Do high schools with minimal homework exist? What are they?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of them as far as I'm concerned. My kid barely does anything and has straight A's in MCPS.

Yes, and this is why grade inflation is so rampant in the public school system. A 4.0 student in FCPS, MCPS, LCPS, etc. do not compare to a 4.0 (heck, even a 3.75) student at a competitive private school.

Absolutely BS.

Private school in the DMV is not even close to public when it comes to Math or Science. Which is why acceptances to places like CMU, MIT, Georgia Tech etc are much higher in public.

Now if your kid went to a boarding school like Andover then sure. Buy your response you are at one of the local Catholic schools.

[Anonymous]

***It depends on the chid's processing speed and executive function. This cannot be repeated enough!***

DC1 with inattentive ADHD has very low processing speed. He took a dozen AP courses in high school, the rest Honors, with very few required on-level classes. He was up past midnight working, because he's so darn slow.

DC2 is quick and organized. She has no trouble doing all the most challenging classes with time to spare to goof off (ie, do her numerous extra curriculars, then goof off).

It ALL depends on the kid, people!

[Anonymous]

There is really a trade off here between the rigor needed for high school admissions. At many of these schools you can limit the homework through course selection, but it comes at the cost of having a transcript that is less appealing for college admission. How much that matters to you and whether it affects you (for instance if you have a sports hook or other strong hook it possibly might alter the calculus). But I don’t know any school where you can on the one hand take the more rigorous load possible and avoid homework. This is true even at schools regarded as more balanced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It really depends on class selection. For instance, a student taking all honors and APs at Bullis will have more homework that a student taking just the regular track classes at Sidwell. (Some of the regular track classes still will have a decent amount obviously), but rigor and homework is more a question of class selection than school much of the time.

The regular track classes at Sidwell are equivalent to the honors classes at Bullis. Bullis prides itself on not being a pressure cooker.

[Anonymous]

Good for you for seeking balance for your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't want to start a homework debate but my child is burned out by the end of the school day.

Have heard Field does not have much homework

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of them as far as I'm concerned. My kid barely does anything and has straight A's in MCPS.

Way to post in the appropriate forum.

News flash....there are families that actually have kids in both private and pubic...

[Anonymous]

With rich people it's called " having your cake and eating it too". It's the same reason why poor people pay high tax rates that rich people. It's called corruption and its what we hold dear in this country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unclear what is meant by “minimal.”

But it is absolutely true that people on here tend to view hours of homework per night as a proxy for school quality. When, in reality, activity often does not equal achievement.

It is a continuum. And will vary by student. But it is safe to say that Field/Burke are toward the lower end. Homework, yes, but not a soul crushing amount.

Personally, I am deeply skeptical of the idea that 3 hours per night every night is intrinsically a good thing.

Agreed. This varies with kid and chosen course selection, and our eyes, 3 hours of homework a night is not intrinsically a good thing.

Given that, and knowing our kid (who is a bit of a perfectionist) when we looked at HS this past fall (graduating out of a K-8), Burke, Field, SSFS, SAES, and Bullis were in the ballpark homework-wise.

This is the list I'd come up with too. But even at some of the other schools - you can limit homework dramatically by not being in the highest rigor courses. This usually can't be avoided for English/History - but choice of language (Latin) and taking the most basic math/science course will greatly reduce homework at a Big 3.

Why would Latin have less homework than other languages?

[Anonymous]

Generally speaking the independent private high schools consider themselves to be mostly college prep and as such consider themselves to have rigor and as such, no.

Obviously it varies from kid to kid and what classes they take, but you can't have a rigorous college prep program and simultaneously also have "minimal" homework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It really depends on class selection. For instance, a student taking all honors and APs at Bullis will have more homework that a student taking just the regular track classes at Sidwell. (Some of the regular track classes still will have a decent amount obviously), but rigor and homework is more a question of class selection than school much of the time.

This is the answer right here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Generally speaking the independent private high schools consider themselves to be mostly college prep and as such consider themselves to have rigor and as such, no.

Obviously it varies from kid to kid and what classes they take, but you can't have a rigorous college prep program and simultaneously also have "minimal" homework.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unclear what is meant by “minimal.”

But it is absolutely true that people on here tend to view hours of homework per night as a proxy for school quality. When, in reality, activity often does not equal achievement.

It is a continuum. And will vary by student. But it is safe to say that Field/Burke are toward the lower end. Homework, yes, but not a soul crushing amount.

Personally, I am deeply skeptical of the idea that 3 hours per night every night is intrinsically a good thing.

Agreed. This varies with kid and chosen course selection, and our eyes, 3 hours of homework a night is not intrinsically a good thing.

Given that, and knowing our kid (who is a bit of a perfectionist) when we looked at HS this past fall (graduating out of a K-8), Burke, Field, SSFS, SAES, and Bullis were in the ballpark homework-wise.

This is the list I'd come up with too. But even at some of the other schools - you can limit homework dramatically by not being in the highest rigor courses. This usually can't be avoided for English/History - but choice of language (Latin) and taking the most basic math/science course will greatly reduce homework at a Big 3.

Not AP Latin. It is hours of memorization. Both kids took it at Big 3.

Why would Latin have less homework than other languages?

[Anonymous]

SJC uses the flipped classroom model and has reasonable homework expectations even in AP and honors classes. It really does not ramp up until junior year.