Best Fit for Average, Create, Outgoing Girl?

[Anonymous]

DD is in 4th grade in DCPS. She is an average student but does not seem academically inclined. She tends to perform better in math as opposed to reading/language arts. She is creative and enjoys many types of artistic activities (drawing, pottery, jewelry making, painting, etc.). She also likes to dance and enjoys being in plays. She’s very outgoing and enjoys new experiences. I am finding it very difficult to narrow down what schools would be a good fit. I would say her greatest flaws are a tendency towards being disorganized. It seems the top schools so often mentioned on this board are likely not for her. Thoughts on other schools that might work?

[Anonymous]

Field or Burke which both start in 6th

[Anonymous]

Maret may also be a good fit, I would at least check it out while looking at the others mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Burke and Maret, for sure. (Your 4th grader and mine sound like they’d be friends!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Burke and Maret, for sure. (Your 4th grader and mine sound like they’d be friends!)

4th grade would have loved being in your daughter's friend group! They sound awesome!

[Anonymous]

Norwood

[Anonymous]

Average - field, Burke, holy child

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is in 4th grade in DCPS. She is an average student but does not seem academically inclined. She tends to perform better in math as opposed to reading/language arts. She is creative and enjoys many types of artistic activities (drawing, pottery, jewelry making, painting, etc.). She also likes to dance and enjoys being in plays. She’s very outgoing and enjoys new experiences. I am finding it very difficult to narrow down what schools would be a good fit. I would say her greatest flaws are a tendency towards being disorganized. It seems the top schools so often mentioned on this board are likely not for her. Thoughts on other schools that might work?

Washington Waldorf School

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a lot of the girls I know who go to Maret. Artsy, friendly, but not super academic or “preppy” as the kids say.

[Anonymous]

What's close to your house? Commute is a huge factor.

[Anonymous]

Why are you looking to move out of public? Figuring out exactly what your goals are could help identify schools that fit.

Are you ok with Catholic schools? Protestant/Christian? Episcopalian? Do you care about all-girls vs co-ed? Do you want a school that goes through 12th, or is a k-8 ok (or even preferred)? Do you have a budget or need financial aid?

Are you getting a jumpstart on next year’s application cycle, or have you realized belatedly that you want to switch for next fall?

[Anonymous]

Maret or Duke Ellington (I know it’s still DCPS but it’s a fabulous school and it sounds like she would thrive there)

[Anonymous]

She sounds fantastic but isn’t Maret for academically-inclined kids (in addition to the other traits)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are you looking to move out of public? Figuring out exactly what your goals are could help identify schools that fit.

Are you ok with Catholic schools? Protestant/Christian? Episcopalian? Do you care about all-girls vs co-ed? Do you want a school that goes through 12th, or is a k-8 ok (or even preferred)? Do you have a budget or need financial aid?

Are you getting a jumpstart on next year’s application cycle, or have you realized belatedly that you want to switch for next fall?

OP here. We live on the hill and are happy with our elementary school. We did the lottery but did not get into any of the charter middle schools we listed. We are open to/continuing to explore DCPS middles, but we think we need to start looking more into private options. Ideally, we’d find a school that would work through high school. There are so many and it feels a bit overwhelming starting out so was looking to get an idea of a few that would be worth looking more into.

We have no strong preference re: co-ed vs. all girls. We do have a younger son so perhaps eventually it would matter but we are more interested in finding the best fit for each kid than having them at the same school. I think, based on our income, we’d likely be full pay. I think we’d likely prefer an independent school but we are not opposed to religious schools as long as they are welcoming of those who do not follow the belief system.

Happy to hear there are so many others out there that sound like DD. She’s a happy, fun kid who does apply herself at school but it is not something she necessarily enjoys. She is hard on herself when she doesn’t do well and I think an overly rigorous school would cause her too much anxiety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She sounds fantastic but isn’t Maret for academically-inclined kids (in addition to the other traits)?

Yes, but a lot of kids don't seem "academically inclined" when they aren't in a school that is the right fit for them and then take off when they find their match. I would suggest OP takes a look with an open mind rather than let DCUM decide if her daughter is up to the level for the school. Of course Maret will also have their say in the evaluation process at admissions, and they have evaluated enough applications to know how to look beyond grades into the potential of a child.