How to position DCPS kids for private admission?

[Anonymous]

What are some ways to position kids in DCPS for the best shot at being admitted to some of the more selective private schools? My kids are happy at their school and are much too young to start with a private French tutor or begin equestrian lessons (this is a joke, please don't roast me) but I do want to start thinking about ways we can position them for success by the time we decide to move on from DCPS. Specific questions:

I know athletics are important. Does it matter if they're especially good at a certain sport or is it more about schools looking for kids who play a specific sport that's maybe less commonly played, for example. Or are they looking for kids who are attracted to athletics in general and can be reasonably counted on to be three-sport athletes?

We're going to enjoy free public school for a couple more years but I expect we will be ready to look elsewhere before some private schools start like how the Cathedral schools start in 4th grade, for example. What are some good private elementary schools convenient to NW that might help them get prepared academically but aren't like $50k a year?

What are some extracurriculars that admissions boards might find intriguing in a candidate but also fun for kids? I am equally motivated to empower my kids to reach their full potential while enjoying their childhoods.

I assume standout academics is a must so no need to shred me for failing to ask that question.

Finally, "fit" will be the primary consideration when we start weighing these decisions so, again, no need to roast me for failing to consider my children's needs. Hoping for some sincere answers here... fingers crossed.

[Anonymous]

Re sports: They really only matter in ninth admissions and only in sports the school cares about - example Sidwell for basketball. No one cares if your kid is awesome at a random sport other than as a matter of general interest like being good at the oboe. The teams for most of the non-catholic DC privates are terrible outside of a few sports and the recruiting is minimal so don’t waste your time there. Do what your kid enjoys.

[Anonymous]

Yeah this is something that people get wrong. Sports don’t drive much at the Sidwell, GDS, Maret, Potomac, or the Cathedral schools except for high school admissions. The middle school teams for each of these schools in almost every sport are very bad at the middle school level. Then they import a few athletes in whatever sport they care about (mostly basketball or football for Maret or lacrosse for Potomac) in ninth. They continue to be bad in the other sports.

[Anonymous]

Don't choose extracurriculars in order to impress an admissions committee. Find activities that your particular child(ren) will enjoy. Let them be themselves. Then find a school that appreciates who they are.

--parent whose children moved from dcps for 4th (for one kid) and 6th (for the other) with no sports or doing anything specifically for admissions

[Anonymous]

And all the non-Catholic private schools are essentially the same tuition.

[Anonymous]

Find parents at the schools you're interested in and have them give you tips or advocate for you. Seriously, there's a country club aspect to admissions at time.

[Anonymous]

The one thing I can share is be prepared to apply multiple times. The admissions numbers are so small even at the main entry years and the schools are admitting kids from all over the DMV.

We (and other families we know) applied multiple times to places like Sidwell and the Catheral schools and eventually got in. Our kids had top grades, recs, etc all along. It's just a space issue and if you're not bringing diversity or big money ($$$) to the table then you're generally behind these kids regardless of how great your kids are because coming from public school, your sending school does not have a relationship with the accepting private school.

In terms of sports, they don't really matter until 9th grade. You don't need to be a 3 sport athlete but rather really good (on the trajectory towards college recruitment) at one sport. The sports that matter for boys are soccer, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, cross country and sort of football (although most kids only start football in 9th). For girls it's soccer, basketball and lacrosse but 9th grade sports recruiting is far less common for girls.

[Anonymous]

Make sure to use your university alumni emails on your application if you went to an elite school. They like to have the legacy preferences which improves their college placement record.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The one thing I can share is be prepared to apply multiple times. The admissions numbers are so small even at the main entry years and the schools are admitting kids from all over the DMV.

We (and other families we know) applied multiple times to places like Sidwell and the Catheral schools and eventually got in. Our kids had top grades, recs, etc all along. It's just a space issue and if you're not bringing diversity or big money ($$$) to the table then you're generally behind these kids regardless of how great your kids are because coming from public school, your sending school does not have a relationship with the accepting private school.

In terms of sports, they don't really matter until 9th grade. You don't need to be a 3 sport athlete but rather really good (on the trajectory towards college recruitment) at one sport. The sports that matter for boys are soccer, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, cross country and sort of football (although most kids only start football in 9th). For girls it's soccer, basketball and lacrosse but 9th grade sports recruiting is far less common for girls.

No one in history has ever been recruited for high school cross country

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The one thing I can share is be prepared to apply multiple times. The admissions numbers are so small even at the main entry years and the schools are admitting kids from all over the DMV.

We (and other families we know) applied multiple times to places like Sidwell and the Catheral schools and eventually got in. Our kids had top grades, recs, etc all along. It's just a space issue and if you're not bringing diversity or big money ($$$) to the table then you're generally behind these kids regardless of how great your kids are because coming from public school, your sending school does not have a relationship with the accepting private school.

In terms of sports, they don't really matter until 9th grade. You don't need to be a 3 sport athlete but rather really good (on the trajectory towards college recruitment) at one sport. The sports that matter for boys are soccer, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, cross country and sort of football (although most kids only start football in 9th). For girls it's soccer, basketball and lacrosse but 9th grade sports recruiting is far less common for girls.

No one in history has ever been recruited for high school cross country

You are naive and you are wrong.

Pretty much every year the kid(s) who win the DC public cross country middle school championships go on to Big3 high schools. I've known several. They were definitely talking to high school cross country coaches.

Private high schools want kids they can get into elite colleges. They can get runners into elite colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The one thing I can share is be prepared to apply multiple times. The admissions numbers are so small even at the main entry years and the schools are admitting kids from all over the DMV.

We (and other families we know) applied multiple times to places like Sidwell and the Catheral schools and eventually got in. Our kids had top grades, recs, etc all along. It's just a space issue and if you're not bringing diversity or big money ($$$) to the table then you're generally behind these kids regardless of how great your kids are because coming from public school, your sending school does not have a relationship with the accepting private school.

In terms of sports, they don't really matter until 9th grade. You don't need to be a 3 sport athlete but rather really good (on the trajectory towards college recruitment) at one sport. The sports that matter for boys are soccer, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, cross country and sort of football (although most kids only start football in 9th). For girls it's soccer, basketball and lacrosse but 9th grade sports recruiting is far less common for girls.

No one in history has ever been recruited for high school cross country

You are naive and you are wrong.

Pretty much every year the kid(s) who win the DC public cross country middle school championships go on to Big3 high schools. I've known several. They were definitely talking to high school cross country coaches.

Private high schools want kids they can get into elite colleges. They can get runners into elite colleges.

This. If you don’t already know this, you’re not paying attention.

[Anonymous]

A few tips from a family that went from DCPS to a top private:

- Academics are the highest priority. In DCPS our kids got all As and the teachers told us they were exceptionally strong students. When we first applied to private in mid elementary school we got in nowhere and the feedback we got was that our kids were smart but far behind the private school kids academically. In DCPS we had nearly no homework, their private school peers were reading novels and doing more in depth math. Over the next year we hired a tutor and got our kids on par with their private school future classmates, with a huge focus on more challenging reading and writing.

- Sports are a plus. If your kid is an exceptional athlete in one sport that would probably help a lot, but generally being good enough to make a varsity team in the sport a school cares about also helps. One of my kids is an athlete and I think it helped when we talked to a middle school coach though who knows.

- Connections and community matter. We had a few families from the school we really wanted to attend send us letters of recommendation and I’m guessing it helped. We’ve done the same for others, stressing what they would bring to the school community and have always gotten a positive response from admissions.

- It’s a numbers game. Same as applying to elite colleges, at the end there are not enough slots for all of the kids they could admit who would be successful. The older and later you wait to have your kids apply, as nice as that free public school is, the lower your chances seem to be. Also, once we arrived we saw the huge gap between DCPS and what they were getting in private and felt bad we hadn’t done it sooner, but that’s more of a values statement.

Best of luck, it’s a tough process.

[Anonymous]

We applied to private schools from DCPS for 6th grade with good outcomes. We are full pay and sadly, I think that matters to a certain degree, and not another social "category." My one takeaway is to be yourself which includes allowing your child to pursue activities that they are passionate about.

I believe admission officers/schools already have an idea what "type" of kid/spot they want or need to fill any given admissions cycle. That means instead of competing for 1 of 10-15 spots you are really in the running for 1 of 2-3 spots in a "selective private". What a school wants on their student roster that year may have nothing to do with your child and family. Be optimistic and realistic.

In my opinion, I think test scores and required school specific assessments are given a strong look especially coming from DCPS where teaching quality/instruction can vary (is the student generally on par with grade level). Do what you can to support your child academically as they grow.

When the time comes, encourage your child to be themself in the essays, interviews, and shadow days--don't micromanage what they want to write about or say. Admissions officers are pros at gauging authenticity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make sure to use your university alumni emails on your application if you went to an elite school. They like to have the legacy preferences which improves their college placement record.

I don't know if you're serious or not but this is actually true and a good move.

[Anonymous]

Apply early and often! I think you are overestimating your ability to control any given application cycle.