Hi, My ds goes to HPS, I had carefully considered aps,mgs,forest prep, park school and other primary state schools.
Hopefully my considerations will help you decide. I grew up in India so co-ed definitely helps learn different aspects of life caring, respecting and numerous other things.
We all want our kids to be exposed to all kinds of sports, learn multiples languages, study well & rigourously if so needed and ultimately a better future which a grammar school is assumed to provide us.
HPS aligned with the pattern I had back in India where we got homework everyday enough to keep our mind active but not too much to over burden them. When you remember your school days do you have fond memories or dreadful memories that you hate or regret doing?
I had fond memories, I was mischievous and loved it but I wasn't like horrid Henry at the same time. So it was important for me that my kid had enough but not too much. I want him to get into grammar but not by risking these fond memories...
All of the above schools tries their best to get kids into grammar but if they overburden them converting them into robots I think that is a selfish way of reaching there... Just to protect their brand equity.
Sports you can teach kids during weekends, what they learn in school is anyways for fun, not serious enough to to get them through the cut anyways, so if it's for fun the scale and size of the field doesn't matter.
I've always seen my kid come home happy from HPS even though he knows he has lots to do at home (homework). This is a huge deal for me. It is very difficult for most of us normally to get our ds / dd to do homework.
Parents and their financial status shouldn't matter else I feel school is not playing their role well. Neither should kids ethnicity matter. I have seen other schools listed above value and care a lot on the above and thus I lost interest in them.
Let me know what you think is of utmost importance to you?