How good is Maret?

[Anonymous]

I’m just wondering. I know everybody slobbers over the big three, but how does it compare? How’s it do on college admissions? What kind of families go there? Is it hard to get into?

[Anonymous]

This is a bad platform to ask about that school. There are absolutely rabid Maret haters here.

It’s a good school. It’s a competitive but not super selective admit. A strong student will have a strong chance. Go visit.

[Anonymous]

It is a very controversial topic. You can see that when some school are criticized the threads are never closed. When maret is criticized the threads are deleted or locked. So you will receive partial information from this forum. Also there is a maret troll that sometimes is funny.

[Anonymous]

Maret is a good school, but it is very liberal. If you are looking for a more neutral learning environment, then it may not be for you.

[Anonymous]

College admissions look solid. Lots of Ivies.

[Anonymous]

The best predictor of the quality of the school is the HOS.

[Anonymous]

Parents are generally quite pleased with the school. It is very competitive, in part, because it is materially smaller than the other most competitive schools and students often apply to many (high school grades are around 80).

It is very racially diverse which is a stated priority. Outcomes are outstanding, although workloads are considered to be much less than some other schools. Facilities are perfectly fine but not competing with places like Potomac. Location is good in that it is close to metro and quite accessible for kids from Maryland, DC and even Northern VA.

Despite wishes from someone seemingly obsessed, the HoS is generally well-liked and most people think he’s off to a great start.

Our experience has been outstanding.

[Anonymous]

Is it a bunch of rich kids? What are the parents like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a very controversial topic. You can see that when some school are criticized the threads are never closed. When maret is criticized the threads are deleted or locked. So you will receive partial information from this forum. Also there is a maret troll that sometimes is funny.

+1. I think someone at Maret is blackmailing the DCUM moderators.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it a bunch of rich kids? What are the parents like?

Tuition is 60k, so most families are upper middle class since financial is not generous.

[Anonymous]

Tuition is less than $60K but not much less. Like most of the other neighboring privates, somewhere between 25-30% receive financial aid.

So is it a bunch of rich kids? Well, 2/3 of the families can afford $55K for tuition. So to some extent, yeah, obviously there is wealth there.

Other families have most been great. Our kid is in the upper school so not as super involved as we might have been in the lower school.

It’s a good school with nice people. Definitely worth checking out but check out the others too.

Your kid may be totally qualified. But, chances are, if they apply to five schools in the top tier of competitiveness, they’ll get into one or maybe two. In other words, apply wide and hope for the best.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand the poster who has said on several threads that Maret is not selective. Having gone through high school admissions twice now, Maret is considered to be one of the MOST selective schools because of it's small size. Almost everyone I know from both of my children's classes who applied to a Big 3 also applied to Maret. Maret just doesn't have that many spots available to not be selective.

That being said, selective is different from most rigorous. It is intentionally not like the Big 3 with tons of homework. I know plenty of parents with kids at a Big 3 who didn't get into Maret (again it's just numbers!) and it was their first choice because of the school's philosophy. I have a kid at a Big 3 who often wonders if Maret would have been better. There are pros/cons of each approach.

[Anonymous]

I visited it last year for elementary school entry and I was unimpressed compared to other area schools.It was clear the school was not for us, but some people love it.
Go visit and see for yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it a bunch of rich kids? What are the parents like?

I had a kid at a Big 3 and one at Maret. Each enjoyed their school and we liked the parents at both schools. However, we found the Maret community (both faculty and parents) to be a lot warmer and more welcoming.

I think that all the private schools have a lot of rich kids just given the price point of the school but I've seen less "flaunting" of wealth at Maret. Much more down to earth scene, which isn't to say there isn't some element of it but it's a lot worse at other schools.

I'm not a huge Maret fan for a number of reasons but I think the community is a strong suit of the school.

[Anonymous]

Maret parent to a lower school kid. We’ve been really impressed and the parents are kind and low key despite status, wealth, etc.

School spirit is high. We love this element and so does our student.

We liked that it was competitive but not a pressure cooker. The block scheduling in the older grades is nice for students and similar to college. Speaking of college, the seniors have great outcomes and something I looked at closely as a HYP grad.

The school is renovating bit by bit and I look forward to hearing more about the strategic plan this month.

Here are some stats we found helpful, especially on retention and diversity:

60% Of students are from DC
31% Of students are from MD
9% Of students are from VA
54% Of students identify as People of Color
96% Retention rate for Students
26% Families receive financial aid
39% Of faculty identify as People of Color
39% Of faculty have been at Maret for more than 10 years
71% Of faculty have master's or doctorate degrees
8% Faculty are also Alumni

I feel like when you tour, at least for the lower school when parents are making the decision, you’ll know whether you’re a “Maret family.” DC received several acceptances, including Big 3, and Maret was our first choice.