Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: % ATTENDING 15 TOP COLLEGES

1 Thomas Jefferson Magnet 9.18%
2 Montgomery Blair Magnet 4.51%
3 Sidwell Friends School 14.40%
4 National Cathedral School (NCS) 15.79%
5 St. Albans School 14.21%
6 Maret School 10.42%
7 Georgetown Day School 9.54%
8 St. Anselm's School 5.22%
9 Holton-Arms School 7.09%
10 Potomac School 6.63%


https://www.lotusprep.com/best-high-schools-dc/

What % do you think is Wilson? That's still the best DCPS high school, yes?

No, Wilson does not belong on this list. Go around that area at 3:00 and you will see why.

Truly silly methodology for this list.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP, you seem to be reading a lot extra into OP's 10-word post.

You also clearly want to brag about TJ's students accepted to MIT, so maybe you should start a thread about that, because OP didn't say anything about MIT.

OP also didn't say anything about the "percentage" of students either. Op just said "most". According to your "only the facts" mantra, TJ appears to send the most students to Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Standard. In addition, if you want to use the last 5 years average number, you should use the last 5 years average numbers for TJ as well to be consistent. If not, only use the same "data" that you love to emphasize which would be the class of 2016 data.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP, you seem to be reading a lot extra into OP's 10-word post.

You also clearly want to brag about TJ's students accepted to MIT, so maybe you should start a thread about that, because OP didn't say anything about MIT.

OP also didn't say anything about the "percentage" of students either. Op just said "most". According to your "only the facts" mantra, TJ appears to send the most students to Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Standard. In addition, if you want to use the last 5 years average number, you should use the last 5 years average numbers for TJ as well to be consistent. If not, only use the same "data" that you love to emphasize which would be the class of 2016 data.

This. And if you consider that a higher number of the private school kids are legacies than at TJ and that Asian kids need to score higher than their white counterparts to be accepted to the same schools (TJ being majority Asian unlike at privates), the TJ numbers are particularly impressive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP, you seem to be reading a lot extra into OP's 10-word post.

You also clearly want to brag about TJ's students accepted to MIT, so maybe you should start a thread about that, because OP didn't say anything about MIT.

OP also didn't say anything about the "percentage" of students either. Op just said "most". According to your "only the facts" mantra, TJ appears to send the most students to Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Standard. In addition, if you want to use the last 5 years average number, you should use the last 5 years average numbers for TJ as well to be consistent. If not, only use the same "data" that you love to emphasize which would be the class of 2016 data.

This. And if you consider that a higher number of the private school kids are legacies than at TJ and that Asian kids need to score higher than their white counterparts to be accepted to the same schools (TJ being majority Asian unlike at privates), the TJ numbers are particularly impressive.

Most private school parents don't want to acknowledge that fact.

Anonymous wrote:Most private parents don't think of TJ at all. It just offers a different service - but that does not take away from the school's obvious excellence.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most private parents don't think of TJ at all. It just offers a different service - but that does not take away from the school's obvious excellence.

+1

If you are inclined to want to go private, what is or isn't happening at the public schools is irrelevant. Most folks, in my experience, that rave about their public schools do so focusing on how different their child's public school is from others, which traditionally have reputations that are poor and honestly earned. If your child goes to a public school around here and has a great experience and winds up at the college of his or her dreams, wonderful!! Same sentiment for the child who goes private and has a great experience and winds up at the college of his or her dreams. But most people in this area, if they can afford it and are aware of the differences between privates and public institutions generally, won't consider public schools with so many incredible privates to choose from.

I always am amazed at the people I know who state that living in Fairfax County is required if you have children because those are the only schools worth attending. Lots of folks from Fairfax in private schools. Many have said it's because they wanted more for their children than those fine institutions could provide.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: % ATTENDING 15 TOP COLLEGES

1 Thomas Jefferson Magnet 9.18%
2 Montgomery Blair Magnet 4.51%
3 Sidwell Friends School 14.40%
4 National Cathedral School (NCS) 15.79%
5 St. Albans School 14.21%
6 Maret School 10.42%
7 Georgetown Day School 9.54%
8 St. Anselm's School 5.22%
9 Holton-Arms School 7.09%
10 Potomac School 6.63%


https://www.lotusprep.com/best-high-schools-dc/

Wilson is being renovated again, to have two doors. They will be labeled "Yale" and "Jail".

What % do you think is Wilson? That's still the best DCPS high school, yes?

No, Wilson does not belong on this list. Go around that area at 3:00 and you will see why.

Anonymous wrote:GDS has the reputation for sending the highest proportion of seniors to Harvard and other top Ivies. It's their "secret sauce."

pbraverman wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard GDS and Sidwell only. Anyone know otherwise?

I'm not sure whether this question is serious. If it is...

The idea that a school's placement history at "name schools" (or SAT scores) will necessarily rub off on any specific student is folly. There is a case to be made in the opposite direction, in fact — namely, that if your child is one of three applying to Penn, and she's worked her way through a gritty high school, she'll have a better shot getting in than if she's one of 30 at a posh independent school.

My wife has an undergraduate Ivy degree, and I have one from graduate school. We both believe that our non-Ivy experiences were far superior on almost measure one would apply.

I'd suggest considering a college that fits your child when that time arrives, rather than the other way around. The odds of getting into one of those colleges, cumulatively, is less than one in 10. Why set a child up for failure based on parent dreams?

COLLEGE IS NOT THE END GAME.


Thanks Peter. I do have my youngest at an independent school but not for the reason of getting into an Ivy. I hope this doesn't hurt her chances of getting in a school fit for her. Our intentions on sending her to private was not for the end game of top colleges but to insure that she was well prepared for the rigor of college. Our oldest, public school education successful completed bachelors at a big 10 and is now graduating with masters from an Ivy. While she did have a good education in public isn't without having the luck of draw of few great teachers. Even then she felt others were well prepared to succeed than her and they had more opportunities from both a mix of private or public schools.

Peter
_____________________

Disclaimer: The anonymity here makes me uncomfortable; it's easy to be uninformed, personal, or simply mean-spirited if people don't identify themselves. For that reason, I have an account so you know whose words you're reading. I have more than 20 years' experience as a teacher and administrator in independent schools, and I have counseled hundreds of students in finding their next schools. I hope I can be helpful to some folks. If you don't like something I've said, you're in good company — there's a long line of past students and parents ahead of you. If you want to chat further, please feel free to contact me offline: peter <at> arcpd <dot> com

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most private parents don't think of TJ at all. It just offers a different service - but that does not take away from the school's obvious excellence.

+1

If you are inclined to want to go private, what is or isn't happening at the public schools is irrelevant. Most folks, in my experience, that rave about their public schools do so focusing on how different their child's public school is from others, which traditionally have reputations that are poor and honestly earned. If your child goes to a public school around here and has a great experience and winds up at the college of his or her dreams, wonderful!! Same sentiment for the child who goes private and has a great experience and winds up at the college of his or her dreams. But most people in this area, if they can afford it and are aware of the differences between privates and public institutions generally, won't consider public schools with so many incredible privates to choose from.

I always am amazed at the people I know who state that living in Fairfax County is required if you have children because those are the only schools worth attending. Lots of folks from Fairfax in private schools. Many have said it's because they wanted more for their children than those fine institutions could provide.

Most private parents don't think of TJ because it's too Asian, too rigorous and still Public.