Fast Times...

     Starting high school is a significant occasion in one’s life.  Where you go to high school can affect the friends you make, the classes you take and maybe even the colleges you get into. Joshua, my eldest son is in the process of applying, testing and deciding, which high school to attend in the fall.   After visiting schools and sampling the food in the cafeteria (because we all know a 14-year-old boy is going to go where the chicken nuggets are the best), he selected a total of five schools. This week Josh took his magnet exams, for the three Baltimore County public schools he is applying to.  

     Initially, we looked at four private schools in the Baltimore Area. Joshua shadowed at Loyola-Blakefield, Calvert Hall, Gilman, and Archbishop Curley.   In the end he narrowed in down to two private schools, Loyola-Blakefield and Calvert Hall. In December he took the Baltimore Archdiocese High School Placement Test (HSPT), required for entrance into any Baltimore Area Catholic high school.  In addition, he applied to magnet programs at George Washington Carver, Eastern Tech, and Parkville High.

     While we wait on decisions from all of the schools, I figured I would do some comparisons of things like -class size, class offerings, and tuition.  While ultimately the decision is Joshua’s I want to be able to give him some guidance.  In Joshua’s order of preference here is what I have learned about each school.

 

      1.  George Washington Carver (Information Technology/Interactive Media Production)

Ranked #603 in US News and World Reports Top 1000 High Schools in the Nation.

The school was recently rebuilt and according to the Baltimore County Public School website the new school building was opened in August of 2012. 

•   Current student enrollment is 853 
•   Class size 27.6 -29.0
•   AP offerings 22
•    Tuition – free (public school)

2   2.   Eastern Tech (Engineering)

Ranked #556 in US News and World Reports Top 1000 High Schools in the Nation

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•  Current student enrollment 1,106
• Class size 27.6 -29.0
•  AP offerings 16
• Tuition – free (public school)

3   3.  Loyola - Blakefield  

A private Catholic institution, Loyola -Blakefield is a Jesuit school for boys with grades K-12 founded in 1852.

•    Current student enrollment 984
•   Class size 20
•  AP offerings 18
•  Tuition - $19, 125

4   4.   Calvert Hall 

 

Founded in 1845 Calvert Hall is a Catholic and LaSallian college prep school for boys.

• Current student enrollment 1175
• Class size 17
•  AP offerings 23
• Tuition - $14,275

5   5.   Parkville High School (Computer Science)

Parkville is considered our ‘home’ school.  If not accepted in to any of the magnet schools and does not receive scholarships to the private schools, this is the school he will attend. He will just not be in the computer science track. 

• Current student enrollment 1,601
•   Class size 27.6-29.0
• AP offerings 17
• Tuition - free (public school)

I think that the hardest part of the application process, for my son, is all the different exams.  Now that the hard part is over for him; the waiting for acceptance letters is the hardest for me.  We will find out in mid- February if he has been accepted to Loyola and/or Calvert Hall, and mid- March for the magnet programs.  Here’s hoping he gets his top choice – wish us luck!