Because they take a huge percentage of legacy and younger siblings as opposed to more of the most "qualified" kids, is the lower school there more (or less) advanced or different than another TT? It seems like the kids who come in 9th are all powerhouses, but I'm curious what the average elementary school student there is like compared to other TTs.
Somewhat related question is whether it’s hard for new families to break in/feel like part of the community when, to take this year as an example, so many families already have some sort of connection.
As a parent to multiple DCs in preschool, I know for a fact we are just less involved in the younger DCs class’ parent communities (not proud of this, but it’s just a fact).
Would a unicorn unconnected family feel like an outsider?
We were a new family and the community was very warm and welcoming. Years later I’m still learning how connected many people are to each other, but I never felt it because they were so friendly and inclusive. The PA is very active and it’s a great way to meet parents across divisions. The school also has events for new families and pairs new families with a “buddy” family. We got very close to our buddy family and they went above and beyond in my opinion.
Re: siblings/legacies, those kids still have to jump through the same hoops as normal applicants, they just get preference after they do. They don’t just blanket accept because you’re connected. So the kids are still bright, curious kids like at other TTs. It’s anecdotal, but my sibling was an even stronger applicant than my older child.