Washington International School

[Anonymous]

Looking for insight from parents who chose WIS for their kids starting from elementary school.

We’re an American family looking at WIS for our kindergartener and eventually his brother.

What have you liked and not liked about the school? Are families mostly non-American? Is it a transient school of mostly diplomats/temporary residents?
If you could do it over, would you choose WIS or somewhere else?

[Anonymous]

Have you searched the forum? There are many many threads about this.

[Anonymous]

Are you able to support the language learning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking for insight from parents who chose WIS for their kids starting from elementary school.

We’re an American family looking at WIS for our kindergartener and eventually his brother.

What have you liked and not liked about the school? Are families mostly non-American? Is it a transient school of mostly diplomats/temporary residents?
If you could do it over, would you choose WIS or somewhere else?

The split between American and non American families is almost 50-50.

The population is not transient at all as most of the international families are not affiliated with the diplomatic core or temporary residents.

We would definitely choose WIS again.

In fact we chose WIS over one of the Big 3 because we didn’t want to deal with the typical DC prep school striver scene.

[Anonymous]

If you don't speak the language at home, your child needs to practice over breaks. They have many suggestions as to how to do that, some very low cost, ie books, videos, magazines, and others such as camps and exchanges, that are more expensive.

Lots of emphasis on social-emotional learning in both primary and middle school.

Unpretentious community that focuses on holistic, long-term development of child.

Kids are learning but intensity/ pressure largely comes in high school, and IB in 2 languages is no joke.

Definition for what success encompasses is broader than some independents in the area and based on the child's interests and abilities. College acceptances are strong, both domestically and abroad.

Also turned down Big 3, with no regrets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking for insight from parents who chose WIS for their kids starting from elementary school.

We’re an American family looking at WIS for our kindergartener and eventually his brother.

What have you liked and not liked about the school? Are families mostly non-American? Is it a transient school of mostly diplomats/temporary residents?
If you could do it over, would you choose WIS or somewhere else?

The split between American and non American families is almost 50-50.

The population is not transient at all as most of the international families are not affiliated with the diplomatic core or temporary residents.

We would definitely choose WIS again.

In fact we chose WIS over one of the Big 3 because we didn’t want to deal with the typical DC prep school striver scene.

I call bullshit. Why did you apply to a Big 3 in the first place then?

[Anonymous]

What foreign languages do you speak at home?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking for insight from parents who chose WIS for their kids starting from elementary school.

We’re an American family looking at WIS for our kindergartener and eventually his brother.

What have you liked and not liked about the school? Are families mostly non-American? Is it a transient school of mostly diplomats/temporary residents?
If you could do it over, would you choose WIS or somewhere else?

STAY away from WIS.

[Anonymous]

Big 3 and WIS both have a range of families. In each, different grades have their own cultures. Some are more athletic or academically oriented than others.

The most important difference between Big 3 and WIS is both the most obvious and also the most often overlooked: the Big 3 are all independent, American schools while WIS is proudly international. It will never be American nor does it want to be nor will any suggestions take it that way.

This means math will be taught differently with a definite ceiling. It also means history, English and many other subjects are taught from a different lens. Finally core, frankly WASP-y values around stewardship, charity, political leadership and responsibility are not part of the history of the institution. Race means something different in the world than in America. The American way is taught but within a global context.

Both paths lead kids to top institutions like HYPS. Both paths lead to successful engineers at MIT.

The question for us was do we want our kids to have an American or an international experience?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking for insight from parents who chose WIS for their kids starting from elementary school.

We’re an American family looking at WIS for our kindergartener and eventually his brother.

What have you liked and not liked about the school? Are families mostly non-American? Is it a transient school of mostly diplomats/temporary residents?
If you could do it over, would you choose WIS or somewhere else?

The split between American and non American families is almost 50-50.

The population is not transient at all as most of the international families are not affiliated with the diplomatic core or temporary residents.

We would definitely choose WIS again.

In fact we chose WIS over one of the Big 3 because we didn’t want to deal with the typical DC prep school striver scene.

Hilarious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Big 3 and WIS both have a range of families. In each, different grades have their own cultures. Some are more athletic or academically oriented than others.

The most important difference between Big 3 and WIS is both the most obvious and also the most often overlooked: the Big 3 are all independent, American schools while WIS is proudly international. It will never be American nor does it want to be nor will any suggestions take it that way.

This means math will be taught differently with a definite ceiling. It also means history, English and many other subjects are taught from a different lens. Finally core, frankly WASP-y values around stewardship, charity, political leadership and responsibility are not part of the history of the institution. Race means something different in the world than in America. The American way is taught but within a global context.

Both paths lead kids to top institutions like HYPS. Both paths lead to successful engineers at MIT.

The question for us was do we want our kids to have an American or an international experience?

This is what we struggled with when it came down to it. WIS is a great school and the new buildings look great. After receiving all acceptances, we realized that we wanted an American experience although I think we would have been happy at either—Big 3 or WIS. They each have tradeoffs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking for insight from parents who chose WIS for their kids starting from elementary school.

We’re an American family looking at WIS for our kindergartener and eventually his brother.

What have you liked and not liked about the school? Are families mostly non-American? Is it a transient school of mostly diplomats/temporary residents?
If you could do it over, would you choose WIS or somewhere else?

The split between American and non American families is almost 50-50.

The population is not transient at all as most of the international families are not affiliated with the diplomatic core or temporary residents.

We would definitely choose WIS again.

In fact we chose WIS over one of the Big 3 because we didn’t want to deal with the typical DC prep school striver scene.

I call bullshit. Why did you apply to a Big 3 in the first place then?

Because I wanted DC to go to the Big 3 school. My husband and DC had very strong feelings against attending that particular school and felt WIS was a better fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking for insight from parents who chose WIS for their kids starting from elementary school.

We’re an American family looking at WIS for our kindergartener and eventually his brother.

What have you liked and not liked about the school? Are families mostly non-American? Is it a transient school of mostly diplomats/temporary residents?
If you could do it over, would you choose WIS or somewhere else?

STAY away from WIS.

Helpful!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking for insight from parents who chose WIS for their kids starting from elementary school.

We’re an American family looking at WIS for our kindergartener and eventually his brother.

What have you liked and not liked about the school? Are families mostly non-American? Is it a transient school of mostly diplomats/temporary residents?
If you could do it over, would you choose WIS or somewhere else?

The split between American and non American families is almost 50-50.

The population is not transient at all as most of the international families are not affiliated with the diplomatic core or temporary residents.

We would definitely choose WIS again.

In fact we chose WIS over one of the Big 3 because we didn’t want to deal with the typical DC prep school striver scene.

Hilarious.

I sincerely hope the PP is trolling with that comment. Imagine being this lacking in self awareness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Big 3 and WIS both have a range of families. In each, different grades have their own cultures. Some are more athletic or academically oriented than others.

The most important difference between Big 3 and WIS is both the most obvious and also the most often overlooked: the Big 3 are all independent, American schools while WIS is proudly international. It will never be American nor does it want to be nor will any suggestions take it that way.

This means math will be taught differently with a definite ceiling. It also means history, English and many other subjects are taught from a different lens. Finally core, frankly WASP-y values around stewardship, charity, political leadership and responsibility are not part of the history of the institution. Race means something different in the world than in America. The American way is taught but within a global context.

Both paths lead kids to top institutions like HYPS. Both paths lead to successful engineers at MIT.

The question for us was do we want our kids to have an American or an international experience?

Not sure where you’re getting that WIS “teaches math at a definite ceiling from”.

The IB curriculum is a lot more rigorous and expansive than your basic U.S. prep school as the measure at WIS is an international standard.

If there is indeed a ceiling it’s a lot hirer than the basic independents.