My k-8 bombed

[Anonymous]

I think the answer given in the other K-8 thread gets at the issue I’ve seen at our independent K-8 the last couple of years. Way more kids the last couple of years now end up at either a single-sex independent or catholic K-12 and families with those preferences are the most happy with the admissions process. I’d be willing to bet the people chiming in that their child got into all schools they applied are primarily applying in this bucket of schools. It’s not impossible to get into a K-12 coed, especially ones like Bullis, SSSAS, Flint Hill, and SAES, but the process is more unpredictable than if you want Landon or Stone Ridge or Gonzaga or Madeira.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the answer given in the other K-8 thread gets at the issue I’ve seen at our independent K-8 the last couple of years. Way more kids the last couple of years now end up at either a single-sex independent or catholic K-12 and families with those preferences are the most happy with the admissions process. I’d be willing to bet the people chiming in that their child got into all schools they applied are primarily applying in this bucket of schools. It’s not impossible to get into a K-12 coed, especially ones like Bullis, SSSAS, Flint Hill, and SAES, but the process is more unpredictable than if you want Landon or Stone Ridge or Gonzaga or Madeira.

Is there more than one Catholic K-12?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the answer given in the other K-8 thread gets at the issue I’ve seen at our independent K-8 the last couple of years. Way more kids the last couple of years now end up at either a single-sex independent or catholic K-12 and families with those preferences are the most happy with the admissions process. I’d be willing to bet the people chiming in that their child got into all schools they applied are primarily applying in this bucket of schools. It’s not impossible to get into a K-12 coed, especially ones like Bullis, SSSAS, Flint Hill, and SAES, but the process is more unpredictable than if you want Landon or Stone Ridge or Gonzaga or Madeira.

Is there more than one Catholic K-12?

Good point. I actually meant catholic 9-12 schools. None of the ones I thinking of are actually K-12.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How on earth does anyone at a k-8 know where the entire grade got in one day after acceptances? I call BS.

People discuss their plans long before admissions decisions are handed out. And if the parents aren’t opening to discussing it, the inquiring party says, “Hey, Larla, ask Larlo where he’s going for grade x/next year”.

My kid called a couple of her best friends, but she (and I) have no idea how the entire class did. I wouldn't dream of asking a parent this the day after accepts come out.

Please don’t. MYOB. I know that’s a foreign concept in schools, but in polite circles it’s called common etiquette.

The person literally said they wouldn’t dream of asking, and you still felt the need to act all high and mighty?

[Anonymous]

Our PS-8 had typical and fantastic results: multiple kids accepted to GDS, Sidwell, NCS, STA, Holton, Landon, Visi, Potomac, Gonzaga, Prep, Episcopal, SSSAS, Flint Hill, etc. almost every one of my DD’s friends are going to their true #1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our PS-8 had typical and fantastic results: multiple kids accepted to GDS, Sidwell, NCS, STA, Holton, Landon, Visi, Potomac, Gonzaga, Prep, Episcopal, SSSAS, Flint Hill, etc. almost every one of my DD’s friends are going to their true #1.

That’s quite a geographic spread there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our PS-8 had typical and fantastic results: multiple kids accepted to GDS, Sidwell, NCS, STA, Holton, Landon, Visi, Potomac, Gonzaga, Prep, Episcopal, SSSAS, Flint Hill, etc. almost every one of my DD’s friends are going to their true #1.

That’s quite a geographic spread there.

Probably little Langley

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our PS-8 had typical and fantastic results: multiple kids accepted to GDS, Sidwell, NCS, STA, Holton, Landon, Visi, Potomac, Gonzaga, Prep, Episcopal, SSSAS, Flint Hill, etc. almost every one of my DD’s friends are going to their true #1.

That’s quite a geographic spread there.

Probably little Langley

Agree. Lots of monied families there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
None of this is fun. But I’d rather my child have an opportunity to go through an application and selection process prior to doing it for college. They will learn about themself and what’s important.

I think that’s very critical here. The high school application process is really a practice run for college. It starts the kid early in realizing he is deficient in ECs or mooching for letters. Ultimately unless you go to 1 or 2 specific high schools, where you go doesn’t matter that much compared to how you do in high school.

I went to a K-12 private school and there’s a lot of complacency for the lifers and they get a rude awakening come college applications. The strongest performers were the ones who entered the K-12 at 9th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our PS-8 had typical and fantastic results: multiple kids accepted to GDS, Sidwell, NCS, STA, Holton, Landon, Visi, Potomac, Gonzaga, Prep, Episcopal, SSSAS, Flint Hill, etc. almost every one of my DD’s friends are going to their true #1.

That’s quite a geographic spread there.

Probably little Langley

no. because this isn't the case for Little Langley - "almost every one of my DD’s friends are going to their true #1."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our PS-8 had typical and fantastic results: multiple kids accepted to GDS, Sidwell, NCS, STA, Holton, Landon, Visi, Potomac, Gonzaga, Prep, Episcopal, SSSAS, Flint Hill, etc. almost every one of my DD’s friends are going to their true #1.

That’s quite a geographic spread there.

Probably little Langley

no. because this isn't the case for Little Langley - "almost every one of my DD’s friends are going to their true #1."

How do you know the PP's kid doesn't have a small number of friends who happened to either get lucky, or lie?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our K-8, got 2 into Maret, I believe 4 into Sidwell, 2 into a Cathedral school, 1 into Holton (which is far), and then a bunch into Burke, Field, and SSSA. Several others are headed to public or Catholic and one to boarding. Once again zero admits to GDS despite the majority of the class applying. Overall, OK, but not great (BTW, some overlap in stats above, but surprisingly less than you'd think).

How do you know this is bombing and not due to parental choice? Are people complaining about big3 outcomes again?

the only big 3 school people really want is GDS and few are getting in

Wow is this really true? Just a few years ago my K-8 had 8 admitted to GDS and 1 went.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
None of this is fun. But I’d rather my child have an opportunity to go through an application and selection process prior to doing it for college. They will learn about themself and what’s important.

I think that’s very critical here. The high school application process is really a practice run for college. It starts the kid early in realizing he is deficient in ECs or mooching for letters. Ultimately unless you go to 1 or 2 specific high schools, where you go doesn’t matter that much compared to how you do in high school.

I went to a K-12 private school and there’s a lot of complacency for the lifers and they get a rude awakening come college applications. The strongest performers were the ones who entered the K-12 at 9th grade.

Re: lifers, I think it's also fair to say it's
objectively harder to get into these schools in 9th than in elementary school. Most kids who show up and do the work can get great grades in elementary school (and in the case of K admits, I think it's very hard to sus out true academic aptitude). Middle school is where grades actually start to mean something.

[Anonymous]

Re: lifers, I think it's also fair to say it's
objectively harder to get into these schools in 9th than in elementary school. Most kids who show up and do the work can get great grades in elementary school (and in the case of K admits, I think it's very hard to sus out true academic aptitude). Middle school is where grades actually start to mean something.


I think this is absolutely true - the hack to getting into these school is applying early and continuing to apply. There are still kids that don't get in and I would venture to say that the competition can be pretty tough at the 3rd and 4th grade years as well given that they have real grades and test scores by then. But in PK/K, they aren't taking tests. I don't think kids who enter in 9th are doing better with college placement because of the practice applying. I think they are doing better because they entered in the most competitive year and four years later they are likely still just as competitive. Does that mean that you should wait to see if your kid is the ringer you think they are? Probably not if you are hell bent on them graduating from a big 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
None of this is fun. But I’d rather my child have an opportunity to go through an application and selection process prior to doing it for college. They will learn about themself and what’s important.

I think that’s very critical here. The high school application process is really a practice run for college. It starts the kid early in realizing he is deficient in ECs or mooching for letters. Ultimately unless you go to 1 or 2 specific high schools, where you go doesn’t matter that much compared to how you do in high school.

I went to a K-12 private school and there’s a lot of complacency for the lifers and they get a rude awakening come college applications. The strongest performers were the ones who entered the K-12 at 9th grade.

Re: lifers, I think it's also fair to say it's
objectively harder to get into these schools in 9th than in elementary school. Most kids who show up and do the work can get great grades in elementary school (and in the case of K admits, I think it's very hard to sus out true academic aptitude). Middle school is where grades actually start to mean something.

This isn’t totally true because many of the lifers for whom it’s a poor fit transfer out at 9th. The ones who stay tend to be kids who do quite well in the college lottery.