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spiked_macaroon t1_it3tykh wrote

Oh you're in Worcester now! The city has at least one, and probably more now, excellent accelerated programs at high school and middle school levels. Kids like yours do well there and are surrounded with other nerdy types.

Alternately, have you looked into the Bancroft School or Worcester Academy?

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sirlurksalotaken t1_it426is wrote

As a parent of an autistic child, I think environment is more critical than school.

If the home is safe, and the peers at the school accepting and you actively parent and participate with the school... It real does not matter.

School ratings offer a prestige that is supported by statistics. However these statistics and the facts driving them do not indicate bad school or teachers.

I think your child will prefer and excel where they feel comfortable loved and accepted.

As a white man... I can wholeheartedly say, non-white people are way more compassionate and accepting of others.

I grew up in a rich white town and went to school in a rich white town, best ratings in the state.

You know how many in my class actually graduated college? Less than 65%...

Rich towns have rich parents that pay for resources other communities cannot afford. The kids don't take it seriously...

To be able to afford those resources and live in a community where a child can see how fortunate they are... They won't take it for granted... They will work harder, appreciate more, and respect the less fortunate.

Just my opinion, is that there is way more to consider than school ratings. Especially if your child already has a community, and is excelling.

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Jaekash1911 t1_it46lmn wrote

I would choose Shrewsbury or Northborough/Westborough over Holden

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ManderBlues t1_it4cooq wrote

The problem with Holden is that its hard to get to (as a location) and one way in/out. My friends live there and regret it. They are planning on move back eastward to Stow/Concord/Hudson/Sudbury.

For an autistic child in any school, there are a lot of differences in needs and delivery + how much of fight it will be to get services. Some kids thrive with ABA and some hate it. Knowing how your kid responds to the structure of a particular program is important. If your kid is 2E -- there are not a ton of programs that really excel for that mix.

You might do well to join the two Facebook Groups "Massachusetts Parents of Autism" and "Autism Moms of Massachusetts". They may have a lot to offer.

Edit: My kid is not autistic, but has overlap (call him autism adjacent).

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tugaim33 t1_it4ixx9 wrote

It depends on how much your son needs, service-wise. Worcester tends to offer more in the way of services as they have the population to justify the cost.

I substitute taught in Shrewsbury when my own autistic son was young and in Worcester, and Worcester’s services blew Shrewsbury out of the water. I’ve heard the same for Westborough, and I would be surprised if Northborough and Holden were any different.

That said, if he doesn’t need much in the way of services I’d definitely advise that you look outside the city. I grew up in Westborough and it’s one of the top public school districts in the country.

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caelen727 t1_it496kb wrote

The Wachusett district is one of the highest rated in the state. Mountview is a brand new school. Just got built within the last 3 years. The high school is also very recently renovated. I’d highly recommend. While Holden and the district isn’t the most diverse, there is a large and growing rapidly Asian population

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legalpretzel t1_it5ifyn wrote

The high school is the same building built in the 50’s. They wanted to build new but the surrounding land is basically all swamp, so they were forced to renovate instead. And I would hardly say it’s one of the best in the state. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Lexington or Weston or Newton or even Shrewsbury. In fact, one of the best ranked public high schools is in Worcester - MA Academy of Math and Science. It doesn’t traditionally appear on the “best of” lists because it’s only grades 11 and 12, seniors attend classes on WPI’s campus.

Also, OP, you’ve asked twice now, and I’m guessing another poster was also asking on your behalf (either that or it’s just incredibly coincidental that posts from different users seem to be seeking the same info). Asking multiple times won’t get you closer to what you want to hear. You need to talk to parents of kids currently in WRSD and ideally, would talk to them 1:1 rather than in a long post that reveals tons of personal info in a group forum - there’s a wachusett specific FB group for residents of the 5 towns, it’s called Wachu-chat. I would reach out and see if any current parents would be willing to speak you 1:1. Fair warning, that FB group can be nasty so don’t post as much as you included here (which should tell you something about some of the people who live in Holden).

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bemest t1_it525cy wrote

You might want to contact the Wachusett School District office. I don’t know what resources they have for special needs. But, as a large school they have great academic resources if you take advantage of them. I attended the state science fair twice with one of my kids and Wachusett was well represented. One year they took the top award overall and my kid was a first place recipient in one category and now has a PhD from Harvard. Another school that excelled was the WPI Academy of Math and Sciences. Students there can complete their freshman year at WPI while completing HS.

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No_Dragonfruit1561 t1_ita16at wrote

I think you need to put aside your house requirements for the time being and pick the school system that best fits your son's needs. The only way to really get an idea of how well your son will be accommodated is talking to parents and educators in communities where your son will be served. I think this will be more challenging if you're looking at public schools and private school, if financially able, might be the best route. I don't think Holden is particularly diverse, if that's an important consideration for your son.

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[deleted] OP t1_ita1fny wrote

[removed]

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No_Dragonfruit1561 t1_ita2lhu wrote

Understood and you are correct, Boston suburbs are extremally expensive and not necessarily worth it. I think you need to figure out which is most important, school or house. You could stay in a less expensive community and look into private schools if you feel like he won't thrive or won't be accommodated in public school. Logistics play a big part of that as well. When you think about it, he's young but really only has seven years left in school...maybe even less if he skips a grade. Seven years sounds like a long time but it goes by in a flash. Figure out what are you willing to sacrifice and where you can make concessions. Sounds like there are a lot of options and maybe if you nix one or two it will help you decide. There will definitely be trade offs, I think many of us have had to make them. Good luck, you are your son's best advocate, as long as you're happy with the decision and your son is happy, he'll be very successful.

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LeadNaive99 t1_it4s7wu wrote

I’ve heard that Wachusett HS offers quite a few AP courses and is a great school for students that aspire to attend top tier colleges. Holden is a great family oriented community that has grown considerably in the last 10 years and continues to grow by attracting many families that like central MA and feel the “bang for their buck” is better than in similar towns such as Shrewsbury, Northborough, and Grafton.

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sunshinepills t1_itc2lse wrote

I’m having a hard time seeing how bragging about your wealth is relevant to your son’s education.

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OrphanKripler t1_it541zs wrote

Dam can I move in as your servant? I can’t make Chinese food, but I can make some good Vietnamese food lol

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NattyRak t1_it54tyg wrote

I have to drive through Holden every day. I hate that place because of it. Super nice town, would never want to live there.

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otnh t1_it58mz9 wrote

No. Just no!

He would be better served I. Worcester.

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