entering private in 6th grade?
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Anonymous
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I have a rising 5th grader. You have heard the typical story...not challenged in public school....only see it getting worse in middle school. They are doing great academically. As accelerated as the public school system can allow. Screens galore. All A's (yea it's public so whatever)...98-99% on standardized stuff...has activities out of school (not an elite athlete, but enjoys rec sports; plays an instrument, etc)...finally has a core group of friends (this was a challenge for a while)....has faced some jerks picking on them/bullying, but school has handled it good enough but worry it could get worse in middle school.
We struck out on private schools this cycle. Waitlist only. Some questions: What privates in Maryland/DC would you target for 6th grade? Understand hyper competitive since people hate public middle. Honestly, probably can't afford the most expensive ones. Sorry, not rich. Is there a good school that targets itself as the private middle school? Are parochial worth entering for middle school? Or is that when people are leaving for elite privates? Can they get into an elite private high school from public middle school? How do we position our child for that? If we end up having to stay in public, what sort of academic enrichment programs have you all used outside of the public school system? Mathlete type stuff....anything for STEM or language arts? Are public magnets worth exploring? Interested in thoughts. |
Anonymous
| 5th grade isn't an entry year, so I wouldn't take this year's results as an indication of anything. So I would reapply to ask the schools you liked this year. Also look at Field and Burke, which start in 6th grade. |
Anonymous
| Judging from the vibe of your post you might want to look inward. Maybe there's a reason why your 99 percentile kid found herself on the wait-list everywhere? Like, maybe your family comes across as difficult and complaining and perpetually unhappy and no private school wants to deal with that? |
Anonymous
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And please stop saying “elite”. It makes you sound like a striver. Plenty of kids do parochial k-8 and then go on to all of the competitive high schools you are alluding to. Many parents at parochial schools simply want Catholic high schools but there are those that apply out to the Big 3 or Big 5 schools.
Also, things are not always perfect socially no matter where you go. The advantage of private school is they don’t have to accept certain kids and if they make a mistake and accept someone they shouldn’t have, they can always counsel them out. Generally most private schools aim to create a supportive and collegial environment but kids will be kids. K-8 in my opinion tend to make the middle school experience a little more gentle which is nice but again, nothing is perfect. |
Anonymous
+100 |
Anonymous
This sounds like my experience, but several years ago. Guess what? We ended up getting into one of the Big 3 privates by 6th grade. And guess what?! They weren't that good. And look at the responses you are getting? These are people who got their kids into schools by legacy, money, being in the "cool" country club group. They're projecting on you telling you to look inward. What BS. They believe they are better than you and they aren't. We returned to our public high school in grade 10 and my child ended up at a top 10 university on the east coast. They're on pace for medical school and we are proud of them. Save your money. Hang in at public. So long as it is safe. In terms of enrichment...various writers clinics, russian school of math may push your kid a little. But don't over work them unncessarily. Magnets in my county tend to be a pain because of transportation, but could be worth checking out to get away from the bullies you mention. clearly you're willing to drive your kid to a private, so maybe transport isn't an issue. Good luck! |
Anonymous
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If you have enough money for private but so much that you wouldn't feel it to send a kid there, I would try to stay with public school but then do a lot of outside enrichment. Since grades are not an issue, I would focus on cool summer programs and camps, really great family trips to areas of interest, you can submit your kid's scores for Johns Hopkins CTY so they can take enrichment courses, etc.
If you want to take another go at private schools, you will likely have much better luck next year at a 6th grade entry. At 5th grade, the schools are only filling places left open by someone leaving. That means maybe one or two spots at some, but not all, schools. There is nothing wrong with your kid or your family. Its just a numbers game at a non-entry year. |
Anonymous
| Burke! Their 6th grade program is amazing. It’s not too late to check them out. |
Anonymous
I agree with this person. You also mentioned that your kid has a core group of friends in public and the school handled the bullying well. I’m not sure what school district you’re in, but grass isn’t always greener on the other side- especially if your kid is happy where they are now. I’ve been quite pleased with how our public middle school has handled bullying- they take it very seriously. In any event, all our friends who went private got in somewhere between 6-9th grade. If they didn’t get in for 6th, they applied for 7th and got in , if they didn’t get in for 7th, they got in for 9th, etc. 5th grade is not an easy year for entry to privates. |
Anonymous
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We went from MCPS to private for 6th. We are 100% satisfied with the decision. Our child is more challenged and much happier, and the school community at large has been incredible. If you can afford it, I would encourage you to try again for 6th grade and cast a wide net. My DS applied to 5 schools, got into 2, and was waitlisted at 3.
We did use a consultant, which I would recommend if it's economically feasible. I know consultants get a lot of hate on DCUM, but it really was very helpful in navigating the application process. |
Anonymous
| Our kid started at Burke from public in 7th grade and has loved it. With small class sizes they can really differentiate and make it intellectually interesting for all of the kids. |
Anonymous
| Girl or boy? St. Anselm's is an option for a boy, starts at 6th, academically challenging and plenty of sports, drama, etc that are easy to plug into. |
Anonymous
We sent our son to the Abbey starting in 6th grade. He is supported, seen, and learning so much! We are not Catholic and feel welcomed. Such a great place. |
Anonymous
| Does your DD want to switch? That sounds like my DS (99th percentile, not learning new material, bullies but not too affected personally). He had lots of friends in public but in the end he was really frustrated by the disruptive bullies. He finally switched to parochial and loved it. But he is a rule follower and interested in schoolwork and worksheets. For what it’s worth he is also getting a mix of As and Bs now instead of straight As. |
Anonymous
+100 |