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Barron Trump May Have To Choose A New School

by Joseph D. Lyons

The election of Donald Trump came as a surprise to even the candidate himself, according to sources from within his campaign, and thus, you might think, to his family as well. Of his five children, the one it will affect the most is his youngest, Barron, as he's just 10 years old. How it will impact him, though, is still somewhat of a mystery. Much attention has been given to Trump's wishes to stay at least part-time in his New York City penthouse. If that's the case, will Barron Trump switch schools?

Likely, yes, he will. But there's been no announcement yet, and there's no guarantee that Barron and Melania will move into the White House immediately, even if it's just part-time. The New York Times reported that Trump would like to commute, but how the family would figure into that is anyone's guess. If Barron were to stay in New York, be it until the school year ends or indefinitely, the child could continue on at the elite private school he attends on the Upper West Side called Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School. Given that he's just 10, his parents may consider keeping him there at least until the school year ends.

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That's not unheard of. There was some speculation that Michelle would stay in Chicago with Sasha and Malia until their school year ended, but the whole family moved into the White House after the Inauguration in 2009. If the Trumps were to follow in their shoes, as well as those of the Clintons, the Gores, and the Nixons, Barron would be enrolled at Sidwell Friends, a private Quaker school in the northwest part of Washington, D.C. It's highly selective, and the Obamas decided on it only after visiting a number of other options. Another slate of options has also been put forward. St. Albans, an all-boys school near the National Cathedral, and St. Anselm’s Abbey have also been mentioned.

Public school, though, is surely not on the radar. The last first child to attend one was Amy Carter. The hardest decision will be whether to take Barron out of the Trump Tower penthouse at all. According to Melania's interview with Parenting.com, the boy has an entire floor to himself — complete with his own living room. Even living in the White House would seem like a bit of a letdown after that. Maybe he can get his own miniature version of Air Force One to compensate.