Bullis

[Anonymous]

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

Current parent here. Yes, girls can absolutely wear pants.

[Anonymous]

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.

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!

DP.. I don't blame you for sending your kid to a private school over MCPS, but it's ridiculous to compare facility quality between a rich private to a large public school district.

Yes, Wootton is falling apart, and it is on the CIP, but even it wasn't falling apart it would not be anywhere near the quality of a private school facility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

Current parent here. Yes, girls can absolutely wear pants.

PP you quoted. Thanks so much! The website is not entirely clear.

[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.

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!

DP.. I don't blame you for sending your kid to a private school over MCPS, but it's ridiculous to compare facility quality between a rich private to a large public school district.

Yes, Wootton is falling apart, and it is on the CIP, but even it wasn't falling apart it would not be anywhere near the quality of a private school facility.

She's not comparing. She's providing a reason for why she chose Bullis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have no beef with Bullis and share this based on my experience with other Bullis families (friends and neighbors) I’ve known as my three kids wen through private schools.

Bullis has a nice balance of solid academics, great facilities and strong sports. IMO (and I know this is a small sample size), many Bullis families are friendly; and even down-o-earth, despite what others may have said on this board. Where it seems to come apart is socially, esp. in Middle and High School. For kids that come from solidly wealthy backgrounds, who are outgoing/dress fashionably/at least decent looking to attractive/can hand with a faster crowd, the social scene is navigable with minimal drag. For kids who don’t have this combination, the social scene at Bullis can be painful and difficult, from what I have heard/observed from those families I know or have known at the school. Depending on your kid, the relatively high importance of and difficulties with the tight and competitive social scene can outweigh the school’s strengths.

I assume this is pretty much the case with all the top privates in the area, is that true? Or is Bullis extraordinarily this way? Also, is there a tight Potomac crowd IE would a kid from North Arlington be excluded? We’re UMC HHI about $1m. Would our DC be one of the poorer kids? (Realize how ridiculous this question sounds but legitimate question in this area!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no beef with Bullis and share this based on my experience with other Bullis families (friends and neighbors) I’ve known as my three kids wen through private schools.

Bullis has a nice balance of solid academics, great facilities and strong sports. IMO (and I know this is a small sample size), many Bullis families are friendly; and even down-o-earth, despite what others may have said on this board. Where it seems to come apart is socially, esp. in Middle and High School. For kids that come from solidly wealthy backgrounds, who are outgoing/dress fashionably/at least decent looking to attractive/can hand with a faster crowd, the social scene is navigable with minimal drag. For kids who don’t have this combination, the social scene at Bullis can be painful and difficult, from what I have heard/observed from those families I know or have known at the school. Depending on your kid, the relatively high importance of and difficulties with the tight and competitive social scene can outweigh the school’s strengths.

I assume this is pretty much the case with all the top privates in the area, is that true? Or is Bullis extraordinarily this way? Also, is there a tight Potomac crowd IE would a kid from North Arlington be excluded? We’re UMC HHI about $1m. Would our DC be one of the poorer kids? (Realize how ridiculous this question sounds but legitimate question in this area!)

i mean, this sounds like my public school experience (i was lower middle class in a wealthy suburb of chicago).

re: the bolded, we are DC residents applying to high school with HHI of $600k so if we get in, no you would not be. LOL.

[Anonymous]

Bullis has a bus that goes out to NOVA. There are plenty of kids attend from Arlington, McLean etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no beef with Bullis and share this based on my experience with other Bullis families (friends and neighbors) I’ve known as my three kids wen through private schools.

Bullis has a nice balance of solid academics, great facilities and strong sports. IMO (and I know this is a small sample size), many Bullis families are friendly; and even down-o-earth, despite what others may have said on this board. Where it seems to come apart is socially, esp. in Middle and High School. For kids that come from solidly wealthy backgrounds, who are outgoing/dress fashionably/at least decent looking to attractive/can hand with a faster crowd, the social scene is navigable with minimal drag. For kids who don’t have this combination, the social scene at Bullis can be painful and difficult, from what I have heard/observed from those families I know or have known at the school. Depending on your kid, the relatively high importance of and difficulties with the tight and competitive social scene can outweigh the school’s strengths.

I assume this is pretty much the case with all the top privates in the area, is that true? Or is Bullis extraordinarily this way? Also, is there a tight Potomac crowd IE would a kid from North Arlington be excluded? We’re UMC HHI about $1m. Would our DC be one of the poorer kids? (Realize how ridiculous this question sounds but legitimate question in this area!)

No, yours will not be one of the poorer kids. There are some extremely rich families at Bullis, but the bulk are "working rich" lawyers, doctors, etc. who are probably making somewhere from $400k to $1M or so.

[Anonymous]

Current family making less than mentioned above, and our child has made friends from all over the DMV. Some have a ton of $$ and others do not. It's irrelevant to friendships

[Anonymous]

I agree with the above poster. We are in the income range mentioned above and it feels pretty much like the norm. No one seems to care about anyone else’s income.

Also with regard to the posts further back, I echo the comments about the school being under great leadership, headed in a very positive direction, and becoming increasingly competitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There seems to be a lot of Bullis haters on this board. Does anyone who is objective have any clue how many applicants they get for 9th grade? DC loved the school and it is our first choice. How hard is it to get in? I do know of one child who was rejected who I thought was a strong candidate. Thank you.

It’s harder to get into than DCUM haters would like to admit. Meaning it is competitive. The resources are plentiful at the school. This is a huge benefit for any child who attends. It also gives Bullis the opportunity to acccept more children then smaller schools with fewer resources because they can afford to pay more teachers etc. The campus is gorgeous and it is well equipped for a multitude of sports.

If you are applying for financial aid, keep in mind that those spaces are particularly imited. This is where aid seeking parents who have children with lower grades who do not bring something else to the table may have the most pronounced difficulties with admission.

I think one of the reasons you see so much hate within these forms for this particular school is that it is extremely expensive. Manny cannot afford it and for that reason they were a bit bitter. (sorry in advance if I have any advertently insulted anyone but it’s the truth.)

Bullis is great and your child will love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There seems to be a lot of Bullis haters on this board. Does anyone who is objective have any clue how many applicants they get for 9th grade? DC loved the school and it is our first choice. How hard is it to get in? I do know of one child who was rejected who I thought was a strong candidate. Thank you.

It’s harder to get into than DCUM haters would like to admit. Meaning it is competitive. The resources are plentiful at the school. This is a huge benefit for any child who attends. It also gives Bullis the opportunity to acccept more children then smaller schools with fewer resources because they can afford to pay more teachers etc. The campus is gorgeous and it is well equipped for a multitude of sports.

If you are applying for financial aid, keep in mind that those spaces are particularly imited. This is where aid seeking parents who have children with lower grades who do not bring something else to the table may have the most pronounced difficulties with admission.

I think one of the reasons you see so much hate within these forms for this particular school is that it is extremely expensive. Manny cannot afford it and for that reason they were a bit bitter. (sorry in advance if I have any advertently insulted anyone but it’s the truth.)

Bullis is great and your child will love it.

There's a lot of hate. Can't possibly be attributable only to Manny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There seems to be a lot of Bullis haters on this board. Does anyone who is objective have any clue how many applicants they get for 9th grade? DC loved the school and it is our first choice. How hard is it to get in? I do know of one child who was rejected who I thought was a strong candidate. Thank you.

It’s harder to get into than DCUM haters would like to admit. Meaning it is competitive. The resources are plentiful at the school. This is a huge benefit for any child who attends. It also gives Bullis the opportunity to acccept more children then smaller schools with fewer resources because they can afford to pay more teachers etc. The campus is gorgeous and it is well equipped for a multitude of sports.

If you are applying for financial aid, keep in mind that those spaces are particularly imited. This is where aid seeking parents who have children with lower grades who do not bring something else to the table may have the most pronounced difficulties with admission.

I think one of the reasons you see so much hate within these forms for this particular school is that it is extremely expensive. Manny cannot afford it and for that reason they were a bit bitter. (sorry in advance if I have any advertently insulted anyone but it’s the truth.)

Bullis is great and your child will love it.

Okay, you got me! Please enjoy your "gotcha" moment with the typo.



There's a lot of hate. Can't possibly be attributable only to Manny.

[Anonymous]

Why would people hate on Bullis, specifically, for being expensive in a private school forum of expensive private schools?

[Anonymous]

The hate comes from a long history of Bullis being obnoxious in athletics, having extremely low admission standards, a previous Head who made the faculty miserable and who conducted himself in ways that resulted in very bad press, and a lot of very ostentatious families who felt very entitled. The Board is full of extremely wealthy Potomac citizens and there has been quite a bit of infighting. Add to that racial upheaval over the years, giving all FA to PG county football and track players, a new building with the disgraced Head's name on it, and the long held reputation as being the "public school you pay for."

The school says they are changing and they benefitted tremendously from the Covid exodus of MCPS. Never before were they able to have admission standards. So it will be interesting to see where they are going. But they charge more than any other private school in the DMV, they took small loan money (millions) and never paid it back, and there were some really questionable spending for years and years.

The hate probably comes from the myriads of disgruntled parents and faculty through the years. It's hard to believe it comes from out of thin air.