Looking for feedback on the Potomac School

[Anonymous]

My kid just graduated. Live in NWDC. Tons of friends in DC and in MD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When we applied, we found the admissions group very focused on McLean kids and not really making any effort to get to know our Maryland kid. The Country Day school kids seemed to have an in that other's didn't.

Out of all the schools, they were the least welcoming. Maybe this has changed this was a few years ago.

About 4 years ago we were looking and they were very welcoming. Last year not at all

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hard as hell to get into

Not if you live in DC or MD.

It's a known fact that that is a huge boost for admissions. They are desperate to appear to be a DMV-focused school, as opposed to a NOVA-centric school, which they currently are, or at least are perceived as.

Not sure where you are getting that. You do know the school was founded in dc and was located in dc foe the first 40+ years? Ask the admissions dept, but the acceptance rates are actually almost identical from dc, md & va. There just happen to be a lot more va applicants as there’s nothing comparable in va. If they were as desperate as you claim, they’d have much higher acceptance rates from dc than elsewhere

So what on the history; that was many years ago.

Do you mean the school accepting students, or students accepting an offer to attend Potomac? If it's the former, they definitely accept as many as they can from DC and MD; not so from VA, as many more to choose from.

Not sure where you are getting this from but I have several students there and have asked for the stats a few times. You are completely wrong

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When we applied, we found the admissions group very focused on McLean kids and not really making any effort to get to know our Maryland kid. The Country Day school kids seemed to have an in that other's didn't.

Out of all the schools, they were the least welcoming. Maybe this has changed this was a few years ago.

Was this under the former AD, CN? She was pretty awful. It’s definitely not the case now. There were actually a couple of kids from my dd’s CDS class who switched preschools for the final year bc CDS seems to be limited on how many get in each year now. Anecdotal of course but in my dd’s fives class only one other child was accepted and three from the fours. Five kids out of 48 or whatever K kids hardly is a lot

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid just graduated. Live in NWDC. Tons of friends in DC and in MD.

We live in Cleveland Park, and our neighbors' kid graduated recently too – sounded like they also had a great experience.

(Potomac also has a ton of DC and MD bus routes, and I doubt they'd make that commitment if they didn't want to attract families from beyond Mclean.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Potomac is a fantastic school, but it is not for every family. The academics are difficult, and get more difficult as the school progresses from IS to the High School (Upper School). You should know that if you are entering in lower school. The school values community highly, and has wonderful supportive families. The school wants families to participate in their community. The facilities are incredible, and has just about every amenity for every student (affinity groups, sports, arts, etc.). It is true that it is an expensive school, and a difficult one to get into. I don't think it's Mclean based. I fact, I would argue a down side of going to a school like Potomac is that families are spread out everywhere so often kids have to travel far to see friends, unlike a close-knit neighborhood public school.

Is this true for HS parents too (especially new ones in 9th)?

I think if you make an effort to attend games/performances, volunteer at the snack bar, and attend the various gatherings the school holds, you’ll have no problem finding welcoming parents in the broader community!

And hopefully you’ll like the parents of the kids your child chooses for friends. The 9th grade entries in my kids’ friend groups seamlessly meshed - and the parent side comes alongside (carpools, introducing them to people at school events, hanging out for a bit at dropoff). The parents quickly became friends too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just graduated. Live in NWDC. Tons of friends in DC and in MD.

We live in Cleveland Park, and our neighbors' kid graduated recently too – sounded like they also had a great experience.

(Potomac also has a ton of DC and MD bus routes, and I doubt they'd make that commitment if they didn't want to attract families from beyond Mclean.)

They may have been targeting some type of demographic that has more candidates in those areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Potomac is a fantastic school, but it is not for every family. The academics are difficult, and get more difficult as the school progresses from IS to the High School (Upper School). You should know that if you are entering in lower school. The school values community highly, and has wonderful supportive families. The school wants families to participate in their community. The facilities are incredible, and has just about every amenity for every student (affinity groups, sports, arts, etc.). It is true that it is an expensive school, and a difficult one to get into. I don't think it's Mclean based. I fact, I would argue a down side of going to a school like Potomac is that families are spread out everywhere so often kids have to travel far to see friends, unlike a close-knit neighborhood public school.

Is this true for HS parents too (especially new ones in 9th)?

I think if you make an effort to attend games/performances, volunteer at the snack bar, and attend the various gatherings the school holds, you’ll have no problem finding welcoming parents in the broader community!

And hopefully you’ll like the parents of the kids your child chooses for friends. The 9th grade entries in my kids’ friend groups seamlessly meshed - and the parent side comes alongside (carpools, introducing them to people at school events, hanging out for a bit at dropoff). The parents quickly became friends too.

Multiple kids from our K-8 have had trouble meshing into Potomac for 9th. It isn't necessarily an easy social scene to join. Think it helps a bit if you play a fall sport, or already have a friend there, but it's still far from a seamless transition for many. Part of the challenge is only 20-25 new kids in 9th so they don't have as many bonding/transition activities as schools bringing in a bigger chunk of new students.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't everyone play a fall sport?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Potomac is a fantastic school, but it is not for every family. The academics are difficult, and get more difficult as the school progresses from IS to the High School (Upper School). You should know that if you are entering in lower school. The school values community highly, and has wonderful supportive families. The school wants families to participate in their community. The facilities are incredible, and has just about every amenity for every student (affinity groups, sports, arts, etc.). It is true that it is an expensive school, and a difficult one to get into. I don't think it's Mclean based. I fact, I would argue a down side of going to a school like Potomac is that families are spread out everywhere so often kids have to travel far to see friends, unlike a close-knit neighborhood public school.

Is this true for HS parents too (especially new ones in 9th)?

I think if you make an effort to attend games/performances, volunteer at the snack bar, and attend the various gatherings the school holds, you’ll have no problem finding welcoming parents in the broader community!

And hopefully you’ll like the parents of the kids your child chooses for friends. The 9th grade entries in my kids’ friend groups seamlessly meshed - and the parent side comes alongside (carpools, introducing them to people at school events, hanging out for a bit at dropoff). The parents quickly became friends too.

Multiple kids from our K-8 have had trouble meshing into Potomac for 9th. It isn't necessarily an easy social scene to join. Think it helps a bit if you play a fall sport, or already have a friend there, but it's still far from a seamless transition for many. Part of the challenge is only 20-25 new kids in 9th so they don't have as many bonding/transition activities as schools bringing in a bigger chunk of new students.

This is why they strongly recommend a fall sport. There are near constant bonding activities, but social groups are largely formed in the fall sport.

[Anonymous]

What about social integration for students who either do not play a sport or really just aren’t athletic ?

Our DC will never be competitive in any athletic endeavor due to (medically diagnosed) motor & coordination deficits. S/he can walk and run at a basic level (i.e., no crutches or wheelchair), but always will be at a low percentile on motor & coordination skills for her/his entire life.

[Anonymous]

We are at PDS and thinking about Potomac after PDS. (DS works at Tysons, so DS has to cross the river anyway.)

* How many openings are there typically at 3rd grade ?

We have read on DCUM that 4th grade is an expansion year. Is this true ? Do they add a whole class at 4th or just have a few openings ?

* What was the experience of your DC when starting Potomac at 3rd or 4th grade ?
* How much of a change/adjustment was it socially, academically, and otherwise ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about social integration for students who either do not play a sport or really just aren’t athletic ?

Our DC will never be competitive in any athletic endeavor due to (medically diagnosed) motor & coordination deficits. S/he can walk and run at a basic level (i.e., no crutches or wheelchair), but always will be at a low percentile on motor & coordination skills for her/his entire life.

Potomac requires some sort of activity. So your child would be asked to participate in theater, robotics, debate, service learning…or they could serve as a manager on any sports team. The activities serve that same social connection purpose

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are at PDS and thinking about Potomac after PDS. (DS works at Tysons, so DS has to cross the river anyway.)

* How many openings are there typically at 3rd grade ?

We have read on DCUM that 4th grade is an expansion year. Is this true ? Do they add a whole class at 4th or just have a few openings ?

* What was the experience of your DC when starting Potomac at 3rd or 4th grade ?
* How much of a change/adjustment was it socially, academically, and otherwise ?

3rd is not an entry year.
In 4th they add 10 (plus attrition)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When we applied, we found the admissions group very focused on McLean kids and not really making any effort to get to know our Maryland kid. The Country Day school kids seemed to have an in that other's didn't.

Out of all the schools, they were the least welcoming. Maybe this has changed this was a few years ago.

..just want to add, because Potomac doesn't have a preschool, many Potomac families send their younger children to Country Day (right across the street). So while Country Day may seem like an in, many kids do not get admission even though perception seems to be there's an "IN"