughter, you will want to check with the big three (PIngry, MKA, and Newark Academy) to see what their big admit years are, though for Newark Academy one would assume sixth grade and ninth grade given that it does not have a lower school. At Pingry, the classes increase in size at certain points (not sure if it is fifth grade or sixth grade or seventh grade, and then of course again for ninth grade) with an influx of new students; other years there is only space for a few, through attrition.

Morristown-Beard, Kent Place, Oak Knoll, Seton Hall Prep, Oratory....
It's a LONG list!

Thanks all!!

kmk said:

Morristown-Beard, Kent Place, Oak Knoll, Seton Hall Prep, Oratory....
It's a LONG list!

Aren't Oak Knoll, Seton Hall Prep and Oratory all Catholic schools? Thought OP specified non-religious.

Oops! Sorry , I was just "walking through" schools near Summit in my mind

Hudson School. Starts in 5th grade.

If you're into rankings, you might be interested in this link:

http://www.nj.com/education/2014/11/the_top_private_public_schools_in_new_jersey_according_to_a_report.html

I think @TomReingold might find it interesting.

I'm a Far Brook parent and would be happy to answer any questions. Just send me a message. Best wishes.

NYtoNJ said:

are there any other (non religious) schools in the area we should be looking at? Thanks!

This depends on what your primary focus is. Arts? Academics? Emotional growth?

Thanks everyone for the information and offers to speak - very much appreciated! At this point I don't have any specific questions - just getting the lay of the land - but am sure I will have many as we start to explore these schools. Thanks again!

Peck in Morristown for up to 8. A big feeder to boarding school and prep HS.

bigben said:

If you're into rankings, you might be interested in this link:

http://www.nj.com/education/2014/11/the_top_private_public_schools_in_new_jersey_according_to_a_report.html

Even as rankings go, this one is scraping bottom. They try really, really hard to give their methodology a veneer of legitimacy, but underneath the BS it's based almost entirely on student/parent surveys (because private schools don't release the kind of data that drives public school rankings). And it seems like if a school opted not to report their limited data to the DOE back in 2012, they aren't even on this ranking (like Brearley, Kent Place, and Spence). But if they did they are on the list, even if they are no longer open!

Hudson School is great from all reports. We did not like Morristown Beard but many people do.

I have a child at Wardlaw if you'd like to chat.

thanks for the tip on oratory. hadn't been familiar with that institution.

lisat said:

Hudson School is great from all reports. We did not like Morristown Beard but many people do.

It is for so-called gifted children, so not everyone gets in. It is a very special place, especially for quirky people. My daughter fit in very well there, and she was there for only 11th and 12th grades. Two of her friends from Hudson School came over to our place last night. It was lovely. My daughter graduated from Hudson School in 2010.

A couple of other schools not mentioned: Montclair Cooperative School. They start in nursery school and go through 8th grade.

South Mountain Co-op in Maplewood - all ages. It's a Democratic Free School model so if you're not familiar with that you can contact the school with questions; they also have public info sessions periodically throughout the year.

I wouldn't rank Montclair Kimberley in the same league as Pingry or Newark Academy, judging from the quality of education, sat scores or college placement.!They have had a hard time attracting qualified teachers, especially in math and science, and their retention rate amongst new students and teachers, especially in the middle school, is particularly low. The facilities and extracurricular programs are quite mediocre and it is difficult to justify paying that kind of tuition, unless one feels that their child has to be at a private school for whatever reason.

whoa! slam!

I was thinking the same thing.

Sounds like someone went to MKA and has since returned.

Not me--friend of mine. My kids are in college.

Wwwweeeellllll, I have friends with kids at MKA and they seem perfectly happy with the school - 3 families.

Yeah, I, too, know several families with bright kids who are recent grads of MKA and they were quite happy with the experience.