Recommendations for Parent of Black Son With 99th Percentile Test Scores?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm moving to the DC area from Chicago, and my black son has a 99th percentile ISEE score and straight-A's. He's very advanced in math and has already completed pre-calculus in 7th grade and is bilingual. I'm not trying to brag, but I want some recommendations for schools that are black-friendly but can also accommodate an advanced student.

Also, would public schools be fine? We are zoned for Jackson-Reed High School in our next home. Is that a good option for advanced black students? Our previous public school was a nightmare, because he was bullied by the other black kids for being too nerdy.

Since he is bilingual, check out Washington International School. It is an immersion IB school with an opportunity for a bilingual diploma too.

Otherwise I’d recommend Sidwell, GDS, and Maret. If there is any interest in all-boys then St. Albans.

We are a Black family with boys that toured this past fall and were impressed with the aforementioned schools. Good luck!

Maret?!?! Are you kidding?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:black friendly? What do you mean op?

Do you think the ultra liberal dc area schools, from rich to poor, are not black friendly?

You must be white

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

As others have said, avoid STA at all costs. It is not a healthy place for students of color. The school only recently allowed black students to form a BSU. This was also when the school permitted a white student group to form.

This is both blatantly false and lacks context. STA had no affinity groups until recent years. When they changed that policy, there was immediately a BSU. Your characterization is misleading and inflammatory by suggesting racism as the reason for no BSU.

Is there currently an affinity group for white students?

Yes, every other non-affinity group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm moving to the DC area from Chicago, and my black son has a 99th percentile ISEE score and straight-A's. He's very advanced in math and has already completed pre-calculus in 7th grade and is bilingual. I'm not trying to brag, but I want some recommendations for schools that are black-friendly but can also accommodate an advanced student.

Also, would public schools be fine? We are zoned for Jackson-Reed High School in our next home. Is that a good option for advanced black students? Our previous public school was a nightmare, because he was bullied by the other black kids for being too nerdy.

You should move to Fairfax Virginia and try Thomas Jefferson high school, one the best in the country.

Jackson reed is not good. They used to have metal detectors in the school to prevent kids from bringing guns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm moving to the DC area from Chicago, and my black son has a 99th percentile ISEE score and straight-A's. He's very advanced in math and has already completed pre-calculus in 7th grade and is bilingual. I'm not trying to brag, but I want some recommendations for schools that are black-friendly but can also accommodate an advanced student.

Also, would public schools be fine? We are zoned for Jackson-Reed High School in our next home. Is that a good option for advanced black students? Our previous public school was a nightmare, because he was bullied by the other black kids for being too nerdy.

You should move to Fairfax Virginia and try Thomas Jefferson high school, one the best in the country.

Jackson reed is not good. They used to have metal detectors in the school to prevent kids from bringing guns.

Good schools aren’t immune to gun violence. Pretty sure they still have metal detectors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

As others have said, avoid STA at all costs. It is not a healthy place for students of color. The school only recently allowed black students to form a BSU. This was also when the school permitted a white student group to form.

This is both blatantly false and lacks context. STA had no affinity groups until recent years. When they changed that policy, there was immediately a BSU. Your characterization is misleading and inflammatory by suggesting racism as the reason for no BSU.

Is there currently an affinity group for white students?

Yes, every other non-affinity group.

We know that, but sounds like a poster was claiming there was a "whites only” affinity group at STA earlier in this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm moving to the DC area from Chicago, and my black son has a 99th percentile ISEE score and straight-A's. He's very advanced in math and has already completed pre-calculus in 7th grade and is bilingual. I'm not trying to brag, but I want some recommendations for schools that are black-friendly but can also accommodate an advanced student.

Also, would public schools be fine? We are zoned for Jackson-Reed High School in our next home. Is that a good option for advanced black students? Our previous public school was a nightmare, because he was bullied by the other black kids for being too nerdy.

You should move to Fairfax Virginia and try Thomas Jefferson high school, one the best in the country.

Jackson reed is not good. They used to have metal detectors in the school to prevent kids from bringing guns.

Don’t go to TJ if you are specifically trying to avoid anti-Black racism. I have a son with a similar profile in Fairfax County. A black boy who would always score around the 99th percentile on standardized tests and specifically strong in math. He was in Fairfax’s Advanced Academic program since he was in elementary school.

There was so much racism towards him we left for one of the privates people are saying isn't a good fit and it’s a much better experience. He’s at a school considered a top private and he is comfortable and able to focus on his academics without a lot of the extra bs.

If your son can get in Sidwell, GDS, Maret, Burke, Saint Albans, Saint Andrew’s, Bullis, Landon, Saint Stephen’s, Potomac, Flint Hill, those will all be good options in my opinion.

We looked at all those. of those may have reputations for racism which I did my own hw and there wasn’t anything anywhere near as bad as Fairfax County Public Schools.

We didn’t look at any of the Catholic schools, because I was told the ones above were better academically, but that’s not always true. If you were considering those, I would look at Dematha, Archbishop Carroll, McNamara, Saint Anselms Abby, Georgetown Prep, Gonzaga, and Saint John’s.

It’s a lot that goes into considering the best place for your son. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

100% GDS. Excellent academics, social justice oriented and probably relatively close to your new home if you are zoned Jackson Reed

[Anonymous]

TJHSST

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TJHSST

Avoid at all costs if you're a Black boy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm moving to the DC area from Chicago, and my black son has a 99th percentile ISEE score and straight-A's. He's very advanced in math and has already completed pre-calculus in 7th grade and is bilingual. I'm not trying to brag, but I want some recommendations for schools that are black-friendly but can also accommodate an advanced student.

Also, would public schools be fine? We are zoned for Jackson-Reed High School in our next home. Is that a good option for advanced black students? Our previous public school was a nightmare, because he was bullied by the other black kids for being too nerdy.

Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm moving to the DC area from Chicago, and my black son has a 99th percentile ISEE score and straight-A's. He's very advanced in math and has already completed pre-calculus in 7th grade and is bilingual. I'm not trying to brag, but I want some recommendations for schools that are black-friendly but can also accommodate an advanced student.

Also, would public schools be fine? We are zoned for Jackson-Reed High School in our next home. Is that a good option for advanced black students? Our previous public school was a nightmare, because he was bullied by the other black kids for being too nerdy.

Since he is bilingual, check out Washington International School. It is an immersion IB school with an opportunity for a bilingual diploma too.

Otherwise I’d recommend Sidwell, GDS, and Maret. If there is any interest in all-boys then St. Albans.

We are a Black family with boys that toured this past fall and were impressed with the aforementioned schools. Good luck!

Second WIS - they are very academically rigorous. We had hoped for WIS for my DC but they were not admitted, unfortunately. We are happy at their current private but I'm confident when I say that WIS academics (language and math) were stronger. They are a very small school though; not many slots so admission is very competitive.

Hahaha

[Anonymous]

For full disclosure I am not Black but grew up in the area and am a minority parent of a child considering these options.

I went to Blair and had a wonderful academic experience and was highly accelerated in math (3-4 years). At least at the time students could go on to the University of Maryland for Real Analysis, Algebra (the college version, group theory and ring theory before number theory) and other advanced math classes although I did not do this. Blair was and is highly diverse, with a large number of international students and a large or plurality Black community. A key difference between Blair and TJ is that Blair's program is embedded in the high school at large which is very diverse while TJ is a totally separate school. If the bus routes are more or less the same living in the BCC HS area is a short bus ride to Blair but also gives you the option of being inbounds for a great IB program with Black students and a significant minority population at the neighborhood high school. Cost will be comparable or less than the area inbounds for Jackson Reed.

If private is an option I defer to others who have direct experience -- my son is young and we are not sure we whether we will apply as we are inbounds for a great public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

As others have said, avoid STA at all costs. It is not a healthy place for students of color. The school only recently allowed black students to form a BSU. This was also when the school permitted a white student group to form.

This is both blatantly false and lacks context. STA had no affinity groups until recent years. When they changed that policy, there was immediately a BSU. Your characterization is misleading and inflammatory by suggesting racism as the reason for no BSU.

Is there currently an affinity group for white students?

Yes, every other non-affinity group.

We know that, but sounds like a poster was claiming there was a "whites only” affinity group at STA earlier in this thread.

It’s not a “claim,” it’s a fact. There is a "whites only” affinity group at STA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm moving to the DC area from Chicago, and my black son has a 99th percentile ISEE score and straight-A's. He's very advanced in math and has already completed pre-calculus in 7th grade and is bilingual. I'm not trying to brag, but I want some recommendations for schools that are black-friendly but can also accommodate an advanced student.

Also, would public schools be fine? We are zoned for Jackson-Reed High School in our next home. Is that a good option for advanced black students? Our previous public school was a nightmare, because he was bullied by the other black kids for being too nerdy.

Why does his race matter?