Frankly, k-8 were kind of tough. We are not from the area and live in a 'hood with no kids. As a result, the kids were very click-ish (is that a word) and she often felt left out. Now, in high school, she enjoys it much more. She is 6 months younger than everyone else and started out poorly (was in an orphanage until 14 months old and was born at 7.5 months). So her schooling has gone well but requires a lot of work and guidance. The school she goes to now is very good. They stress holistic education so her STEM work is in the backdrop of a healthy life, life style and life choices. Every child is required to participate in other activities (clubs, sports, music, etc.) as it is part of the curriculum. It kind of helps with clicks. They brought in emotional support dogs for finals, which gave me a kick. They have this "learning center" where it is always staffed with upper class kids who get credits against their charity work for participating. You can walk up and ask any of them for help on homework or how to get started on a paper/project. Food is available from 7am to 6pm. So she can go early, and come home late and still have time to participate and eat. She often just stays at school until her homework is done.
Two of her friend's families drive ~ an hour everyday to attend this school. Recently, we were checking tuitions for in state schools. I'll actually save money on tuition, if she goes to an in-state college.
There are some awesome schools here (hathaway brown, hawken, lake ridge, university school, Gilmore, St. Ignatius, St. Joes, St. Eds, Magnificat, etc.). CLE used to be really, REALLY big money. People like Rockefeller and Carnegie had homes here. they used to race sleds in the winter after church on Euclid Avenue. Steel, rubber, cars....huge, huge industries. These families all started these schools many decades ago. I am sure Washington and NY have more and better, but CLE has surprisingly excellent schools.
