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. |
The person literally said they wouldn’t dream of asking, and you still felt the need to act all high and mighty? |
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. |
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. |
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? |
Wow is this really true? Just a few years ago my K-8 had 8 admitted to GDS and 1 went. |
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. |
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. |
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. |