Looking for feedback on the Potomac School

[Anonymous]

They are spending way too much on the salaries of poor leadership while charging extortionate tuition:

https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/540562160

[Anonymous]

How hard is the high school academically? Are they into grade deflation? Does anyone know how workload compares to sidwell, gds, sta, ncs? - for those of us looking for a little less?

[Anonymous]

Neighbor kid recently graduated from Potomac, with a STEM focus. Admitted to a top OOS public university for engineering school. He said the heavy academic workload at Potomac probably is very similar to sidwell, cathedral, or gds at MS and HS. (He had friends at each of those.) He felt Potomac’s lower school and intermediate school were not as difficult as the MS and US - just as it would be true for the lower grades at any other school. He felt MS and US grading was tough but fair - not a lot of A grades in any course. He said there was no grade inflation at Potomac. After finishing 1st year of ECE in college, he also said he had been well prepared by Potomac for E School.

[Anonymous]

Slowly but surely the center of gravity for the DMV has been moving towards NoVA. Potomac will (a) benefit from this as more wealthy private school patronizing families move to NoVA; and (b) the school will get many more NoVA kids for the same reason and will appear McLean- centric. The school is perhaps the best in NoVA and among the very best in The DMV. And it will get more selective over time for the reasons mentioned above. It is a rigorous school with excellent college outcomes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How hard is the high school academically? Are they into grade deflation? Does anyone know how workload compares to sidwell, gds, sta, ncs? - for those of us looking for a little less?

For the honors track courses, hard. Yes they are into grade deflation. It is about the same as the other schools mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Class composition will largely dictate your child’s experience. This year’s Senior class is horrible, for example, but Junior year students nicer.

This thread exposes a lot of the grading warts at the school:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1031793.page#21830829

[Anonymous]

This year’s senior class is wonderful. See there are other opinions out there. The good news is many schools in the area and if you are unhappy there will be many others to explore. Problems solved!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This year’s senior class is wonderful. See there are other opinions out there. The good news is many schools in the area and if you are unhappy there will be many others to explore. Problems solved!

Previous poster was correct. Senior class is awful and has never come together as a class. Perhaps covid or just make up of the class.

[Anonymous]

It is a rigorous school with wonderful teachers and school spirit, but it caters to a very specific type of kid, particularly pre-high school- athletic, neurotypical, extroverted, and wealthy. If your kid is on the shy side and/or doesn’t play sports, it can be a difficult environment to navigate and the “star” athletes and students tend to suck up a lot of oxygen. Agree that the class composition can make/break the experience. DD’s class was awful- loud, entitled, disruptive, lots of drugs and alcohol. DS’s class was the opposite- very bright, focused, “good” kids. The upper school was much stronger than the LS/MS/IS in our experience, so you could just apply for 9th (or even 7th, which I think is slightly easier to get in) and save $ in the meantime. The school has a very particular vibe, so would only apply if it aligns with your kids’ interests and personalities. Plenty of other schools out there. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are pretty happy there. As with any school, teachers can range from excellent to ok, with some not-so-great, as well. The other factor to consider with respect to finances is that there are extremely wealthy families. I don't think we would have been comfortable with our children attending from K-12, given the amount of wealth. It is not the norm. And very McLean centric. If you live in another part of the DC area, be prepared to drive your children to McLean for playdates, parties, school events, etc. It is much harder to volunteer and attend school activities (which often occur during the day), if you live outside the McLean area.

Hard to make friends if you live outside the McLean area. It’s like an exclusive club. If you arrive driving a Toyota or a Hyundai, your fellow parents will think you’re the nanny.
It’s the ideal environment to be bullied, I guess.

[Anonymous]

What is the “very particular vibe”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a rigorous school with wonderful teachers and school spirit, but it caters to a very specific type of kid, particularly pre-high school- athletic, neurotypical, extroverted, and wealthy. If your kid is on the shy side and/or doesn’t play sports, it can be a difficult environment to navigate and the “star” athletes and students tend to suck up a lot of oxygen. Agree that the class composition can make/break the experience. DD’s class was awful- loud, entitled, disruptive, lots of drugs and alcohol. DS’s class was the opposite- very bright, focused, “good” kids. The upper school was much stronger than the LS/MS/IS in our experience, so you could just apply for 9th (or even 7th, which I think is slightly easier to get in) and save $ in the meantime. The school has a very particular vibe, so would only apply if it aligns with your kids’ interests and personalities. Plenty of other schools out there. Good luck!

Agree 💯 with above comments-and would add that the admin and teachers also cater to this type of kid. The shy, quiet and kind kids are bypassed for the leadership positions in favor for the lifers and the BS artists. Cheaters get overlooked or a slap on the wrist. Academics are rigorous and college outcomes largely good but everything about this place felt disingenuous. The graduating class is fragmented with bullying cliques ruling the roost. Covid probably played a role but not the whole story. As the PP said, look beyond the surface and choose carefully.

[Anonymous]

Don’t do it. So much money there. It sucks being the poor kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Class composition will largely dictate your child’s experience. This year’s Senior class is horrible, for example, but Junior year students nicer.

This thread exposes a lot of the grading warts at the school:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1031793.page#21830829

In case anyone is wondering, absolutely nothing has changed since the referenced thread. Still no idea what grades are, still months to have things returned by certain teachers. Administration still acts shocked when given the feedback.

[Anonymous]

Our DS couldn't be happier. Just like any school, different kids have different experiences, but ours has been excellent. Our DS is happy, has friends and is doing well. We are not among the wealthy families, but our child has never been excluded or made to feel "less than" in any way.