Do private schools really look at test scores/ability or is really just about connections?

[Anonymous]

My daughter will be starting K next year, so I am trying to figure out which way to go: private v. public. I have never taken my daughter to take the WPPSI-III, but I am trying to figure out if we should go through all of the hoops to apply to a private school. We have absolutely no connections - at least compared to most people in Washington DC.

[Anonymous]

If you are open to the many wonderful private schools in the area then go for it. Your child will most likely get accepted somewhere.

[Anonymous]

No connections here. DD is at GDS. Can't imagine a better school for her. Started in PreK, now in MS.

The short answer is look and if you see something you really like, then apply. But have a plan B. And don't bother with schools, however prestigious, that don't wow you and seem like a good fit for your DC.

[Anonymous]

A lot of the applicants to the top schools are self-selected. Families with kids who score avg or below avg probably won't apply to the most competitive schools. The result is that a lot of the kids applying to the top schools have really high test scores (the joke on DCUM is that all kids in the area score at 99%) and great playdates. When this is case, other hooks like connections, minority status or great wealth can be used to pick from all the great kids. Not in every case, and some unconnected kids do get in of course, based on tests and playdates. But this enough so that the schools have a reputation for valuing connections. Personally, I've seen a family we know use connections to get a elite area school.

If you are applying to less competitive schools, and there are some great ones out there, test results and placated are more important.

[Anonymous]

scores can't for a lot.

[Anonymous]

Had no connections. You never no till you try. The score is important but also the interview as well.

[Anonymous]

We have no connections and we are not important, no minority status, etc., but our DC's scores were high and I assume the playdates all went well. DC got into three of the "Big 4" schools for K. So if you're interested in private, even in some of the most sought-after schools, it's worth a shot.

[Anonymous]

DD was accepted last year at some of the "top" privates mentioned in this forum. No connections whatsoever and no special circumstances. High WPPSI score. She was accepted at places we sensed her play dates had gone well and was rejected at one equally rated school where it did not. Our inference from this was that the play date was a rather important part of the process, but this is simply based on our own singular experience and not much else.

[Anonymous]

Yes, by all means OP, give it a shot. Just keep in mind that you will be facing fairly steep odds against youm if you are applying to the really competitive schools. So don't build up your own hopes, or DC's hopes, too much. Also, be sure to have backup options, either less competitive privates or good publics.

If you follow DCUM long enough, come March you will read posts from people who were shut out of all the schools they applied to. This is the worst outcome, and one that can mostly (maybe not entirely) be avoided if you apply to a range of schools, not just the top 2-3 most prestigious.

Then, if you get in, that's great! And if you don't, you still have other options, and you have avoided getting too invested in a single school or schools.

[Anonymous]

And if DC doesn't get in, whatever you do, don't beat yourself up for not being rich or thin enough (seriously, check out some of the threads on DCUM), or take it as a rejection of DC. Private schools really do have their own rules, they are not always meritocracies.

[Anonymous]

Sure - connections help - and test scores help- but it's a combination of things (some out of your control) that will matter most. It comes down to what the school is looking for/needs and if your kid (and family) fit the bill. I do think the most elite schools look at the family as a whole - they want the parents to fit in, feel comfortable, get involved. While family fit is not everything, I do think families are considered in terms of maintaining the school's perception, reputation (if family x goes there, it must be good, or, if family x won't look at it, it must be bad). Our school is not a big three, but an excellent school nonetheless - not a ton of "A-Listers' - but wonderful kids, curriculum, staff and excellent education for bright and well rounded kids. Despite all of these terrific qualities, it has became so diverse (and I'm not speaking racially - but in all ways - internationally, socioeconomically, parents backgrounds, geographic location of families etc.) that when friends looked at it for their kids they just couldn't see themselves there - which is sad because it is such a great school, the kids are incredibly close and confident (and bright), but I feel that the lack of cohesion among the parent community has made enrollment slip this year - which makes me very sad. So - point is- it is more than connections, or scores, or families - but the best schools make sure to choose carefully so that the parents feel (and believe) that they are at THE best, most prestigious place. Who knows - you may be just the family they are looking for - so apply - the "right family" need not be rich and powerful, the "right family" is just who they are looking for to round out the class.

[Anonymous]

That is an interesting viewpoint, pp. "Too diverse" is not something I would expect to encounter when looking across schools, yet I agree with your thought that perhaps such a situation would make a school difficult to generalize about or label ... and thus might make a school not seem "right" to some families.

I know when I started looking at schools for our DC, I didn't have a particular vision in mind ... was just curious about what was available and so went to look. Thus the first school I looked at (Burgundy Farm) became the one with which I compared all the others I looked at ... it became my standard. Our DC ended up going there and we are very happy. But if we had toured Beauvoir first, just as an example, then THAT beautiful and enticing environment might very well have been the one we then compared all others with and longed to have DC attend. So just a long rambling way of saying that first impressions matter and a school that is so very diverse might fail to register as strongly as others even though that level of diversity is really what many folks are actually seeking.

[Anonymous]

I know a fair number of "connected" kids who did not get in to their school of choice.

[Anonymous]

Zero connections here, pretty good testing and nice interview, I guess. Starting at a Big 3 next week. Go, look, see, contemplate, apply. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Zero connections here, pretty good testing and nice interview, I guess. Starting at a Big 3 next week. Go, look, see, contemplate, apply. Good luck.

Same here. You never know.