Australian needing advice on schools

[Anonymous]

Hi!

Our family will be moving to DC in July 2024 from Australia. We have two kids 12(m) and 9(f)

Reading various posts it seems schooling can be tricky in DC.

We have applied for schools like WIS and the British International school. Also not opposed to public schools.

Any other private / public school suggestions for a couple of pretty nice kids who are a bit nerdy, relaxed and are from a pretty progressive family?

A sense of which schools are easier to get into would also be appreciated if possible.

Thanks so much!

[Anonymous]

Where will you be living?

[Anonymous]

British will be easier than WIS.

We have a lot of friends that are international and many choose WIS. I believe it is quite superior to British.

Of the top private schools, the most conservatives are NCS (girls) and St Albans (boys). They are still pretty progressive (we are in DC after all), but less so than Sidwell.

The most progressive school is GDS. We have friends there too and it’s honestly too much for us. The whole gender fluidity topic is in every wall and part of most conversations. At least this is what we hear from our friends.

These above are the top schools for academics. There are also other good schools such as Maret, Field, etc.

[Anonymous]

In the actual District of Columbia (Washington DC proper, not the broader metro area), the public schools (i.e., government-run schools) objectively rank quite poorly overall. The “DC Public Schools” have tragically low academic achievement, and widespread issues of physical safety of the students, with the very narrow exception of one or two elementary schools in NW DC.

If you live inside DC, then I would strongly urge private. Many believe WIS is better than the British School. There also some non-international strong private schools in DC worth considering, including for example the Washington Cathedral Schools (which include Beauvoir for K-3rd, St Albans for boys, & Cathedral School for girls), Sidwell Friends School, and Georgetown Day School (GDS).

If you live just north of DC in Montgomery County, then the “W” high school pyramids (e.g., Wooton, Walt Whitman, Winston Churchill) are generally good. Also, there is St Andrews Episcopal School (SAES) which some on DCUM like and others dislike, but is definitely worth a look-see.

Prince Georges County schools tragically are another mess. I could not recommend them to anyone. I am not well informed about private schools in PG County.

If you live on the Virginia side of the river, Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) are a disaster, but Arlington County Public Schools (APS) and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) are reasonable options. Confusingly, a postal address of “Alexandria” might be in Alexandria City or might be in Fairfax County - so one needs to check into the details in that case. Privates to consider on the Virginia side include at least St Stephens/St Agnes School (SSSAS) in Alexandria, Potomac School in McLean, and Flint Hill School (which is farther west than the other two).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where will you be living?

This actually is the most important question. Once your living location is narrowed a bit, people can offer better quality advice on where to look. The bridges across the Potomac River are heavily congested during normal commute times, so I could not recommend anyone cross any bridge for school - though many do precisely that for school, for work, or both.

[Anonymous]

Any good private will have competitive admissions.

That said, if your DC attend a private down-under, then a recommendation letter from the current (Australian) Head of School to HoS at your first-choice US private will help admissions chances. Being from outside the US also is an admissions advantage, because it brings geographic diversity to the US school. Applying for both children to the same private school also will help improve admissions chances because it shows commitment to that private school. The public schools (meaning government-run) are required to take any student, and school assignment usually will be based on your home address (exception is for a magnet school program, which is not guaranteed and might not be the assigned neighborhood school).

[Anonymous]

Oh, and the US notoriously does not use Commonwealth English spelling, so your kids might need to adapt if in a US private/public rather than an international school.

[Anonymous]

OP - If you want private school recommendations, it really would be good to know generally where you want to live, but it would appear to be NW Washington given that you are looking at the British School and WIS. Many of the private schools mentioned earlier are in NW DC. If you are looking at public schools, then it really matters where you live, because with few exceptions, your kids would go to the local schools. Contrary to what many on this board will say, some of the public schools are very strong, but all will be much larger than a typical private school, especially in middle and high school. You could easily have 600 students per grade, with class sizes in the 25-30 range, compared to 140 or less per grade and class sizes of 10-12 (or even smaller). It depends on your children. We have had friends move into the area from overseas whose children had a great experience in public school.

[Anonymous]

I would let the Australian Embassy in DC know you are coming to town + ask for their advice. DC is " so far from home" + thus, they should be helpful. I have friends there's nice group of folks! Enjoy the US! Will you be here long?

[Anonymous]

The above is good info BUT no one has mentioned the annual cost of tuition! Many private school in and around dc are quite expensive — more than $35,000 per year per student

[Anonymous]

Open to Catholic schools?

[Anonymous]

The former Australian ambassador to the US (Joe Hockey) sent his kids to STA and NCS prior to their family returning to Australia around 2021.
My kids used to have playdates with him. They were very happy with the schools, especially STA.

[Anonymous]

How long are you staying in the US and will you send your kids to American Universities? These are the things I would think about most when picking a school here.

[Anonymous]

Check out Oneness-Family School, it's a Montessori school in Chevy Chase, MD and goes up through Middle School (there's a high school too, but different location). It's a very international school - my 9 year old is there now and doing great - relaxed, nerdy, and pretty progressive are definitely words I would use to describe his classmates/families! And, it's pretty easy to get into too

[Anonymous]

Falls Church City if you can find a place to live there that you like and can afford. It's a very small jurisdiction.