ERHS vs Summit at Bowie High vs DeMatha

[Anonymous]

I need help deciding between these schools. My son is on the waiting list for Eleanor Roosevelt S/T and he got into Summit Program at Bowie High, which we are excited about. He also got into DeMatha which was his first choice before finding out about Summit. I am at a crossroads. DeMatha helps with his social development which is an important issue for us right now. Money is not an issue. Does anyone have any insight or opinions? I would appreciate any thoughts on this.

[Anonymous]

If you live in Bowie, getting to/from DeMatha could be a huge pain.
Does an all boys school appeal to him? There is a significant bro culture at the school.

ERHS has been great socially and academically for my freshman. I have only good things to say about it. As far as academics go, I think it is by far the strongest of the three programs you listed.

I don't know much about the Summit program.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your input. DeMatha provides transportation from several stops in Bowie (at a fee of course) so getting to DeMatha is less of a problem. He's indifferent to the all-boys aspect. I was a bit taken aback by the size of ERHS. Is the S/T program like a school within a school? And is your child a naturally motivated student (not just smart)?

[Anonymous]

The S&T program is largely a school within a school. The S&T kids take specific S&T sections of math, science and engineering and then they are automatically in honors English and social studies. Freshman year they move as a cohort for their core courses so it is more like middle school. Any electives and lunch are mixed with the student body (Choir, band, languages, health etc.)
My child is a motivated student by nature but I know other kids who have done well at the school who aren't.

Many PGCPs high schools are around ~2400 students. Bowie has a second campus just for 9th graders.

[Anonymous]

DeMatha is a longer commute but know there's a ton of kids commuting from Bowie. DeMatha doesn't have as much of a bro culture compared to other private schools, but there are a lot of athletes there. My son LOVES DeMatha. I went to the open house at ERHS and the boys I saw there were a bit more quirky looking (and I have a daughter who is doing there this fall). I don't know anything about Bowie.