Why is Flint Hill seen as a weaker school?

[Anonymous]

The fundamental issue DCUM has with FH is that it is outside the beltway and far from NW DC. DCUM self-selects for people who live in or near NW DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live in western Fairfax County and work in Fairfax County, you don’t usually want to drive into Potomac anyway. FH is a good option.

The Potomac School is in McLean (ie Fairfax), not Potomac, MD. Theoretically convenient for Fairfax parents? That said, as another said, they require busing due to traffic concerns so the drive is irrelevant.

Funnily enough, the McLean School is in Potomac, MD.

Oh, are the buses on wings? If not, the drive *is* relevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you live in western Fairfax County and work in Fairfax County, you don’t usually want to drive into Potomac anyway. FH is a good option.

For those poor souls, Flint Hill is the only option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my neck of the woods, FH is perceived to be for kids who didn’t test into FCPS AAP and/or kids with learning differences. People living in that geographic area who want academic rigor go to Potomac. FH is a wanna-be private. Don’t flame me - not my opinion, just what I hear.

Find other sources. Your’s aren’t very good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my neck of the woods, FH is perceived to be for kids who didn’t test into FCPS AAP and/or kids with learning differences. People living in that geographic area who want academic rigor go to Potomac. FH is a wanna-be private. Don’t flame me - not my opinion, just what I hear.

Find other sources. Your’s aren’t very good.

DP here. We live in McLean and the kids who go to FH are the not so strong students from public. They are the kids who were not doing well socially or academically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because FHS accepts widely resulting in a large range of academic abilities. This makes it very similar to a public school. Other schools in the area cater to kids who excel academically which makes them more "elite".

Take that for what you will. We applied to FHS. I then realized that it was very similar to our local public and figured that I'd save the money.

This might blow your mind, but most people are just average…and that includes kids at Sidwell. It’s statistics. Frankly, this might be even more true at a place like Sidwell, where parents connections hold so much sway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing about Flint Hill, other than class sizes, that sets it apart from a good public high school.

It’s the secular version of Paul VI or O’Connell or BI, but it cost an extra $20k.

Ok, can you now explain what a Sidwell or st. Albans or whatever has that is different and extra other than an academically homogenous group and more applicants?

Gravitas and class.

[Anonymous]

Golly day, guys…

OP - It lacks the prestige of the super elite DC privates for a number of reasons: lower percentage of student body going to truly elite universities (they have matriculations at top schools but it isn’t like the Big 5), less connected parents, outside of the beltway, not been around as long, etc.

I went to college with a particularly powerful Senator’s daughter. I remember being at a party with her senior year when I said I was moving to DC and she started waxing poetic about how much she loved DC but could never live there if she wasn’t “in the scene” like her dad. Many of us on this board have managed a great life in DC without chairing major Senate committees or being married to someone who does but I’m sure that afforded her some cool access.

It’s the same distinction here. Flint Hill can be great for the families that attend and snobby more connected people can want nothing to do with it.

Are there advantages to other privates due to connections/history/prestige? Yes. Can you get a fabulous education at Flint Hill? Yes. Is the school supportive of kids with learning differences or kids that maybe aren’t testing into AAP but their parents want more challenging academics? Yes. And I don’t think that warrants the snide remarks and derision of the previous posters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Golly day, guys…

OP - It lacks the prestige of the super elite DC privates for a number of reasons: lower percentage of student body going to truly elite universities (they have matriculations at top schools but it isn’t like the Big 5), less connected parents, outside of the beltway, not been around as long, etc.

I went to college with a particularly powerful Senator’s daughter. I remember being at a party with her senior year when I said I was moving to DC and she started waxing poetic about how much she loved DC but could never live there if she wasn’t “in the scene” like her dad. Many of us on this board have managed a great life in DC without chairing major Senate committees or being married to someone who does but I’m sure that afforded her some cool access.

It’s the same distinction here. Flint Hill can be great for the families that attend and snobby more connected people can want nothing to do with it.

Are there advantages to other privates due to connections/history/prestige? Yes. Can you get a fabulous education at Flint Hill? Yes. Is the school supportive of kids with learning differences or kids that maybe aren’t testing into AAP but their parents want more challenging academics? Yes. And I don’t think that warrants the snide remarks and derision of the previous posters.

Agreed. To summarize, FH is a solid private school just like there are solid private universities outside of the Ivy League. If you listen to a bunch of Ivy League snobs, it’s going to seem like Georgetown is a 3rd tier bottom of the barrel university. In the grand scheme of things, it is a great option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Golly day, guys…

OP - It lacks the prestige of the super elite DC privates for a number of reasons: lower percentage of student body going to truly elite universities (they have matriculations at top schools but it isn’t like the Big 5), less connected parents, outside of the beltway, not been around as long, etc.

I went to college with a particularly powerful Senator’s daughter. I remember being at a party with her senior year when I said I was moving to DC and she started waxing poetic about how much she loved DC but could never live there if she wasn’t “in the scene” like her dad. Many of us on this board have managed a great life in DC without chairing major Senate committees or being married to someone who does but I’m sure that afforded her some cool access.

It’s the same distinction here. Flint Hill can be great for the families that attend and snobby more connected people can want nothing to do with it.

Are there advantages to other privates due to connections/history/prestige? Yes. Can you get a fabulous education at Flint Hill? Yes. Is the school supportive of kids with learning differences or kids that maybe aren’t testing into AAP but their parents want more challenging academics? Yes. And I don’t think that warrants the snide remarks and derision of the previous posters.

It is ridiculous to mention Georgetown and Flint Hill in the same discussion.

Agreed. To summarize, FH is a solid private school just like there are solid private universities outside of the Ivy League. If you listen to a bunch of Ivy League snobs, it’s going to seem like Georgetown is a 3rd tier bottom of the barrel university. In the grand scheme of things, it is a great option.

[Anonymous]

Ok, says the FHS grad who went on to Georgetown, UVa, and an Ivy. Enlighten me?

[Anonymous]

The ignorance and bigotry here is truly breathtaking. We are fortunate to live in an area where a good education, public or private, is eeeeeasy to attain. Count your blessings, and stow your parochialism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, says the FHS grad who went on to Georgetown, UVa, and an Ivy. Enlighten me?

Are you a unicorn?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my neck of the woods, FH is perceived to be for kids who didn’t test into FCPS AAP and/or kids with learning differences. People living in that geographic area who want academic rigor go to Potomac. FH is a wanna-be private. Don’t flame me - not my opinion, just what I hear.

Find other sources. Your’s aren’t very good.

DP here. We live in McLean and the kids who go to FH are the not so strong students from public. They are the kids who were not doing well socially or academically.

This.

[Anonymous]

FH seems to lag with college admissions. There was a time when its star was rising. It certainly could have become a stronger school than SSSAS. It doesn't have the pedigree of other DC independents. It started as a segregation academy. It was pretty small until Til Hazel took it over in 1990 and reorganized it.