Why am I paying for private when Wilson HS (DCPS) admits are this good?

[Anonymous]

The strongest students at all DC Public’s and public charters do well in college admissions. This isn’t limited to Wilson.

At my kid’s charter, the class of 2019 has students admitted to Duke, Northwestern. MIT, Vassar, Kenyon, Oberlin. Lafayette and Oxford. School Without Walls’ list is very similar.

Totally agree with all the private school parents saying that college admissions isn’t a good reason to go private.

[Anonymous]

For the absolute life of me I can not understand why you care what anyone else thinks about your kids going to Wilson versus a private school. In fact, I doubt anyone spends any time thinking about it other than you.

Send your kid(s) where you think is best and can afford and like. That is all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The strongest students at all DC Public’s and public charters do well in college admissions. This isn’t limited to Wilson.

At my kid’s charter, the class of 2019 has students admitted to Duke, Northwestern. MIT, Vassar, Kenyon, Oberlin. Lafayette and Oxford. School Without Walls’ list is very similar.

Totally agree with all the private school parents saying that college admissions isn’t a good reason to go private.

This is BASIS, right? Congrats to that class!

[Anonymous]

OP, you're a fool if you think college admission is the end game. I feel sorry for your kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At my kid’s charter, the class of 2019 has students admitted to Duke, Northwestern. MIT, Vassar, Kenyon, Oberlin. Lafayette and Oxford.

Are these acceptances for eight different students, or fewer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:just my experience but i went to a private high school in CT and went to Princeton. I found that I was INCREDIBLY burnt out by my high school's work load by the time I got to college. My peers who ended up in the same place went to so so high schools- some w/ a great school rates in the 3s and did just fine at Princeton, if not better than me and are now doing great career wise. I know for sure that my husband who went to a midwestern public school that is a 2 on great schools did just as well as me at Princeton (exact same GPA) and is a successful lawyer. I struggle with the idea of private vs public because I was so conditioned to think private was better growing up but I feel that its likely more about the parents and the person's own motivations.

Similar here...I also came out feeling very entitled. I almost wish Wilson was a little more ragged around the edges. Sigh...the good old days when you could get jumped in a bathroom there.

I went to a top private in CA and came out neither burnt out nor entitled. I'm thinking your parents could have done a better job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the absolute life of me I can not understand why you care what anyone else thinks about your kids going to Wilson versus a private school. In fact, I doubt anyone spends any time thinking about it other than you.

Send your kid(s) where you think is best and can afford and like. That is all.

Um, because OP asked the question, that's why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the absolute life of me I can not understand why you care what anyone else thinks about your kids going to Wilson versus a private school. In fact, I doubt anyone spends any time thinking about it other than you.

Send your kid(s) where you think is best and can afford and like. That is all.

If you don’t care, why did you read this post? Why did you reply? Lol. Because you care and you’re no better then any of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are private schools "select[ing] for smart students" and
"accepting only rich kids who are mediocre at best academically or intellectually" a consistent narrative?

My 2 cents: the smartest, most creative, most ultimately successful kids are likely to be in publics, because top creativity and intellectual capacity do not correlate to working in jobs with salaries that support private school tuitions.

Top publics in intellectual areas (NW DC, college towns) have some of those very top kids, plus lots of really motivated and smart kids, plus everyone else.

Private schools have a lot of extremely privileged kids who are motivated and smart; and also a lot of average kids with moneyed parents who will be "successful" in terms of the researched variables.

So basically: the fact that privates have some smart, motivated kids does not mean that publics do not. And the fact that some smart, motivated kids attend privates does not mean that they are all smart and motivated.

This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. While not everyone who makes a lot of money is a genius, I don't have many stupid rich friends. In fact, the smartest people I've ever met have also been wealthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2 cents: the smartest, most creative, most ultimately successful kids are likely to be in publics, because top creativity and intellectual capacity do not correlate to working in jobs with salaries that support private school tuitions.

And what's your measure of "smartest, most creative, and most ultimately successful"? I see a large chunk of alums from the so-called Big 3 who seem to have accomplished a ton in both the creative and intellectual realms and are at least on par with those from public schools.

Also, there are plenty of families at our private school where one parent has the high-powered lucrative job and the other is in academia. How do they fit in your false dichotomy?

So defensive! I guess it hurts to know that private school and your HHI don't make you intellectual or creative? And yes, sure, you could have a professor married to a banker.

I'm not saying there aren't very bright and successful kids in private schools. Obviously there are. I'm just saying that the engines of creativity and thought and public service come from public schools (because those kinds of families don't prioritze money making above all else; they prioritize their work, which is not so lucrative.)

And I think additionally, it must bug you to know that we send our kids to public schools without much of a second thought, because they don't need the "extras" to succeed ...

It doesn't bug me at all. In fact, I'm thrilled to know I'll never run into you at my kids' school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And I think additionally, it must bug you to know that we send our kids to public schools without much of a second thought, because they don't need the "extras" to succeed ...

More like, my kids were just as likely to succeed in private as public, but the "extras" help make their day-to-day learning a much more enjoyable experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are private schools "select[ing] for smart students" and
"accepting only rich kids who are mediocre at best academically or intellectually" a consistent narrative?

My 2 cents: the smartest, most creative, most ultimately successful kids are likely to be in publics, because top creativity and intellectual capacity do not correlate to working in jobs with salaries that support private school tuitions.

Top publics in intellectual areas (NW DC, college towns) have some of those very top kids, plus lots of really motivated and smart kids, plus everyone else.

Private schools have a lot of extremely privileged kids who are motivated and smart; and also a lot of average kids with moneyed parents who will be "successful" in terms of the researched variables.

So basically: the fact that privates have some smart, motivated kids does not mean that publics do not. And the fact that some smart, motivated kids attend privates does not mean that they are all smart and motivated.

This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. While not everyone who makes a lot of money is a genius, I don't have many stupid rich friends. In fact, the smartest people I've ever met have also been wealthy.

Logic fail. I never said that there are no smart, successful kids in privates. I said that publics have the most extraordinary kids. I mean, I challenge you to look at recent years of MacArthur Genius award grantees. I guarantee you that there are very, very few private high school kids there.

[Anonymous]

I have a senior at Wilson but we have also had a child in private school here. The kids who succeed academically at Wilson are from the same general pool of kids as those who succeed academically at private and charter schools. They're all on the same travel sports teams, etc., and shocker of shockers, they often go to the same drinking parties on weekends. It's strange that so many of you think there's no overlap.

The kids at Wilson who got into the Ivy League or Stanford (or whatever parameter you want to set for the "top" schools) are often legacies, just as in private schools. The kids who made it into the schools that are probably just as good but not Ivy League (you choose, but I'll include Chicago, Northwestern, University of Michigan, UCLA) are super smart regardless of where they went to high school. What separates the Wilson kids from students at private schools is not wealth but Wilson parents' (and the kids') willingness to deal with seemingly unlimited DCPS BS, plus the kids' ability to succeed despite some of the harsher realities of Wilson/DCPS. Come on, Wilson parents, we can admit there are some of these, right? That the overdoses did happen and were disturbing and poorly handled, that the administration is borderline incompetent, that the college counseling is inadequate, etc.? I wish my kid didn't have to deal with those things, but I'm happy that he succeeded despite them, and yes, he'll see some of your kids at his first-choice college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a senior at Wilson but we have also had a child in private school here. The kids who succeed academically at Wilson are from the same general pool of kids as those who succeed academically at private and charter schools. They're all on the same travel sports teams, etc., and shocker of shockers, they often go to the same drinking parties on weekends. It's strange that so many of you think there's no overlap.

The kids at Wilson who got into the Ivy League or Stanford (or whatever parameter you want to set for the "top" schools) are often legacies, just as in private schools. The kids who made it into the schools that are probably just as good but not Ivy League (you choose, but I'll include Chicago, Northwestern, University of Michigan, UCLA) are super smart regardless of where they went to high school. What separates the Wilson kids from students at private schools is not wealth but Wilson parents' (and the kids') willingness to deal with seemingly unlimited DCPS BS, plus the kids' ability to succeed despite some of the harsher realities of Wilson/DCPS. Come on, Wilson parents, we can admit there are some of these, right? That the overdoses did happen and were disturbing and poorly handled, that the administration is borderline incompetent, that the college counseling is inadequate, etc.? I wish my kid didn't have to deal with those things, but I'm happy that he succeeded despite them, and yes, he'll see some of your kids at his first-choice college.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a senior at Wilson but we have also had a child in private school here. The kids who succeed academically at Wilson are from the same general pool of kids as those who succeed academically at private and charter schools. They're all on the same travel sports teams, etc., and shocker of shockers, they often go to the same drinking parties on weekends. It's strange that so many of you think there's no overlap.

The kids at Wilson who got into the Ivy League or Stanford (or whatever parameter you want to set for the "top" schools) are often legacies, just as in private schools. The kids who made it into the schools that are probably just as good but not Ivy League (you choose, but I'll include Chicago, Northwestern, University of Michigan, UCLA) are super smart regardless of where they went to high school. What separates the Wilson kids from students at private schools is not wealth but Wilson parents' (and the kids') willingness to deal with seemingly unlimited DCPS BS, plus the kids' ability to succeed despite some of the harsher realities of Wilson/DCPS. Come on, Wilson parents, we can admit there are some of these, right? That the overdoses did happen and were disturbing and poorly handled, that the administration is borderline incompetent, that the college counseling is inadequate, etc.? I wish my kid didn't have to deal with those things, but I'm happy that he succeeded despite them, and yes, he'll see some of your kids at his first-choice college.

+1000 too

You find quite a few families like the PP (and ourselves) who have an older child at Wilson and other(s), usually younger, at private. For us we sort of knew what we were getting into with Wilson and my oldest is a self starter who is driven and has done extremely well. Off to her first choice college in the fall. Now knowing what it is like, I have younger kids who would be eaten alive at Wilson --- and I am just done like what the PP posted. Terrible administration, lack of accountability by teachers, the over dose incident/handling/clearly troubled kids back at the school, the stealing, etc. I just don't want to deal with it myself and really don't want my kids dealing with it any longer. So we are out in a few weeks and not looking back.