How good is Maret?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At our k-8, Maret was the second or third choice of every single person who went. All preferred either Potomac or Sidwell or NCS/St Alban’s. The only ones who went to Maret didn’t get into their first choice. Those that got into their first choice went there and not Maret.

Every. Single. Person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You asked a question and then answered it yourself within 2 minutes of the post. Kudos

Yes, because it’s impossible that someone is unhappy with quality of education at maret. The only possibility is that someone is engaging in sockpuppeting.

What do you care? It is not like you want to send your kids there, or your kids could get in, or you could afford it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At our k-8, Maret was the second or third choice of every single person who went. All preferred either Potomac or Sidwell or NCS/St Alban’s. The only ones who went to Maret didn’t get into their first choice. Those that got into their first choice went there and not Maret.

Good for you? Must have been at a different K-8 than my kids were at. My kid chose Maret over both Sidwell and NCS/STA as did several of her friends from other K-8s. Another parent told me that her child's first choice was Maret but didn't get in so they are at Sidwell.

I don't get the Maret hate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You asked a question and then answered it yourself within 2 minutes of the post. Kudos

Yes, because it’s impossible that someone is unhappy with quality of education at maret. The only possibility is that someone is engaging in sockpuppeting.

What do you care? It is not like you want to send your kids there, or your kids could get in, or you could afford it.

It’s Interesting how much information you can get out of thin air.

In any case anyone can look at facilities and that will give enough information about how things are managed in this school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our k-8, Maret was the second or third choice of every single person who went. All preferred either Potomac or Sidwell or NCS/St Alban’s. The only ones who went to Maret didn’t get into their first choice. Those that got into their first choice went there and not Maret.

Good for you? Must have been at a different K-8 than my kids were at. My kid chose Maret over both Sidwell and NCS/STA as did several of her friends from other K-8s. Another parent told me that her child's first choice was Maret but didn't get in so they are at Sidwell.

I don't get the Maret hate.

NP, Not sure is hate. Just saying for some people Maret is not the first choice. I guess that’s true for any school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You asked a question and then answered it yourself within 2 minutes of the post. Kudos

Yes, because it’s impossible that someone is unhappy with quality of education at maret. The only possibility is that someone is engaging in sockpuppeting.

What do you care? It is not like you want to send your kids there, or your kids could get in, or you could afford it.

It’s Interesting how much information you can get out of thin air.

In any case anyone can look at facilities and that will give enough information about how things are managed in this school.

The new athletic fields and new theater look great. Agreed that it’s a great sign of how well the new head of school is managing things!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the main asset of maret is location. It would be a much better school if it had competition from dc public schools. Definitely at 55k the value for money is poor.

Uh, except tuition is 47k in k to 52k in HS

Sidwell is 59k in HS, GDS, STA, and NCS is 56k and they are all in the same location

Read again. Tuition plus fees is 55k in HS : https://www.maret.org/admission/tuition-financial-aid

Also families tend to prefer all those schools over maret.

lol no Maret is harder to get in 9th vs GDS, STA and NCS. It’s just a fact.

Ok now I know you’re smoking crack.

I have two kids in high school (one at a Big 3) that came from a K-8 and it was well known that Maret is harder to get into and the administration at the K-8 repeatedly told us that was the case. Most of the same kids applying (at least a lot of overlap between Maret, GDS and to some extent Sidwell) for a lot fewer slots in 9th. That's not intended to be a commentary on the school or it's academics but just the reality of the numbers.

At our k-8, kids picked Maret over Sidwell and GDS. No dog in the fight. Just an oberservation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As the previous poster confirmed, the classes are 80-85. If you don’t believe it, call the school.

This is correct.

Not to mention, the school has 97% student retention (and a very eager waitlist).

This is simply untrue. The 9th grade class is very small this year and people left for a reason.

And the reason is ….

I know several kids who were waitlisted (and are now attending other tops schools) who probably would have attended if admitted. So, it seems that it was probably intentional on the part of Maret if there are only 75 kids this years. They could have just gone to their waitlist to boost the numbers.

I also know families, who are close friends, that are dying to get in to various entry grades. The list isn’t budging

Was only referring to 9th, which seems to be underenrolled vs previous years. I know people who would have been happy to get off the list. Did they not go to their WL?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As the previous poster confirmed, the classes are 80-85. If you don’t believe it, call the school.

This is correct.

Not to mention, the school has 97% student retention (and a very eager waitlist).

This is simply untrue. The 9th grade class is very small this year and people left for a reason.

And the reason is ….

I know several kids who were waitlisted (and are now attending other tops schools) who probably would have attended if admitted. So, it seems that it was probably intentional on the part of Maret if there are only 75 kids this years. They could have just gone to their waitlist to boost the numbers.

I also know families, who are close friends, that are dying to get in to various entry grades. The list isn’t budging

Dying? Why is this school any good? In what ways, say, is it better than Burke, Field?

I think “better” is in the eye of the beholder. It is perceived to be more academic rigorous that Burke or Field, those both are great schools. I also don’t that makes them better, it simply makes it a better fit for different students.

Also, some prefer k-12 schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You asked a question and then answered it yourself within 2 minutes of the post. Kudos

Yes, because it’s impossible that someone is unhappy with quality of education at maret. The only possibility is that someone is engaging in sockpuppeting.

What do you care? It is not like you want to send your kids there, or your kids could get in, or you could afford it.

It’s Interesting how much information you can get out of thin air.

In any case anyone can look at facilities and that will give enough information about how things are managed in this school.

The new athletic fields and new theater look great. Agreed that it’s a great sign of how well the new head of school is managing things!

Don’t miss the classrooms, cafeteria, and Labs, the most essential facilities for Most schools. Look at them and then we talk.

[Anonymous]

Many families chose Maret because they wanted a good academic program without the overwhelming workload of GDS or Sidwell. In our K–8 community, another big factor that parents and kids said yes aside from the less homework was the smaller class sizes. Not every child thrives in large cohorts or intense social environments.

Maret feels similar to Field and Burke in that sense — and we hope it never grows to 150 students per grade. The homework load is manageable, and the current 9th-grade class is truly fantastic.

It’s true that some kids have left for various reasons, and the school has made some errors and even dealt with staffers but many simply wanted a bigger, more varied social scene. Maret isn’t trying to be one of the “Big 3,” and honestly, if it were farther from the city, it might not have the same draw. In our Northwest neighborhood, almost everyone has it on their list — largely because the commute is so convenient.

[Anonymous]

Teachers are great
Families are so friendly
Facilities are good enough
Administration is a little bumbling
That said our family and student enjoys it
Definitely not for everyone and that’s ok

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many families chose Maret because they wanted a good academic program without the overwhelming workload of GDS or Sidwell. In our K–8 community, another big factor that parents and kids said yes aside from the less homework was the smaller class sizes. Not every child thrives in large cohorts or intense social environments.

Maret feels similar to Field and Burke in that sense — and we hope it never grows to 150 students per grade. The homework load is manageable, and the current 9th-grade class is truly fantastic.

It’s true that some kids have left for various reasons, and the school has made some errors and even dealt with staffers but many simply wanted a bigger, more varied social scene. Maret isn’t trying to be one of the “Big 3,” and honestly, if it were farther from the city, it might not have the same draw. In our Northwest neighborhood, almost everyone has it on their list — largely because the commute is so convenient.

Thanks for laying out the pros and cons transparently. Not sure why some parents want to claim that Maret is better than other private schools in all dimensions.

[Anonymous]

We didn’t apply and my child didn’t want such a small school. That was THE factor for us. But, as a relatively disinterested person my take is this. It is a good school with good outcomes and hard admissions due to size and being good. Desirable for some due to its smaller size. But… and this is probably why it is a touchy topic… it does not have the cache of Sidwell, NCS/St Albans, or GDS. Full stop. As a local, it was a school for artsy kids back in the day and that did not necessarily mean academically excellent artsy kids. Back then Sidwell, GDS and St Albans/NCS were already super hard to get into and regularly churning out great college admits. And FWIW, Potomac didn’t even have a high school. So the landscape has changed and Maret has changed and it seems academically much more respectable. But… it is not in the same league as NCS/St Albans and Sidwell. And the Maret people sound a little ridiculous constantly insisting it is. But I don’t have any hate. Just a dose of reality. Some kids and families may prefer it over those “better” schools. We didn’t apply to a single DC school after factoring in transportation and some of the after school requirements. We considered some and would not have put in application at Maret because it is smaller than our child wanted. Everyone has different goals and expectations for high school. But here is the thing. Maret is very good. It’s like Williams or Amherst. But it isn’t Harvard or MIT and those others are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We didn’t apply and my child didn’t want such a small school. That was THE factor for us. But, as a relatively disinterested person my take is this. It is a good school with good outcomes and hard admissions due to size and being good. Desirable for some due to its smaller size. But… and this is probably why it is a touchy topic… it does not have the cache of Sidwell, NCS/St Albans, or GDS. Full stop. As a local, it was a school for artsy kids back in the day and that did not necessarily mean academically excellent artsy kids. Back then Sidwell, GDS and St Albans/NCS were already super hard to get into and regularly churning out great college admits. And FWIW, Potomac didn’t even have a high school. So the landscape has changed and Maret has changed and it seems academically much more respectable. But… it is not in the same league as NCS/St Albans and Sidwell. And the Maret people sound a little ridiculous constantly insisting it is. But I don’t have any hate. Just a dose of reality. Some kids and families may prefer it over those “better” schools. We didn’t apply to a single DC school after factoring in transportation and some of the after school requirements. We considered some and would not have put in application at Maret because it is smaller than our child wanted. Everyone has different goals and expectations for high school. But here is the thing. Maret is very good. It’s like Williams or Amherst. But it isn’t Harvard or MIT and those others are.

Getting my popcorn ready. Nothing excites the DCUM faithful more than meaningless comparisons of our quaint local private schools to world renowned universities. Can’t wait for the “actually, Sidwell is more Princeton than Harvard” takes.