Indulge my fantasy - top private vs. Walls

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see the trolls have arrived. Yes, yes, Sidwell and GDS are full of kids from trailer parks whose families just really happen to value education. Sure.

This. Private school family here. There’s literally one single parent in my kid’s grade and it’s a mom whose husband died a few years ago (and they are like legit billionaires).

The story that there are multiple kids at a GDS or Sidwell who are super poor is such a myth. Very few kids are on full FA and the average FA award is like 25% of tuition.

Sidwell HS alum parent here. A divorced one, with a middle class job such as a social worker (ex does well tho)

There are plenty of parents of **incoming 9th graders** who aren’t top 10%, like me. That is probably not true in K, but in 9th the admissions team is looking for the very best candidates who have built their own portfolios in academics or sports - and sometimes those kids have parents who work for nonprofits, the Washington Post, WMATA or Kaiser Permanente. There was also a gig musician parent and a contract documentary film writer I recall. Plenty of smart, interesting and definitely not wealthy parents among us.

Of course. Sidwell and other private schools will happily take all the money you can give them. They don’t care that you could get a similar education for free. They don’t care that the money would be better saved for grad school or a house.

Also … don’t be fooled, most of those “gig musicoans” are not on FA - they have trust funds.

You are a public school parent or student, so I will never convince you that the 9-12 education offered at Sidwell is similar in any way to the 9-12 education offered at either Walls or JR. It has nothing to do with country clubs, wealth or whatever else my DCPS neighbors and DCUM seem to think is the Only Difference between the two environments. English class = English class. No.

Must really burn you up when your neighbor’s kid at JR got into the same schools your kid at Sidwell did …

Look I come from a background with extremely smart people with extreme levels of success. All public school kids (some all the way through grad school).

There are some scenarios where an opportunity at Sidwell could make a huge difference for a kid as compared to their other opportunities. But Walls v Sidwell ain’t it.

NP. I’m sure you wish it burned Sidwell parents up. Sorry to burst your bubble. 😝 Go look at the graduating seniors’ IG accounts for Sidwell and JR. Very little overlap. And good luck and Godspeed to the tiny handful of JR students who thread the needle from that school to an Ivy+.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some parents possess an amusing proclivity for self-deception. Having occupied teaching positions at both Walls and Sidwell -Sidwell’s purported advantages exist exclusively within the realm of the already affluent.
Let us be intellectually honest: nepotism and privilege are not abstract concepts but concrete mechanisms of social reproduction. These students would flourish equally well in public institutions, as success tends to correlate remarkably with generational wealth rather than solely institutional affiliation.

Walls prepares students academically, certainly, but offers no particular entrée into the rarefied echelons of wealth or the arcane arts of wealth accumulation. Attending Walls will not magically transmute your offspring into the next titan of industry, just as Sidwell enrollment fails to guarantee upward mobility for those lacking sufficient capital -unless, of course, your child demonstrates exceptional aptitude for social climbing.

Though one must question whether cultivating the skills of an obsequious courtier to the wealthy represents the pinnacle of parental aspiration for one’s child.

You’ve taught at both Walls and Sidwell? Within the past 15 years?

Of course not! That false introduction was used so the PP could attempt to advance their narrative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On a per student basis, Sidwell had fewer national merit semifinalists this year than Latin.

Remind me: Does Sidwell sent a bus every day to Anacostia to pick up and drop off its students? Or is that just Latin?

Yet, on a per student basis, Sidwell sent more students to Ivy+/T20 schools than Latin. That’s true for this year, last year, and every year. I know which one I’d prefer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some parents possess an amusing proclivity for self-deception. Having occupied teaching positions at both Walls and Sidwell -Sidwell’s purported advantages exist exclusively within the realm of the already affluent.
Let us be intellectually honest: nepotism and privilege are not abstract concepts but concrete mechanisms of social reproduction. These students would flourish equally well in public institutions, as success tends to correlate remarkably with generational wealth rather than solely institutional affiliation.

Walls prepares students academically, certainly, but offers no particular entrée into the rarefied echelons of wealth or the arcane arts of wealth accumulation. Attending Walls will not magically transmute your offspring into the next titan of industry, just as Sidwell enrollment fails to guarantee upward mobility for those lacking sufficient capital -unless, of course, your child demonstrates exceptional aptitude for social climbing.

Though one must question whether cultivating the skills of an obsequious courtier to the wealthy represents the pinnacle of parental aspiration for one’s child.

You’ve taught at both Walls and Sidwell? Within the past 15 years?

Of course not! That false introduction was used so the PP could attempt to advance their narrative.

Not true, I still work at one -of course only an idiot would say which.

And are you implying what I stated is false? Walls nor Sidwell will guarantee anything for your child if you are not wealthy, well-connected, or your child isn’t a great boot licker.

Let’s also talk about what ‘preparation’ means because I truly think many of you pushing Sidwell to be your ultimate dream did not grow up very wealthy and do not get it.

[Anonymous]

Here's the thing. I went to a top SLAC in the 90s, and I bet many of you did too.

I had classmates that had come from Sidwell and similar schools. They were wealthy before they went to Sidwell, wealthy once they graduated from my SLAC and are wealthy now. The Sidwell attendance did not cause the wealth and didn't even really perpetuate it because those kids never earned it and still don't. It just correlated with it. And it also correlated with Ivy League legacy / attendance.

You guys are acting like our actions are the things that cause our kids to have privilege when the privilege or lack thereof predated our choice of school and will live on after we are gone. It's in the way that they talk, the friends that they have and their bank accounts.

My kid has a trust fund. He's going to attend a DCPS school, and it's not going to suddenly rob him of his wealth. He's not the only one who will inherit wealth. None of that was changed or will be changed by his high school attendance choices.

My friends from college who arrived there with upper middle class parents are, by and large, still upper middle class or higher. My friends who arrived at college working class still are to this day. And the ones who arrived with college professor parents, surprise! They are college professors. Some of them are more well known or less so, but their material circumstances haven't changed much based on having gone to a high prestige college. Or Sidwell or Walls. School choice is simply not the determining factor we allege it to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's the thing. I went to a top SLAC in the 90s, and I bet many of you did too.

I had classmates that had come from Sidwell and similar schools. They were wealthy before they went to Sidwell, wealthy once they graduated from my SLAC and are wealthy now. The Sidwell attendance did not cause the wealth and didn't even really perpetuate it because those kids never earned it and still don't. It just correlated with it. And it also correlated with Ivy League legacy / attendance.

You guys are acting like our actions are the things that cause our kids to have privilege when the privilege or lack thereof predated our choice of school and will live on after we are gone. It's in the way that they talk, the friends that they have and their bank accounts.

My kid has a trust fund. He's going to attend a DCPS school, and it's not going to suddenly rob him of his wealth. He's not the only one who will inherit wealth. None of that was changed or will be changed by his high school attendance choices.

My friends from college who arrived there with upper middle class parents are, by and large, still upper middle class or higher. My friends who arrived at college working class still are to this day. And the ones who arrived with college professor parents, surprise! They are college professors. Some of them are more well known or less so, but their material circumstances haven't changed much based on having gone to a high prestige college. Or Sidwell or Walls. School choice is simply not the determining factor we allege it to be.

Trust fund from … the grandparents? I am guessing you personally do not have the means currently to create a trust. Because that would suggest you have your own cash flow wealth.

And if you did have the means, then it begs reason that you wouldn’t select the superior education. What is more important than education foundation (except health and love)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the thing. I went to a top SLAC in the 90s, and I bet many of you did too.

I had classmates that had come from Sidwell and similar schools. They were wealthy before they went to Sidwell, wealthy once they graduated from my SLAC and are wealthy now. The Sidwell attendance did not cause the wealth and didn't even really perpetuate it because those kids never earned it and still don't. It just correlated with it. And it also correlated with Ivy League legacy / attendance.

You guys are acting like our actions are the things that cause our kids to have privilege when the privilege or lack thereof predated our choice of school and will live on after we are gone. It's in the way that they talk, the friends that they have and their bank accounts.

My kid has a trust fund. He's going to attend a DCPS school, and it's not going to suddenly rob him of his wealth. He's not the only one who will inherit wealth. None of that was changed or will be changed by his high school attendance choices.

My friends from college who arrived there with upper middle class parents are, by and large, still upper middle class or higher. My friends who arrived at college working class still are to this day. And the ones who arrived with college professor parents, surprise! They are college professors. Some of them are more well known or less so, but their material circumstances haven't changed much based on having gone to a high prestige college. Or Sidwell or Walls. School choice is simply not the determining factor we allege it to be.

Trust fund from … the grandparents? I am guessing you personally do not have the means currently to create a trust. Because that would suggest you have your own cash flow wealth.

And if you did have the means, then it begs reason that you wouldn’t select the superior education. What is more important than education foundation (except health and love)?

My kid doesn't want to go to private school. He's very against it, and I'm going along with his preference. He finds private school kids stuffy and believes private schools are either too small or too religous (debatable, but he's largely right in our region). He especially hates jocks. So, I support his choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the thing. I went to a top SLAC in the 90s, and I bet many of you did too.

I had classmates that had come from Sidwell and similar schools. They were wealthy before they went to Sidwell, wealthy once they graduated from my SLAC and are wealthy now. The Sidwell attendance did not cause the wealth and didn't even really perpetuate it because those kids never earned it and still don't. It just correlated with it. And it also correlated with Ivy League legacy / attendance.

You guys are acting like our actions are the things that cause our kids to have privilege when the privilege or lack thereof predated our choice of school and will live on after we are gone. It's in the way that they talk, the friends that they have and their bank accounts.

My kid has a trust fund. He's going to attend a DCPS school, and it's not going to suddenly rob him of his wealth. He's not the only one who will inherit wealth. None of that was changed or will be changed by his high school attendance choices.

My friends from college who arrived there with upper middle class parents are, by and large, still upper middle class or higher. My friends who arrived at college working class still are to this day. And the ones who arrived with college professor parents, surprise! They are college professors. Some of them are more well known or less so, but their material circumstances haven't changed much based on having gone to a high prestige college. Or Sidwell or Walls. School choice is simply not the determining factor we allege it to be.

Trust fund from … the grandparents? I am guessing you personally do not have the means currently to create a trust. Because that would suggest you have your own cash flow wealth.

And if you did have the means, then it begs reason that you wouldn’t select the superior education. What is more important than education foundation (except health and love)?

By the way, I do believe I've selected the superior education. I've worked at a boarding school (not in DC). I know that there are many talented staff there, but public school education and continuing education requirements are simply more rigorous. More public school teachers have education degrees, extensive pedagogy and discipline instruction, and high salaries. Unsurprisingly, this selects for better educated and higher quality teachers.

We could debate all day the reason why public school education is seen as worse than private school education. I question whether private school education ever was better. If there's an argument to be made, it's simply that you're selecting for privileged connections and friends who will help you succeed later in life when you choose a private school education. No one debates that this is the case. It's possibly the main benefit, other than better maintained facilities and beautiful campuses.

Do I think my son's day would be more pleasant and worry free if he attended Sidwell rather than Walls? Maybe. Hard to say. Both schools are very selective. Both have well behaved student bodies dedicated to learning and passionate teachers. I can guarantee you, though, that the teachers at Walls have more education classes when they are hired, are evaluated more rigorously on their pedagogical education, and have more ongoing continuing education. They are also paid a LOT more than the teachers at Sidwell Friends. I have a friend who took a major pay cut to work at Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the thing. I went to a top SLAC in the 90s, and I bet many of you did too.

I had classmates that had come from Sidwell and similar schools. They were wealthy before they went to Sidwell, wealthy once they graduated from my SLAC and are wealthy now. The Sidwell attendance did not cause the wealth and didn't even really perpetuate it because those kids never earned it and still don't. It just correlated with it. And it also correlated with Ivy League legacy / attendance.

You guys are acting like our actions are the things that cause our kids to have privilege when the privilege or lack thereof predated our choice of school and will live on after we are gone. It's in the way that they talk, the friends that they have and their bank accounts.

My kid has a trust fund. He's going to attend a DCPS school, and it's not going to suddenly rob him of his wealth. He's not the only one who will inherit wealth. None of that was changed or will be changed by his high school attendance choices.

My friends from college who arrived there with upper middle class parents are, by and large, still upper middle class or higher. My friends who arrived at college working class still are to this day. And the ones who arrived with college professor parents, surprise! They are college professors. Some of them are more well known or less so, but their material circumstances haven't changed much based on having gone to a high prestige college. Or Sidwell or Walls. School choice is simply not the determining factor we allege it to be.

Trust fund from … the grandparents? I am guessing you personally do not have the means currently to create a trust. Because that would suggest you have your own cash flow wealth.

And if you did have the means, then it begs reason that you wouldn’t select the superior education. What is more important than education foundation (except health and love)?

NP but lots of wealthy parents choose public schools like Walls over private. There are many reasons for this choice, including wanting their children to not solely be exposed to privileged and other wealthy people.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I had kids at Alice Deal and most of the brightest kids in the grade left for private in 9th grade. Sidwell took about 5, the Cathedral schools took a handful, GDS took another half dozen.

These are all kids who took Algebra 2 in 8th, were active in debate, were on the Principal's honor roll for all 12 quarters, etc.

Walls has kids who took Algebra 2 in 8th grade, excel in school, score perfect or near perfect SAT scores as well. I’d wager there are just as many of those kids at Walls from Deal as Sidwell.

My kid is one of them! Scored a 5 on AP calc BC exam in 10th grade; 790 math SAT score. Even so, I will concede that academics at Walls are WEAK! Not much reading; no writing ….my understanding is the privates are much more challenging/require actual effort and hard work. But - the cohort at walls is fantastic. And, the smart kids (from whatever school) all end up at the same jobs down the road, so I guess not the worst thing to coast through high school. Life is long.

Thanks for this info. I see that you mention less writing and reading which in general I can imagine is true at public schools if for no other reason than class sizes are so much bigger. How are the math and science academics though?

Math (calc etc) at walls is good; science is pretty mid. No AP chem; AP bio is only offered every 2-3 years.

Wow, I find this very surprising. JR offers AP Bio and AP Chem every year (but does not offer math above AP Calc BC; kids who want to go beyond AP Calc BC take classes at Georgetown, GW, Catholic, etc via dual enrollment). Must be a numbers thing.

SWW does not offer Physics C (Mech and E&M) on a regular basis as well. JR does (along with Physics 1 and 2). They have a healthy cohort of kids taking AP Chem and CSA. Walls did offer Linear Alg in the past (at least a couple of years ago) but if JR kids are so inclined they can take those classes through Dual Enrollment.

Walls offers Physics C every year (only Mech) and has never offered Linear Algebra. Ever.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Are people on here really saying that the academics at Walls is just as good as Sidwell or GDS?? Sorry but rose colored glasses are not going to help you.

Walls is a like mediocre suburb school at best, not even great but with all the headaches of DCPS.

Your top performing kid will most likely reach their full potential by going to the top privates where there are really high performing motivated kids in an environment of teachers with very high expectations and standards. It’s not going to be easy. They are going to have to work really hard but they will be very well prepared for college and beyond. In addition, they will get small class sizes, more individualized support, and more offerings in curriculum, EC, sports, and facilities, etc…

In contrast, sure your kid will do fine in DCPS at Walls but it is because it is easier, standards are lower, and they will not be pushed to their full potential. You will have to supplement for that. Course offerings are limited and some teachers are checked out and just going thru the motions. Leadership is not good.

If you can’t afford private, then Walls is what you can get. But if you have the funds for private, this should not even be a question to go. If you don’t want to send your kid, just admit OP that you value your vacations or whatever over a better education for your kid. That is fine if that is your priority but let’s be real here.

What is your experience with Walls? Sounds like you are talking based on presumptions, not first-hand knowledge.

People who pay for private are often truly delusional about the quality of public high schools and in denial that the smartest and most ambitious kids generally go to publics. Private schools exist to give privileged kids additional advantages (in terms of grades, connections to college, etc) but absolutely do not have the smartest and best kids. The very top schools like Sidwell are more academic but not “privates” in general.

You are in denial. Sidwell and GDS does have the smartest and best kids. They can come in elementary, middle, or high school. Of course not every kid there is the smartest and best but if you compare the top kids coming out of Sidwell and GDS and what they have gained from their experience in critical thinking, analysis, writing, etc… it is much better than Walls.

Maybe not TJ but for sure Walls.

No it doesn’t. The smartest kids are in the selective public schools which most private school kids don’t stand a chance of getting into.

I don’t think this is true in DC. Maybe in VA (TJ) and NYC (Stuyvesant, Bronx Science etc) but the best test in public schools in DC don’t compare to the best private schools in DC. Also I’m sure most kids who are high performers at Sidwell etc could meet the standard to get into Walls.

They actually do compare in that the best kids at Walls will do just the same if not better as the best kids at Sidwell. And they will have a $500k downpayment gift from their parents when they are ready to buy a house in their 30s, since that money would not have been wasted on private school tuition.

If OP said she had a $100 mil trust fund who cares. But she is putting money into a luxury instead of into savings if she chooses this route.

🤣 Lol—you think that Walls’ students who turn down spots at private schools “will have a $500k downpayment gift from their parents when they are ready to buy a house”?! You clearly know very little about Walls’ student body. The vast majority of Walls’ families can’t afford to provide even $10k in down payment assistance. Their child is at Walls because it’s “the best” and MOST AFFORDABLE school they were admitted to.

dp - What? You are making stuff up. Rightly or wrongly, many Walls families could pay for private if they wanted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had kids at Alice Deal and most of the brightest kids in the grade left for private in 9th grade. Sidwell took about 5, the Cathedral schools took a handful, GDS took another half dozen.

These are all kids who took Algebra 2 in 8th, were active in debate, were on the Principal's honor roll for all 12 quarters, etc.

Walls has kids who took Algebra 2 in 8th grade, excel in school, score perfect or near perfect SAT scores as well. I’d wager there are just as many of those kids at Walls from Deal as Sidwell.

My kid is one of them! Scored a 5 on AP calc BC exam in 10th grade; 790 math SAT score. Even so, I will concede that academics at Walls are WEAK! Not much reading; no writing ….my understanding is the privates are much more challenging/require actual effort and hard work. But - the cohort at walls is fantastic. And, the smart kids (from whatever school) all end up at the same jobs down the road, so I guess not the worst thing to coast through high school. Life is long.

Thanks for this info. I see that you mention less writing and reading which in general I can imagine is true at public schools if for no other reason than class sizes are so much bigger. How are the math and science academics though?

Walls is not known for their math and science. It is more if a humanities school. They don’t even offer the full AP science courses every year. About 1/3rd of the kids there are below grade level in math.

Above is not going to get any better because they dropped the testing. It is actually going to get worst.

Walls a “humanities” school ….one with no reading or writing requirements to speak of! lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had kids at Alice Deal and most of the brightest kids in the grade left for private in 9th grade. Sidwell took about 5, the Cathedral schools took a handful, GDS took another half dozen.

These are all kids who took Algebra 2 in 8th, were active in debate, were on the Principal's honor roll for all 12 quarters, etc.

Walls has kids who took Algebra 2 in 8th grade, excel in school, score perfect or near perfect SAT scores as well. I’d wager there are just as many of those kids at Walls from Deal as Sidwell.

My kid is one of them! Scored a 5 on AP calc BC exam in 10th grade; 790 math SAT score. Even so, I will concede that academics at Walls are WEAK! Not much reading; no writing ….my understanding is the privates are much more challenging/require actual effort and hard work. But - the cohort at walls is fantastic. And, the smart kids (from whatever school) all end up at the same jobs down the road, so I guess not the worst thing to coast through high school. Life is long.

Thanks for this info. I see that you mention less writing and reading which in general I can imagine is true at public schools if for no other reason than class sizes are so much bigger. How are the math and science academics though?

Walls is not known for their math and science. It is more if a humanities school. They don’t even offer the full AP science courses every year. About 1/3rd of the kids there are below grade level in math.

Above is not going to get any better because they dropped the testing. It is actually going to get worst.

Walls a “humanities” school ….one with no reading or writing requirements to speak of! lol.

Who is this Walls hater and why ate you so insecure?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had kids at Alice Deal and most of the brightest kids in the grade left for private in 9th grade. Sidwell took about 5, the Cathedral schools took a handful, GDS took another half dozen.

These are all kids who took Algebra 2 in 8th, were active in debate, were on the Principal's honor roll for all 12 quarters, etc.

Walls has kids who took Algebra 2 in 8th grade, excel in school, score perfect or near perfect SAT scores as well. I’d wager there are just as many of those kids at Walls from Deal as Sidwell.

My kid is one of them! Scored a 5 on AP calc BC exam in 10th grade; 790 math SAT score. Even so, I will concede that academics at Walls are WEAK! Not much reading; no writing ….my understanding is the privates are much more challenging/require actual effort and hard work. But - the cohort at walls is fantastic. And, the smart kids (from whatever school) all end up at the same jobs down the road, so I guess not the worst thing to coast through high school. Life is long.

Thanks for this info. I see that you mention less writing and reading which in general I can imagine is true at public schools if for no other reason than class sizes are so much bigger. How are the math and science academics though?

Walls is not known for their math and science. It is more if a humanities school. They don’t even offer the full AP science courses every year. About 1/3rd of the kids there are below grade level in math.

Above is not going to get any better because they dropped the testing. It is actually going to get worst.

Walls a “humanities” school ….one with no reading or writing requirements to speak of! lol.

They have the same graduation requirements as all DCPS schools which do indeed require taking four years of English. Weirdo.

[Anonymous]

"And if you did have the means, then it begs reason that you wouldn’t select the superior education. What is more important than education foundation (except health and love)?"


Wow, stumbled on this conversation and read through the posts and the quote above really hit a nerve. I asked my Walls grad what they thought about it and if they could do things over would they choose Walls over Sidwell and GDS (and money was no object)? They didn't hesitate for a second and emphatically said yes, they would go to Walls again.

Were there some dud teachers? Yes. Were there some amazing teachers? Yes. Did they meet kids from all over the city with varying socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds? Yes. Do they have a lovely cohort of talented and hard working friends who are successfully navigating college? Yes. Are they incredibly independent and resourceful? Yes.

DC goes to a T20 school with grads from all the local privates and is doing just fine. As are their friends who chose to go to JR for robotics/engineering/debate/sports/ theater/biomed academy etc.

Yes, the overall college admits from a public school are going to be different. While there are always a bunch of grads at Ivys/top LACs/T20s etc. many Walls grads are just as likely to choose the school that gave them merit money/the state flagship honor's college with DC Tag/or get funding via POSSE or Questbridge etc.

Different kids have different needs. Would a kid who had been sheltered with small classes in middle school and had never taken the metro before do well at Walls? Probably not. Would the student with ADHD who can't stay on top of their assignments independently? Probably not. Would the parent who needs to talk to teachers/admin etc. and use the school for their own social gain do well? Probably not.

Again, every family has their own circumstances and I don't judge those who send their kids to private- it's their choice. But don't assume those of us who chose public for our children can't afford private.