Based solely on academics, rank the top 5 private high schools in DC/VA/MD

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Which lower school is best for instilling critical thinking skills while also teaching solid foundational skills?

SFS (don’t like their new picture math methods tho), PDS, Potomac, Maret lower schools have solid instruction and materials.

Can you please explain the math thing?

Ask the progressive schools what math curriculum they use, for how long, and why the change. And who led the change.
Then ask how it’s going and how do they measure its efficacy. Ask them their academic goals and how they measure achievement, if at all.
Do not accept fuzzy cliches as an answer to How do kids master math and demonstrate mastery. It’s not fuzzy.

Then decide if that’s what you want for your kids.

If you're entering before middle school, ask what high school track the average student entering at ES ends up on. Lots of the kids on the higher tracks are entering at MS or HS, often from publics which push acceleration harder in math than independents.

Agree good question.

Disagree that publics with tracking are accelerating smart students too much. Especially given watered down national averages and standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which lower school is best for instilling critical thinking skills while also teaching solid foundational skills?

SFS (don’t like their new picture math methods tho), PDS, Potomac, Maret lower schools have solid instruction and materials.

Can you please explain the math thing?

Ask the progressive schools what math curriculum they use, for how long, and why the change. And who led the change.
Then ask how it’s going and how do they measure its efficacy. Ask them their academic goals and how they measure achievement, if at all.
Do not accept fuzzy cliches as an answer to How do kids master math and demonstrate mastery. It’s not fuzzy.

Then decide if that’s what you want for your kids.

If you're entering before middle school, ask what high school track the average student entering at ES ends up on. Lots of the kids on the higher tracks are entering at MS or HS, often from publics which push acceleration harder in math than independents.

The school convinces them not to worry about doing math problems correctly or efficiently, after not teaching them how to either.
Just keep telling them that writing and liberal arts will save the day.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:WIS offers the hardest high school diploma anyone can obtain. The dual IB diploma. And the school has kids in top colleges in the US and around the world.

So I would definitely have them in the top five.

This.

WiS is a global brand. Others, day GDS for example, have zero recognition outside the DC elite bubble.

There is no way anyone can name a top 5 independent school. You can try to use college matriculation as a measure but honestly, we know that’s not very helpful. Also, WIS college matriculation looks no different than Maret, Gonzaga, or Prep for that matter.

In the world of DCUM the top schools will always be the most popular/elite schools.

Which will always be
NCS/STA
Sidwell
GDS
Maret
Holton

Maret does NOT belong in this group. It is a step below all of the schools listed above. There is nothing that distinguishes Maret from any other regular independent school found in random cities across the country. It’s a perfectly acceptable, yet very basic independent school.

No GDS is the one to go. There is a lot of hype for the school that is not backed up. It does not belong on the list. I really do not understand the hype around it.

Holton, Maret, NCS, STA, Sidwell

+1. Not dog in the fight but we found Maret a lot more compelling for various reasons but primarily a well-rounded offering. GDS athletics leaves a lot to be desired. I know this topic is just for academics. Buy many very smart kids want to be at a well rounded school which is why many of those student turn away from GDS and towards Sidwell and Maret.

Please stay on topic. The question was about academics and Maret is not up to GDS’ level.

Hi GDS booster -- neither Maret nor GDS are up to the level of topv5 in the city.

So sorry.

So I’m a GDS booster because I’m stating facts? Maret has no brand. It’s just a regular everyday private school. All of the top DC privates have rigorous academics and clearly defined brands.

I will say that Maret has improved its reputation in recent years. A generation ago, it was known as the private for not so smart students. The school you attended if you were counseled out of the Cathedral Schools/Sidwell/GDS. Perhaps in another generation, Burke will be where Maret is now.

I’ll take a real school over a branded fun house any day.

Agree. Someone would really need to explain to me why my child's education needs a brand.

“Brand” is shorthand for what distinguishes one school from another. Maret is similar to many other coed schools found throughout this country—nothing special. It’s not single gender with a focus on the unique needs of boys or girls. It’s not Quaker, Episcopalian, Catholic, etc and promoting those particular religious values. It doesn’t have a clearly defined social justice focus, with the history to back it up. It’s not even foreign language/international/humanities/arts/stem focused with unique programs that support that curriculum.

It’s just a basic private school that offers nothing special. I want more for my children…and my money. But to each his own.

So it doesn’t spend as much time on all that political agenda nonsense each week? It’s a normal prep school in Washington DC!?!?!!

Exactly! It’s a normal/regular/basic/plain vanilla private school.

[Anonymous]

Cathedral Schools
Sidwell
GDS
Potomac
Holton

[Anonymous]

St Anselm's Abbey is a top school for academic preparation of all students. If you enter in 9th grade you must take:

AP Bio
AP World History
AP US History
AP English
At least AB Calculus
Some very tough religion classes

There is not an easier track for the boys. And the teachers are teaching the classes so that you can obtain a high score.

I know you can say kids need more in-depth classes, more advanced classes, etc. But anyone who graduates from here has had a very broad, difficult curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:St Anselm's Abbey is a top school for academic preparation of all students. If you enter in 9th grade you must take:

AP Bio
AP World History
AP US History
AP English
At least AB Calculus
Some very tough religion classes

There is not an easier track for the boys. And the teachers are teaching the classes so that you can obtain a high score.

I know you can say kids need more in-depth classes, more advanced classes, etc. But anyone who graduates from here has had a very broad, difficult curriculum.

If APs are the metric, then BASIS McLean beats that by a wide margin.

[Anonymous]

why did nobody mention Landon?

[Anonymous]

We thought that Basis posts were funny enough

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:St Anselm's Abbey is a top school for academic preparation of all students. If you enter in 9th grade you must take:

AP Bio
AP World History
AP US History
AP English
At least AB Calculus
Some very tough religion classes

There is not an easier track for the boys. And the teachers are teaching the classes so that you can obtain a high score.

I know you can say kids need more in-depth classes, more advanced classes, etc. But anyone who graduates from here has had a very broad, difficult curriculum.

You forgot Latin

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Flint Hill
Wakefield
Paul VI
Hill
Brownie Academy

LOL! Public is better than that list.

[Anonymous]

This thread has been started by Basis Mclean boosters. They asked for schools in DC/VA/MD ( see title) just so that Basis could be in the conversation.

The title has “based solely on academics” to ensure there is a hook to include Basis.

Then the conversation was deliberately veered to APs which are no longer a thing for many privates ~ again to keep Basis in the conversation.

I am sure someone will now bring up AMC or something similar that Basis emphasizes. Again to boost Basis.

This is what happens when a for profit school enters the mix. A lot of dollars are riding on the success of the school. And getting publicity via DCUM is much better than advertising.

It is legit way for the school to sell its services but it is good for us to know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread has been started by Basis Mclean boosters. They asked for schools in DC/VA/MD ( see title) just so that Basis could be in the conversation.

The title has “based solely on academics” to ensure there is a hook to include Basis.

Then the conversation was deliberately veered to APs which are no longer a thing for many privates ~ again to keep Basis in the conversation.

I am sure someone will now bring up AMC or something similar that Basis emphasizes. Again to boost Basis.

This is what happens when a for profit school enters the mix. A lot of dollars are riding on the success of the school. And getting publicity via DCUM is much better than advertising.

It is legit way for the school to sell its services but it is good for us to know.

What the boosters won't tell you is that BIM has lost many of its best core teachers, especially in STEM, the past two years. They have an urgent opening for an AP Physics and Linear Algebra teacher during the school year. Some teachers left for personal reasons, some because they couldn't stand the new HoS. Now they teach at many of the other schools discussed here. They are gone.

So past BIM results are far from guaranteed given the larger number of new and less qualified faculty.

[Anonymous]

Just look at matriculation lists. That's the only metric.

Don't lose sight of the plot...ie getting your child into the school that they want to go to, whether it a state school or an Ivy doesn't matter, only where the kid wants to go. IF the private school is too caught up in their own brand and doesn't help that mission, it isn't worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just look at matriculation lists. That's the only metric.

Don't lose sight of the plot...ie getting your child into the school that they want to go to, whether it a state school or an Ivy doesn't matter, only where the kid wants to go. IF the private school is too caught up in their own brand and doesn't help that mission, it isn't worth it.

Lot of noise there given legacy donators, URM preferences, no testing the last few years.

May as well go to top public. Those are academic and grads in our neighborhood went to top colleges, found it easy and now are at top internships and full time jobs across a range of disciplines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just look at matriculation lists. That's the only metric.

Don't lose sight of the plot...ie getting your child into the school that they want to go to, whether it a state school or an Ivy doesn't matter, only where the kid wants to go. IF the private school is too caught up in their own brand and doesn't help that mission, it isn't worth it.

Lot of noise there given legacy donators, URM preferences, no testing the last few years.

May as well go to top public. Those are academic and grads in our neighborhood went to top colleges, found it easy and now are at top internships and full time jobs across a range of disciplines.

yeah - it's especially helpful since top publics bar legacies and URMs (and don't forget those athletic recruits) from attending so they don't skew the college admissions process . . .