Do parents really compare students online?

[Anonymous]

Do other parents at your child's high school often look up students online to compare achievements like sports records, competitions or research? I was surprised when the parents of my son's friends asked about my child's sports ranking or GPA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do other parents at your child's high school often look up students online to compare achievements like sports records, competitions or research? I was surprised when the parents of my son's friends asked about my child's sports ranking or GPA.

IDK. Never a topic of discussion.

[Anonymous]

I startled a parent last spring by congratulating her on her kid winning an award. But I hadn’t looked it up. He had posted on his IG story and my kid saw it and showed it to me.

[Anonymous]

Yes

[Anonymous]

No

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do other parents at your child's high school often look up students online to compare achievements like sports records, competitions or research? I was surprised when the parents of my son's friends asked about my child's sports ranking or GPA.

yes they often asked us directly when D was in HS

[Anonymous]

no idea i've never heard of anyone doing this (nor how online digging would turn up anything - its not like GPAs/SATs etc are public info)

[Anonymous]

I've congratulated parents for their kids' achievements after my kid told me, like PP. But other than that, no, in my white American neighborhood, it would be a social faux pas to inquire too deeply.

Also, we're East Asian. Sometimes I meet other East Asians who are culturally ready to discuss numbers (even total strangers), and I am comfortable with that as well. But it never starts by asking about other kids. The rule is, you share info about YOUR kid, and the other person is free to respond with something about theirs - and they usually do.

We've discussed nitty gritty with close friends and neighbors of all ethnic origins. Not to boast, but to explain what we've done to help our kids, what worked, what didn't. It's a little community huddle. My oldest has ADHD and learning disabilities and I know people felt reassured when I shared our struggles and tips. Other people felt comfortable sharing their travails as well.

[Anonymous]

Compare stats in order to predict? I haven't really observed that, except for athletes in individual sports (and then it's nationwide sports peers, not school peers).

But I did find that parents stalk the high schools' "committed" accounts on Instagram. It was clear that parents from our school (MCPS "W" school) followed those feeds and absorbed the info daily. To the point that I would run into parents I had hardly said a word to since elementary years, and they'd comment on my kid's choice. This surprised me - less the stalking and more the open admittance of it!

[Anonymous]

I believe some high school parents go as far as researching the alma maters of their children's friends' parents to find out who might have legacy status at elite colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe some high school parents go as far as researching the alma maters of their children's friends' parents to find out who might have legacy status at elite colleges.

Those people’s a hobby. One that isn’t their kids.