What are the best independent schools ranked 1 - 8 ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where’ve you been? Is the #1 school in the DC area according to multiple reports.

"Multiple reports," thanks for the great laugh!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1 is SFS Hands down
2 is NCS/STA combined
3 is GDS
The rest isn’t worth the tuition

Or you could move to a W school cluster.

💯💯💯💯💯

We live in the Whitman cluster and send our kids to private school, as do half of our neighbors.

Are the other 1/2 happy at Whitman?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are the so called big three always tied for # one?

Yes, please tell is about the Big 1!

Is #BigThree an only DCUM thing?

Yes. It's only a DCUM thing, wanting to copy/imitate the W, which is a real thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BIM has a legitimate argument for a certain type of kid as a top school. Just look elsewhere if you great extracurriculars, sports, or prestige.

...or a quality education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BIM has a legitimate argument for a certain type of kid as a top school. Just look elsewhere if you great extracurriculars, sports, or prestige.

...or a quality education.

I consistently see BIM win or place 2nd/3rd in all the academic/science competitions around here so pretty sure they provide a quality education. I just don’t hear about much else about the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1 is SFS Hands down
2 is NCS/STA combined
3 is GDS
The rest isn’t worth the tuition

Or you could move to a W school cluster.

💯💯💯💯💯

We live in the Whitman cluster and send our kids to private school, as do half of our neighbors.

Same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I take a certain solace in periodically coming to this board and finding discussions of the Big 3 or the Big 5. It's comforting to know that no matter how asinine this discussion is there seems to be no stopping it, either by consensus or attrition. And this week's post serves as further confirmation that hell remains balmy with no sign of freeze.

Why is it important that we recognize three schools as "Big" anything? It clearly is not helpful to a wide swath of private school parents who would never send their kids to two of these schools because they are affiliated with religious institutions. I pass no judgment on the quality of education at STA or NCS, but they aren't options for many people. Do the people that send kids to these schools need to feel better that their kids are going to a "Big" school? Being a part of a coalition of schools doesn't mean a thing; it's the educational experience that best suits your child that matters. The Ivy League (named so because it was originally compromised of four schools - written as IV in roman numerals) now has eight members. People aren't getting their hackles about being OG Ivy though. And virtually every ranking system scores Stanford, Duke, MIT, CalTech and UChicago above roughly half of the schools in the Ivy League. We accept all this, but yet not two weeks goes by when someone isn't on this Board trying to create tiers and status largely based on the DC of the 1950s (GDS didn't even exist before 1945; Potomac's high school started in 1987, etc.).

Historically, there were Big 3 Broadcasters (NBC, CBS, and ABC) and Big 3 Automakers (GM, Chrysler and Ford). But a sizable number of you get your news from Fox or Jon Stewart and drive Teslas. And I still can't get an adequate explanation of why the BigTen has 14 members...

May I suggest more interesting conversations about the Big 3? Perhaps causes of divorce (alcoholism, adultery, being an a$$hole), or personality traits of DCUM P&IS posters (insecurity, overachievement, paranoia). We need to recognize that labels like the Big 3 can be toxic, divisive and harmful to students by placing more of an emphasis on status and tradition than on student well-being and educational outcomes.

I'll be back in a few weeks for my favorite post: What were you doing when you got the acceptance. In the interim I hope everyone finds some Bolivian marching powder and well needed perspective.

You are so disingenuous. Sidwell is Quaker. Yes, they talk about God. All 3 of the Big 3 are religious, but I guess you are willing to overlook that Sidwell is Quaker since it “feels” less invasive to go to a Friends meeting rather than Cathedral. Oh, and let’s be honest, you really like to say your kid goes to the school the Clinton and Obama kids attended.

[Anonymous]

Sidwell is no 1. It’s not even close

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1 is SFS Hands down
2 is NCS/STA combined
3 is GDS
The rest isn’t worth the tuition

Or you could move to a W school cluster.

💯💯💯💯💯

We live in the Whitman cluster and send our kids to private school, as do half of our neighbors.

This is not an exaggeration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I take a certain solace in periodically coming to this board and finding discussions of the Big 3 or the Big 5. It's comforting to know that no matter how asinine this discussion is there seems to be no stopping it, either by consensus or attrition. And this week's post serves as further confirmation that hell remains balmy with no sign of freeze.

Why is it important that we recognize three schools as "Big" anything? It clearly is not helpful to a wide swath of private school parents who would never send their kids to two of these schools because they are affiliated with religious institutions. I pass no judgment on the quality of education at STA or NCS, but they aren't options for many people. Do the people that send kids to these schools need to feel better that their kids are going to a "Big" school? Being a part of a coalition of schools doesn't mean a thing; it's the educational experience that best suits your child that matters. The Ivy League (named so because it was originally compromised of four schools - written as IV in roman numerals) now has eight members. People aren't getting their hackles about being OG Ivy though. And virtually every ranking system scores Stanford, Duke, MIT, CalTech and UChicago above roughly half of the schools in the Ivy League. We accept all this, but yet not two weeks goes by when someone isn't on this Board trying to create tiers and status largely based on the DC of the 1950s (GDS didn't even exist before 1945; Potomac's high school started in 1987, etc.).

Historically, there were Big 3 Broadcasters (NBC, CBS, and ABC) and Big 3 Automakers (GM, Chrysler and Ford). But a sizable number of you get your news from Fox or Jon Stewart and drive Teslas. And I still can't get an adequate explanation of why the BigTen has 14 members...

May I suggest more interesting conversations about the Big 3? Perhaps causes of divorce (alcoholism, adultery, being an a$$hole), or personality traits of DCUM P&IS posters (insecurity, overachievement, paranoia). We need to recognize that labels like the Big 3 can be toxic, divisive and harmful to students by placing more of an emphasis on status and tradition than on student well-being and educational outcomes.

I'll be back in a few weeks for my favorite post: What were you doing when you got the acceptance. In the interim I hope everyone finds some Bolivian marching powder and well needed perspective.

You are so disingenuous. Sidwell is Quaker. Yes, they talk about God. All 3 of the Big 3 are religious, but I guess you are willing to overlook that Sidwell is Quaker since it “feels” less invasive to go to a Friends meeting rather than Cathedral. Oh, and let’s be honest, you really like to say your kid goes to the school the Clinton and Obama kids attended.

I prefer to tell people that my kid goes to the school that Al Gore’s kid got expelled from. That’s serious prestige.

[Anonymous]

1. SSSAS

...

2-8. Others

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I take a certain solace in periodically coming to this board and finding discussions of the Big 3 or the Big 5. It's comforting to know that no matter how asinine this discussion is there seems to be no stopping it, either by consensus or attrition. And this week's post serves as further confirmation that hell remains balmy with no sign of freeze.

Why is it important that we recognize three schools as "Big" anything? It clearly is not helpful to a wide swath of private school parents who would never send their kids to two of these schools because they are affiliated with religious institutions. I pass no judgment on the quality of education at STA or NCS, but they aren't options for many people. Do the people that send kids to these schools need to feel better that their kids are going to a "Big" school? Being a part of a coalition of schools doesn't mean a thing; it's the educational experience that best suits your child that matters. The Ivy League (named so because it was originally compromised of four schools - written as IV in roman numerals) now has eight members. People aren't getting their hackles about being OG Ivy though. And virtually every ranking system scores Stanford, Duke, MIT, CalTech and UChicago above roughly half of the schools in the Ivy League. We accept all this, but yet not two weeks goes by when someone isn't on this Board trying to create tiers and status largely based on the DC of the 1950s (GDS didn't even exist before 1945; Potomac's high school started in 1987, etc.).

Historically, there were Big 3 Broadcasters (NBC, CBS, and ABC) and Big 3 Automakers (GM, Chrysler and Ford). But a sizable number of you get your news from Fox or Jon Stewart and drive Teslas. And I still can't get an adequate explanation of why the BigTen has 14 members...

May I suggest more interesting conversations about the Big 3? Perhaps causes of divorce (alcoholism, adultery, being an a$$hole), or personality traits of DCUM P&IS posters (insecurity, overachievement, paranoia). We need to recognize that labels like the Big 3 can be toxic, divisive and harmful to students by placing more of an emphasis on status and tradition than on student well-being and educational outcomes.

I'll be back in a few weeks for my favorite post: What were you doing when you got the acceptance. In the interim I hope everyone finds some Bolivian marching powder and well needed perspective.

IV? Really? I don’t disagree that the perennial debate here is stupid but you lost me there.

Not that it matters but he's wrong, the origin of Ivy was a sports writer for the Herald Tribune who, in 1933, first referred to the eight schools as "Ivy colleges," likely referring to the Ivy that covered their campuses. The idea that IV (Ivy) refers to the original four ivy schools is a misconception. Source: Princeton Archives, https://universityarchives.princeton.edu/2015/07/the-origins-of-the-ivy-league/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I take a certain solace in periodically coming to this board and finding discussions of the Big 3 or the Big 5. It's comforting to know that no matter how asinine this discussion is there seems to be no stopping it, either by consensus or attrition. And this week's post serves as further confirmation that hell remains balmy with no sign of freeze.

Why is it important that we recognize three schools as "Big" anything? It clearly is not helpful to a wide swath of private school parents who would never send their kids to two of these schools because they are affiliated with religious institutions. I pass no judgment on the quality of education at STA or NCS, but they aren't options for many people. Do the people that send kids to these schools need to feel better that their kids are going to a "Big" school? Being a part of a coalition of schools doesn't mean a thing; it's the educational experience that best suits your child that matters. The Ivy League (named so because it was originally compromised of four schools - written as IV in roman numerals) now has eight members. People aren't getting their hackles about being OG Ivy though. And virtually every ranking system scores Stanford, Duke, MIT, CalTech and UChicago above roughly half of the schools in the Ivy League. We accept all this, but yet not two weeks goes by when someone isn't on this Board trying to create tiers and status largely based on the DC of the 1950s (GDS didn't even exist before 1945; Potomac's high school started in 1987, etc.).

Historically, there were Big 3 Broadcasters (NBC, CBS, and ABC) and Big 3 Automakers (GM, Chrysler and Ford). But a sizable number of you get your news from Fox or Jon Stewart and drive Teslas. And I still can't get an adequate explanation of why the BigTen has 14 members...

May I suggest more interesting conversations about the Big 3? Perhaps causes of divorce (alcoholism, adultery, being an a$$hole), or personality traits of DCUM P&IS posters (insecurity, overachievement, paranoia). We need to recognize that labels like the Big 3 can be toxic, divisive and harmful to students by placing more of an emphasis on status and tradition than on student well-being and educational outcomes.

I'll be back in a few weeks for my favorite post: What were you doing when you got the acceptance. In the interim I hope everyone finds some Bolivian marching powder and well needed perspective.

IV? Really? I don’t disagree that the perennial debate here is stupid but you lost me there.

Not that it matters but he's wrong, the origin of Ivy was a sports writer for the Herald Tribune who, in 1933, first referred to the eight schools as "Ivy colleges," likely referring to the Ivy that covered their campuses. The idea that IV (Ivy) refers to the original four ivy schools is a misconception. Source: Princeton Archives, https://universityarchives.princeton.edu/2015/07/the-origins-of-the-ivy-league/

Who coined the phrase big three for the Washington DC area privates? How did that come to fruition? What is the real story? The real origin?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I take a certain solace in periodically coming to this board and finding discussions of the Big 3 or the Big 5. It's comforting to know that no matter how asinine this discussion is there seems to be no stopping it, either by consensus or attrition. And this week's post serves as further confirmation that hell remains balmy with no sign of freeze.

Why is it important that we recognize three schools as "Big" anything? It clearly is not helpful to a wide swath of private school parents who would never send their kids to two of these schools because they are affiliated with religious institutions. I pass no judgment on the quality of education at STA or NCS, but they aren't options for many people. Do the people that send kids to these schools need to feel better that their kids are going to a "Big" school? Being a part of a coalition of schools doesn't mean a thing; it's the educational experience that best suits your child that matters. The Ivy League (named so because it was originally compromised of four schools - written as IV in roman numerals) now has eight members. People aren't getting their hackles about being OG Ivy though. And virtually every ranking system scores Stanford, Duke, MIT, CalTech and UChicago above roughly half of the schools in the Ivy League. We accept all this, but yet not two weeks goes by when someone isn't on this Board trying to create tiers and status largely based on the DC of the 1950s (GDS didn't even exist before 1945; Potomac's high school started in 1987, etc.).

Historically, there were Big 3 Broadcasters (NBC, CBS, and ABC) and Big 3 Automakers (GM, Chrysler and Ford). But a sizable number of you get your news from Fox or Jon Stewart and drive Teslas. And I still can't get an adequate explanation of why the BigTen has 14 members...

May I suggest more interesting conversations about the Big 3? Perhaps causes of divorce (alcoholism, adultery, being an a$$hole), or personality traits of DCUM P&IS posters (insecurity, overachievement, paranoia). We need to recognize that labels like the Big 3 can be toxic, divisive and harmful to students by placing more of an emphasis on status and tradition than on student well-being and educational outcomes.

I'll be back in a few weeks for my favorite post: What were you doing when you got the acceptance. In the interim I hope everyone finds some Bolivian marching powder and well needed perspective.

IV? Really? I don’t disagree that the perennial debate here is stupid but you lost me there.

Not that it matters but he's wrong, the origin of Ivy was a sports writer for the Herald Tribune who, in 1933, first referred to the eight schools as "Ivy colleges," likely referring to the Ivy that covered their campuses. The idea that IV (Ivy) refers to the original four ivy schools is a misconception. Source: Princeton Archives, https://universityarchives.princeton.edu/2015/07/the-origins-of-the-ivy-league/

Who coined the phrase big three for the Washington DC area privates? How did that come to fruition? What is the real story? The real origin?

OG3. We agreed Big 3 belongs in a museum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree. Of course, it’s only perfect if you didn’t get into the actual Big 3

Oh honey. You set a trap for yourself chasing status and obsessing over ‘the best.’ Try not to gnaw off your leg.