My nephew went to Ensworth Middle School and then left in 9th grade for MBA. He had a great time at Ensworth and has nothing but good things to stay about the school.
However, the academic rigor at MBA was a big, big adjustment for him. At Ensworth, he often had his homework done before he left school (and he tells me that his former classmates tell him they are still able to do this routinely.) At MBA, he is up until 11 or 12 every night getting his work done. His teachers could care less if he had a game the night before a test or has a game scheduled on the evening after a test. He is just expected to get the work done like anyone else. He was a straight A student at Ensworth and, while he is a good student at MBA, he is nowhere near the top of his class.
From what he has told me, Ensworth is just a different kind of school with different kinds of academic expectations. One could argue whether or not having a 14 or 15 year old kid up doing homework until midnight every night is really the best thing for the kid, but that's the MBA expectation.