[dt817]

Based on 2007 Newsweek rankings...
#402 Westport
#448 Ridgefield
#615 Greenwich

Can anyone tell me about these schools? Do most people send their kids to private schools in these towns? Are the private schools much better?

Thanks.

[dt817]

anything about these too:
#559 Wilton
#648 Weston

[JayCT]

I always question the criteria used to "rate" something and the Newsweek school ratings are one that I do not agree with. The school systems listed are among the best in Connecticut. Connecticut is always considered to have some of the best public schools in the country. Education is usually the most important thing in most communities in the state. So how come the schools here are not rated higher??? Does not make sense to me.

That said, you can find information on these systems on the Connecticut state Department of Education's web site. The link is below:

Strategic School Profiles by District

Also note that the towns listed are very affluent and there are a lot of people that send their kids to private schools. Greenwich probably has the highest number of children going to private schools but that does not effect the quality of education there. Jay

[dt817]

thanks for link.

[kidyankee784]

Originally Posted by dt817

Based on 2007 Newsweek rankings...
#402 Westport
#448 Ridgefield
#615 Greenwich

Can anyone tell me about these schools? Do most people send their kids to private schools in these towns? Are the private schools much better?

Thanks.

I agree that you can't trust Newsweek at all. If you do your own research on the districts you will find that they are much better than Newsweek would have you believe.

[dt817]

Knowing what I know about the schools in Florida and California, I have to agree with what you've said about the Newsweek rankings. I guess what I really want to know is what everyone thinks about the schools I listed. For example, in regards to public schools, would you say Westport is much better than Greenwich?


Thanks again.

[JayCT]

Much better? No, they are both excellent. These towns are among the most desirable in the country and the reason is their schools are top notch. Hard to get better IMHO, Jay

[kidyankee784]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Much better? No, they are both excellent. These towns are among the most desirable in the country and the reason is their schools are top notch. Hard to get better IMHO, Jay

Agreed. Other excellent districts in SW CT are Darien, New Canaan, Fairfield, Ridgefield, Amity Region 5 (Woodbridge, Orange, Bethany), Region 15 (Southbury/Middlebury) - really most of the districts are very good to excellent with the exception of Bridgeport, New Haven, Norwalk and Stamford.

If I were to choose between Staples and Greenwich, I'd choose Staples only because it's a smaller school than Greenwich. It has nothing to do with quality.

[flavorPacket]

the schools you mentioned are equivalent to private schools in most other parts of the country.

FWIW I personally think Staples is the best HS in the state based on the experiences of my friends who went there (I went to Newtown, which was pretty good at the time I graduated). But really, if you're not in a city, you can't do wrong. That being said, if you're really interested in the best education, you should consider Choate et al.

[andthentherewere3]

Originally Posted by dt817

Based on 2007 Newsweek rankings...
#402 Westport
#448 Ridgefield
#615 Greenwich

Can anyone tell me about these schools? Do most people send their kids to private schools in these towns? Are the private schools much better?

Thanks.

This is like lining up a Mercedes, a BMW, and a Lexus, and asking what is wrong with them, which are better etc. They are all excellent choices, but it would be hard to choose which is best because it depends on each individual's needs.