Fewer Public School Applicants for 9th

[Anonymous]

We applied to five schools for ninth and did a number of tours and shadow days where people are often asked the school they are at now. Every one of the kids was from a private K-8 in the groups we were in. Obviously that’s a very, very small subset and could just be luck or the specific time slots we ended up in, but I was wondering what the percentage of applicants for eighth is in terms of public and private. I assume schools in DC would have a higher number than the suburbs schools, but anyone have a rough sense of the breakdown just out of curiosity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We applied to five schools for ninth and did a number of tours and shadow days where people are often asked the school they are at now. Every one of the kids was from a private K-8 in the groups we were in. Obviously that’s a very, very small subset and could just be luck or the specific time slots we ended up in, but I was wondering what the percentage of applicants for eighth is in terms of public and private. I assume schools in DC would have a higher number than the suburbs schools, but anyone have a rough sense of the breakdown just out of curiosity.

It really, really depends on the school.

St John’s on Military Road has for many years taken a lot of public schools kids especially DCPS students. It’s conveniently located for many and has a range of students.

Most of the others in the district have a low percentage of public school 8th graders applying.

Gonzaga and Prep get the great majority of their students from Catholic schools. Gonzaga because of its location and a commitment to the City does admit a fair number of public schoolers.

[Anonymous]

I bet the public school applicants will continue to trend down, especially at the elite, $55k schools.

The word is increasingly out that college admissions for a smart but unhooked kid are better from DCPS than they are for the same kid at Sidwell, NCS, etc. Plus you have to work your a$$ off through all of high school at these privates. I had kids come from DCPS and this is definitely what people are talking about and coming to realize in mass. These are close communities, neighborhoods and communities--word travels.

STJ is sort of it's own animal--it will always get a bunch of families who are skittish about Jackson Reed and figure that paying under $23k for the guarantee of order in the classroom is worth it. Interestingly, some of these kids end up transferring out to JR later in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I bet the public school applicants will continue to trend down, especially at the elite, $55k schools.

The word is increasingly out that college admissions for a smart but unhooked kid are better from DCPS than they are for the same kid at Sidwell, NCS, etc. Plus you have to work your a$$ off through all of high school at these privates. I had kids come from DCPS and this is definitely what people are talking about and coming to realize in mass. These are close communities, neighborhoods and communities--word travels.

STJ is sort of it's own animal--it will always get a bunch of families who are skittish about Jackson Reed and figure that paying under $23k for the guarantee of order in the classroom is worth it. Interestingly, some of these kids end up transferring out to JR later in high school.

LOL, so you really think a college is going to have preference for a public school kid who coasted through HS vs a private school kid who "works his a$$ off through all of high school." Colleges know that kids coming out of schools like Sidwell are significantly more prepared for the rigors of college. Sorry, but your your statement is not very convincing at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet the public school applicants will continue to trend down, especially at the elite, $55k schools.

The word is increasingly out that college admissions for a smart but unhooked kid are better from DCPS than they are for the same kid at Sidwell, NCS, etc. Plus you have to work your a$$ off through all of high school at these privates. I had kids come from DCPS and this is definitely what people are talking about and coming to realize in mass. These are close communities, neighborhoods and communities--word travels.

STJ is sort of it's own animal--it will always get a bunch of families who are skittish about Jackson Reed and figure that paying under $23k for the guarantee of order in the classroom is worth it. Interestingly, some of these kids end up transferring out to JR later in high school.

LOL, so you really think a college is going to have preference for a public school kid who coasted through HS vs a private school kid who "works his a$$ off through all of high school." Colleges know that kids coming out of schools like Sidwell are significantly more prepared for the rigors of college. Sorry, but your your statement is not very convincing at all.

+1. Compare the percentages of “top” MoCo and JR/Walls/Banneker students heading to Ivy+/Top 20 colleges vs. Sidwell/GDS/Maret/Cathedral and get back to me.
A more honest statement would read: “I bet the public school applicants will continue to trend down, especially at the elite, $55k schools…because the vast majority of public school families can’t afford the tuition. Especially for multiple children, over a period of several years, with annual tuition increases.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet the public school applicants will continue to trend down, especially at the elite, $55k schools.

The word is increasingly out that college admissions for a smart but unhooked kid are better from DCPS than they are for the same kid at Sidwell, NCS, etc. Plus you have to work your a$$ off through all of high school at these privates. I had kids come from DCPS and this is definitely what people are talking about and coming to realize in mass. These are close communities, neighborhoods and communities--word travels.

STJ is sort of it's own animal--it will always get a bunch of families who are skittish about Jackson Reed and figure that paying under $23k for the guarantee of order in the classroom is worth it. Interestingly, some of these kids end up transferring out to JR later in high school.

LOL, so you really think a college is going to have preference for a public school kid who coasted through HS vs a private school kid who "works his a$$ off through all of high school." Colleges know that kids coming out of schools like Sidwell are significantly more prepared for the rigors of college. Sorry, but your your statement is not very convincing at all.

yes. if you don't believe this then you have your head in the sand. Colleges LOVE kids from Walls and Jackson Reed. They love them. It is far, far easier to get in unhooked to top 50 colleges from Jackson Reed or Walls in 2023 than from NCS or Sidwell. If you don't believe this, go talk to the parent of a senior at your Big3. Go talk to college counseling.
I wish this wasn't the case. My kids left DCPS for Big3 schools. They're now learning twice as much and they are doing well. But I know 100% that they would have gone to better colleges out of DCPS. We're applying to colleges now. Their friends who were mediocre students in middle school and barely studied in high school have better college options and are getting into better schools.
I agree this seems unjust (shouldn't the kids who are better prepared be more prized by colleges?) but it is reality.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s more accurate to say they all trended up during and immediately post covid but have reverted back to baseline

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet the public school applicants will continue to trend down, especially at the elite, $55k schools.

The word is increasingly out that college admissions for a smart but unhooked kid are better from DCPS than they are for the same kid at Sidwell, NCS, etc. Plus you have to work your a$$ off through all of high school at these privates. I had kids come from DCPS and this is definitely what people are talking about and coming to realize in mass. These are close communities, neighborhoods and communities--word travels.

STJ is sort of it's own animal--it will always get a bunch of families who are skittish about Jackson Reed and figure that paying under $23k for the guarantee of order in the classroom is worth it. Interestingly, some of these kids end up transferring out to JR later in high school.

LOL, so you really think a college is going to have preference for a public school kid who coasted through HS vs a private school kid who "works his a$$ off through all of high school." Colleges know that kids coming out of schools like Sidwell are significantly more prepared for the rigors of college. Sorry, but your your statement is not very convincing at all.

yes. if you don't believe this then you have your head in the sand. Colleges LOVE kids from Walls and Jackson Reed. They love them. It is far, far easier to get in unhooked to top 50 colleges from Jackson Reed or Walls in 2023 than from NCS or Sidwell. If you don't believe this, go talk to the parent of a senior at your Big3. Go talk to college counseling.
I wish this wasn't the case. My kids left DCPS for Big3 schools. They're now learning twice as much and they are doing well. But I know 100% that they would have gone to better colleges out of DCPS. We're applying to colleges now. Their friends who were mediocre students in middle school and barely studied in high school have better college options and are getting into better schools.
I agree this seems unjust (shouldn't the kids who are better prepared be more prized by colleges?) but it is reality.

It’s YOUR reality. It sounds like your misery is trying to find company—lol. Sucks for your kid that you didn’t put them in a position to be “hooked.” My daughters attend a Big 3 and their legacies at two different Ivies (and we donate annually). Plus, they both play a niche sport. Next time, plan ahead.

[Anonymous]

^ they’re legacies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet the public school applicants will continue to trend down, especially at the elite, $55k schools.

The word is increasingly out that college admissions for a smart but unhooked kid are better from DCPS than they are for the same kid at Sidwell, NCS, etc. Plus you have to work your a$$ off through all of high school at these privates. I had kids come from DCPS and this is definitely what people are talking about and coming to realize in mass. These are close communities, neighborhoods and communities--word travels.

STJ is sort of it's own animal--it will always get a bunch of families who are skittish about Jackson Reed and figure that paying under $23k for the guarantee of order in the classroom is worth it. Interestingly, some of these kids end up transferring out to JR later in high school.

LOL, so you really think a college is going to have preference for a public school kid who coasted through HS vs a private school kid who "works his a$$ off through all of high school." Colleges know that kids coming out of schools like Sidwell are significantly more prepared for the rigors of college. Sorry, but your your statement is not very convincing at all.

yes. if you don't believe this then you have your head in the sand. Colleges LOVE kids from Walls and Jackson Reed. They love them. It is far, far easier to get in unhooked to top 50 colleges from Jackson Reed or Walls in 2023 than from NCS or Sidwell. If you don't believe this, go talk to the parent of a senior at your Big3. Go talk to college counseling.
I wish this wasn't the case. My kids left DCPS for Big3 schools. They're now learning twice as much and they are doing well. But I know 100% that they would have gone to better colleges out of DCPS. We're applying to colleges now. Their friends who were mediocre students in middle school and barely studied in high school have better college options and are getting into better schools.
I agree this seems unjust (shouldn't the kids who are better prepared be more prized by colleges?) but it is reality.

That wasn't our experience in our non big 3 HS. The smart kids will do well and that doesn't necessarily mean an ivy league school. Honestly, my very high stats kid with a 1580 SAT and 4.3 GPA who already graduated didn't even want to apply to any ivies. We toured Yale and he was underwhelmed. He ended up at his top 20 dream school and is thriving. I did the calculations of admits vs applications for his university out of our zoned public HS (a "W" school), and the results were abysmal. Acceptance rate that was about a third of the universal acceptance rate (about 6% vs 15%).

[Anonymous]

It’s a tremendous amount of money even for affluent families and less convenient than going to your local neighborhood schools. If the only thing you care about is college admissions it’s a gamble. Of course if you care about your kid’s education or their overall experience and you can afford it then privates are an obvious choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet the public school applicants will continue to trend down, especially at the elite, $55k schools.

The word is increasingly out that college admissions for a smart but unhooked kid are better from DCPS than they are for the same kid at Sidwell, NCS, etc. Plus you have to work your a$$ off through all of high school at these privates. I had kids come from DCPS and this is definitely what people are talking about and coming to realize in mass. These are close communities, neighborhoods and communities--word travels.

STJ is sort of it's own animal--it will always get a bunch of families who are skittish about Jackson Reed and figure that paying under $23k for the guarantee of order in the classroom is worth it. Interestingly, some of these kids end up transferring out to JR later in high school.

LOL, so you really think a college is going to have preference for a public school kid who coasted through HS vs a private school kid who "works his a$$ off through all of high school." Colleges know that kids coming out of schools like Sidwell are significantly more prepared for the rigors of college. Sorry, but your your statement is not very convincing at all.

yes. if you don't believe this then you have your head in the sand. Colleges LOVE kids from Walls and Jackson Reed. They love them. It is far, far easier to get in unhooked to top 50 colleges from Jackson Reed or Walls in 2023 than from NCS or Sidwell. If you don't believe this, go talk to the parent of a senior at your Big3. Go talk to college counseling.
I wish this wasn't the case. My kids left DCPS for Big3 schools. They're now learning twice as much and they are doing well. But I know 100% that they would have gone to better colleges out of DCPS. We're applying to colleges now. Their friends who were mediocre students in middle school and barely studied in high school have better college options and are getting into better schools.
I agree this seems unjust (shouldn't the kids who are better prepared be more prized by colleges?) but it is reality.

It’s YOUR reality. It sounds like your misery is trying to find company—lol. Sucks for your kid that you didn’t put them in a position to be “hooked.” My daughters attend a Big 3 and their legacies at two different Ivies (and we donate annually). Plus, they both play a niche sport. Next time, plan ahead.

Oh wow you planned really well getting them hooked as legacies. I am so impressed!!

[Anonymous]

My sense is that St. John’s because of location and price and Sidwell because it is so well-known get the most public school applications. At a lot of other schools the number applying from public isn’t zero, but it isn’t a high percentage of the total applicants.

[Anonymous]

If the new normal is 50+ thousand dollars per year and the tuition is going to increase every single year people are getting priced out….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the new normal is 50+ thousand dollars per year and the tuition is going to increase every single year people are getting priced out….

An alum from our school told me a generation ago it was affordable for families with federal employee parents, sometimes even one fed and a teacher. That amazes me because our current tuition for one kid is about a third of the highest GS salary, there would be no way without significant additional income.