Holton, NCS, Sidwell, Potomac, GDS - admissions for 9th

[Anonymous]

Our daughter is applying to these schools for 9th grade. Feeling like she is being ambitious with her hopes. All As student, not a URM. No “hook” at any. We are a VA family. Moderately involved in sports. Should we be setting her expectations low?

[Anonymous]

Why not Madeira also?

[Anonymous]

From public or private?

[Anonymous]

I would add some others to be safe if you are not fine with your public option. Madeira like PP said would be a good one.

[Anonymous]

Agree with advice posted so far.... if you are not ok with public as a backup, you should add a safety school to this list.

[Anonymous]

If you are 100 percent comfortable with your public HS then you are okay, but she needs to know that she might end up at the public school, so talk that up too and visit and have her "see herself there" as well as these on the list.
If public is not an option then you need to add some schools where she might have a higher chance. It is a gamble at the schools you have mentioned. No sure things there. Perhaps Madiera, Bullis, or St Andrews (I believe those two in Potomac have an extensive bus system)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From public or private?

Not relevant these days since covid. Not a sure thing even if coming from a k8, even with all As.

[Anonymous]

We went through the process last year from a K-8. I would add a few safeties, unless you are fine with public HS. I assume that you are from public because K-8 schools have counselors that help students select their schools (kind of like HS guidance counselors). All As are good but kind of standard for the schools she is applying to and really aren’t enough. If your private school counselor is okay with the list, I would be, too. But otherwise consider Madeira, Stone Ridge, Bullis, Field or Burke.

[Anonymous]

Op here. She would be coming from private. She would be fine with our public HS, though she really loves some of these schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. She would be coming from private. She would be fine with our public HS, though she really loves some of these schools.

BTDT, during peak covid so things might be different this year in terms of number of applications, but I would visit the public and treat it like an option as real as any of the others.

[Anonymous]

Don’t listen to these people. It’s a good list. You’ll get into at least one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t listen to these people. It’s a good list. You’ll get into at least one.

that is not good advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. She would be coming from private. She would be fine with our public HS, though she really loves some of these schools.

I have kids at two of the schools you mentioned and have watched 9th grade admissions closely for the past 3 years (as I had kids applying 2 out of the 3).

Your child's biggest competition (by far) is kids coming from her own middle school. Most of these schools will not admit more than 3 kids from any one middle school. It's often 1 kid per sending school.
They love to say "we have kids coming in from 30 different middle schools/Zip codes, etc). I clearly remember this from Potomac's 9th grade accepted student day.

So who else is applying from your daughter's class? If there are siblings, legacy, etc you may very well be out of luck. If your daughter is the strongest kid applying to a high school, she may
have a very good chance of admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. She would be coming from private. She would be fine with our public HS, though she really loves some of these schools.

I have kids at two of the schools you mentioned and have watched 9th grade admissions closely for the past 3 years (as I had kids applying 2 out of the 3).

Your child's biggest competition (by far) is kids coming from her own middle school. Most of these schools will not admit more than 3 kids from any one middle school. It's often 1 kid per sending school.
They love to say "we have kids coming in from 30 different middle schools/Zip codes, etc). I clearly remember this from Potomac's 9th grade accepted student day.

So who else is applying from your daughter's class? If there are siblings, legacy, etc you may very well be out of luck. If your daughter is the strongest kid applying to a high school, she may
have a very good chance of admission.

This is so helpful! Thank you for your perspective and insight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We went through the process last year from a K-8. I would add a few safeties, unless you are fine with public HS. I assume that you are from public because K-8 schools have counselors that help students select their schools (kind of like HS guidance counselors). All As are good but kind of standard for the schools she is applying to and really aren’t enough. If your private school counselor is okay with the list, I would be, too. But otherwise consider Madeira, Stone Ridge, Bullis, Field or Burke.

I think this is very good advice. OP, mine was on WL on Holton + GDS + eventually got into both. Chose Holton because they had all her sports (GDS was much closer for us). We knew Board Members at both. Kid ended up at Ivy.

Good luck! It is a stressful process.