Henry after fourth grade

Special meeting for Henry fourth grade families
November 14, 7:00 p.m.
at the home of Nancy and Kevin Peter
526 Arbutus Street

A frequent question from people at Henry and beyond: What will you do after fourth grade?

The question is about Masterman. Well, not so much about Masterman as The Masterman Effect. Julia R. Masterman Middle School begins in fifth grade. It is The Top Performing Public School In The State. Masterman is so good that even private school families want to get their kids into Masterman! Yeah, really. Last year, Masterman received 1,400 applications for its 165 fifth grade opennings.

At Henry and many other public schools, many fourth grade families apply for Masterman. Some are accepted, most are not (remember: only 165 slots). What happens then is not really about Masterman, but about the perceptions and misperceptions regarding who goes to Masterman and who is left in the school. In short, the story goes like this: "All the smart kids go to Masterman, no smart kids are left in [fill in your school name here], so we have no choice but to take our kid out of [fill in your school name here] and go to private school or move to the suburbs."

Parents who currently have kids in Henry's upper grades will be on hand to talk about their experience, the curriculum, and thoughts about high school. Come with your questions, or just to listen.

R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Previous posts about Henry's upper grades here:

My only regret with Henry

Henry grads hit top schools