Bullis

[Anonymous]

The facilities for both the arts and sports at Bullis are not just good, they are AMAZING.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like Bullis has changed? People talk less trash about it...and it seems people are generally happy with it this year with Covid.

It still seems have broadly open door admissions, however the type of families and kids attending seems to have changed.

According to the HOS email, there are waitlists for all middle and upper school grades, as well as grade 3. It may not be Sidwell, but clearly not everyone is getting in.

Sure, but let’s not overstate the case. I would find it hard to find an advantage over Wooton, Churchill and Whitman other than if your kid needs smaller class sizes for whatever reason or you just like the community.

The PP was saying it was open door admissions. My point was that it is not. The quality of the education is a different issue. You can ask the same question about all of the area privates. What do any of them offer that is better than Wooton, Churchill or Whitman, other than small classes and better facilities?

I don't know. It was reported that due to the number of applicants they are opening more classes in some grades. If people are not getting in/there is a waitlist, I would wonder what that group of applicants looked like. Maybe they only have capacity to deal with x number of ADHD students per year, I am not sure. I don't want to knock Bullis as it is decent school and it has a lot of very good students. But from the students that I know who are there (one was a B- student in MCPS), even calling admissions "selective" would be a stretch.

I do agree with you the overall student body profile of Bullis is pretty consistent with the area public schools, although they do lack the advanced levels that you can find at the publics. The main differentiator is mainly size and some, but not all facilities. Let's be honest here, the facilities at many public schools, like Whitman, are also very good.

No one said Bullis is “selective.” We all know it’s not SFS in terms of selectivity. The point is that not everyone gets in. The public schools have fine facilities. They don’t begin to compare to those at Bullis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If what you are saying PP, is that it is like Churchill or comparable, but without the academic pressure, then I will hope to send my kid there.

No Im saying Churchill is a much better school. It sends its graduates to more impressive universities. It has a more diverse class and class offering and values things other than did you go to France over the summer. It values things other than if you donated enough money. Have name brand clothes. It actually does things based on merit. Doesnt give favoritism to kids who are children of big donors or athletes recruited for a season or two.

Bullis is gaudy and engenders so much disdain because it puts itself under the veil of a caring community. Caring for athletes, legacy children of the wealthy and perpetuating privilege. Boarman could dress is down a little... thing the guy thinks enough of himself?

See... like this person... isn't even in touch enough with Bullis to realize that Boarman isn't the head of school anymore... obviously you are not affiliated with the school, so why post here? It's this kind of strange, negative yet disassociated posting that seems to happen only to Bullis on this board... I really don't know where it comes from, but it's bizarre. I'm so glad we don't take DCUM seriously enough to think this was the real Bullis... our middle schooler started this year and, despite masks, despite distancing, absolutely LOVES it. We love it. We came from another well known private to take advantage of all the great STEM offerings.
Head of school, fantastic! Teachers, caring and fantastic! Facilities, blown away. Sports, we aren't the sportiest, but great opportunities for keeping kids active. Fellow students, sweet, down to earth, a little nerdy. Fellow parents that I've met... relaxed, friendly, not showy people. Much much less concerned about status and the country club scene than our previous private. Literally the school doesn't live up to its reputation here in any way. Works for us!

[Anonymous]

The school is in a transformation. In a really good way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don't live in the Wooton, Churchill, Whitman area so I suppose if you have those schools as a choice that would be a very different discussion. I'm not sure why people keep comparing Bullis to those schools when many of the students don't necessarily live in those neighborhoods.

The only kids I know currently at Bullis or graduates of Bullis live in Bethesda and would otherwise have attended one of those schools. I’d bet that is true for a lot of the students, which is why people make the comparison. To be clear though, even if you are in-boundary for one of these schools there could still be very good reasons to attend. It is not a cut and dry issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The school is in a transformation. In a really good way.

+1

[Anonymous]

Bullis has fine facilities, but do not compare to that of Georgetown Prep–especially after Prep completes its current construction project in Fall 2022 (new football stadium and 85,000 s.f. dormitory/student center). The bigger issue for Bullis, beyond its reputation, is its financial situation. They can’t keep raising tuition (they charge about $4,000.00 more than Prep) and do not have the alumni base of donors that Prep, STA, Landon and Episcopal have. Bullis’s big donors are the Trone, Blair and Marriott families. That’s about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If what you are saying PP, is that it is like Churchill or comparable, but without the academic pressure, then I will hope to send my kid there.

No Im saying Churchill is a much better school. It sends its graduates to more impressive universities. It has a more diverse class and class offering and values things other than did you go to France over the summer. It values things other than if you donated enough money. Have name brand clothes. It actually does things based on merit. Doesnt give favoritism to kids who are children of big donors or athletes recruited for a season or two.

Bullis is gaudy and engenders so much disdain because it puts itself under the veil of a caring community. Caring for athletes, legacy children of the wealthy and perpetuating privilege. Boarman could dress is down a little... thing the guy thinks enough of himself?

See... like this person... isn't even in touch enough with Bullis to realize that Boarman isn't the head of school anymore... obviously you are not affiliated with the school, so why post here? It's this kind of strange, negative yet disassociated posting that seems to happen only to Bullis on this board... I really don't know where it comes from, but it's bizarre. I'm so glad we don't take DCUM seriously enough to think this was the real Bullis... our middle schooler started this year and, despite masks, despite distancing, absolutely LOVES it. We love it. We came from another well known private to take advantage of all the great STEM offerings.
Head of school, fantastic! Teachers, caring and fantastic! Facilities, blown away. Sports, we aren't the sportiest, but great opportunities for keeping kids active. Fellow students, sweet, down to earth, a little nerdy. Fellow parents that I've met... relaxed, friendly, not showy people. Much much less concerned about status and the country club s

cene than our previous private. Literally the school doesn't live up to its reputation here in any way. Works for us!

Agree with all of above- my child started last year and I have been extemely impressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If what you are saying PP, is that it is like Churchill or comparable, but without the academic pressure, then I will hope to send my kid there.

No Im saying Churchill is a much better school. It sends its graduates to more impressive universities. It has a more diverse class and class offering and values things other than did you go to France over the summer. It values things other than if you donated enough money. Have name brand clothes. It actually does things based on merit. Doesnt give favoritism to kids who are children of big donors or athletes recruited for a season or two.

Bullis is gaudy and engenders so much disdain because it puts itself under the veil of a caring community. Caring for athletes, legacy children of the wealthy and perpetuating privilege. Boarman could dress is down a little... thing the guy thinks enough of himself?

See... like this person... isn't even in touch enough with Bullis to realize that Boarman isn't the head of school anymore... obviously you are not affiliated with the school, so why post here? It's this kind of strange, negative yet disassociated posting that seems to happen only to Bullis on this board... I really don't know where it comes from, but it's bizarre. I'm so glad we don't take DCUM seriously enough to think this was the real Bullis... our middle schooler started this year and, despite masks, despite distancing, absolutely LOVES it. We love it. We came from another well known private to take advantage of all the great STEM offerings.
Head of school, fantastic! Teachers, caring and fantastic! Facilities, blown away. Sports, we aren't the sportiest, but great opportunities for keeping kids active. Fellow students, sweet, down to earth, a little nerdy. Fellow parents that I've met... relaxed, friendly, not showy people. Much much less concerned about status and the country club s

cene than our previous private. Literally the school doesn't live up to its reputation here in any way. Works for us!

i meant i agree with the second poster- the one who has a student at Bullis.


Agree with all of above- my child started last year and I have been extemely impressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't live in the Wooton, Churchill, Whitman area so I suppose if you have those schools as a choice that would be a very different discussion. I'm not sure why people keep comparing Bullis to those schools when many of the students don't necessarily live in those neighborhoods.

The only kids I know currently at Bullis or graduates of Bullis live in Bethesda and would otherwise have attended one of those schools. I’d bet that is true for a lot of the students, which is why people make the comparison. To be clear though, even if you are in-boundary for one of these schools there could still be very good reasons to attend. It is not a cut and dry issue.

It isn't. Anecdotes aren't data, you should know that. Lots of families in VA and DC, and other parts of MD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bullis has fine facilities, but do not compare to that of Georgetown Prep–especially after Prep completes its current construction project in Fall 2022 (new football stadium and 85,000 s.f. dormitory/student center). The bigger issue for Bullis, beyond its reputation, is its financial situation. They can’t keep raising tuition (they charge about $4,000.00 more than Prep) and do not have the alumni base of donors that Prep, STA, Landon and Episcopal have. Bullis’s big donors are the Trone, Blair and Marriott families. That’s about it.

How would you know who donates to Bullis?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bullis has fine facilities, but do not compare to that of Georgetown Prep–especially after Prep completes its current construction project in Fall 2022 (new football stadium and 85,000 s.f. dormitory/student center). The bigger issue for Bullis, beyond its reputation, is its financial situation. They can’t keep raising tuition (they charge about $4,000.00 more than Prep) and do not have the alumni base of donors that Prep, STA, Landon and Episcopal have. Bullis’s big donors are the Trone, Blair and Marriott families. That’s about it.

How would you know who donates to Bullis?

You can look at the names on the buildings, like the “Marriott Family Library”. You could also know that Trone and Blair kids attended and the school would be negligent not to be hitting them up for donations.

In fairness to Bullis, those are some pretty deep pockets.

[Anonymous]

I agree with PP who said it’s really changing. We almost skipped Bullis because of the comments on this board under the previous HoS. Very glad we didn’t.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone with a current Bullis student please comment on the uniform requirements? Are girls required to wear skirts or can they wear pants?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like Bullis has changed? People talk less trash about it...and it seems people are generally happy with it this year with Covid.

It still seems have broadly open door admissions, however the type of families and kids attending seems to have changed.

According to the HOS email, there are waitlists for all middle and upper school grades, as well as grade 3. It may not be Sidwell, but clearly not everyone is getting in.

Sure, but let’s not overstate the case. I would find it hard to find an advantage over Wooton, Churchill and Whitman other than if your kid needs smaller class sizes for whatever reason or you just like the community.

Wootton family here who decided on Bullis over Wootton and so glad we did! Wootton is falling apart, quite literally. The building is awful and waiting for a renovation that was supposed to be done this year. But the community has been fighting for a renovation for years and it all got put on the back burner even before Covid. The Poolesville renovation took priority. Couple that with class sizes being consistently over 30 kids, leaks all over the building, HVAC issues, kids eating in hallways for lunch, bad bathroom situation, no parking for students, etc... it was a no brainer. Yes, the Wootton students score high across the board on all tests and college admissions, but the facilities are so poor. Shame on MCPS for letting them get so bad. And, quite frankly, what is going to happen with MCPS next year? How will they catch kids up in math and other subjects with cutting the curriculum in half this year? Will they be in person 100% next year. Will they offer as many after school activities? Everything seems up in the air with MCPS whereas Bullis has been striving to put students first. I've always been a big proponent of public schools especially in this area. But I think MCPS has been going downhill for a while and it was time for us to make a change. And we're happy we did!