How does Bullis do with academically high performing kids?

[Anonymous]

I don't think they have any

[Anonymous]

PP clearly doesn't have kids at Bullis. We have one DC at Bullis in the Upper School and one who recently graduated. Bullis is fantastic for all types of learners, including academic high flyers. My children are very different from each other. One is very academically driven and wound up at an Ivy. My other child is artistically focused and has incredible opportunities to pursue their passion and develop a portfolio for college admissions. The teachers make sure that ALL kids are appropriately challenged. The school is focused on kids being joyful, which, given what's is happening with teenagers all around us, is crucial. That said, focusing on happy kids and a vibrant campus life does not mean that kids aren't very bright or intellectually challenged. There are signature programs in arts, entrepreneurship, STEM, and humanities for kids who really want to do a deep dive into certain subjects. The list of college matriculations from past years speaks for itself -- there's a range of schools represented, including pretty much every Ivy, as well as more niche schools.
OP, as other posters have said, take a look for yourself. Ask the admissions office to connect you with parents or, better yet, if you can find Bullis parents through friends or friends of friends, you might feel more comfortable that the families you're speaking to haven't been cherry-picked. I'm confident you'll hear very positive feedback from parents about their children's academic experience at Bullis.
Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they have any

Clearly you "don't think" at all.

[Anonymous]

Another Bullis parent here - I can assure you that there are MANY academically high performing kids at Bullis - whoever says otherwise has had no direct experience with the school. My kids graduated there and went on to Ivy League schools (not legacy or sports recruits), followed by high achieving jobs they love, and one is back in an Ivy League business school. I know dozens of kids who have graduated from Bullis and gone on to top schools and careers. The quality of education there is top notch, but more importantly, they care about the well-being of their students and nurturing individual talents - whether academics, arts or athletics. They will challenge your academically strong child, or support the ones who need more help. Go see for yourself by visiting with Admissions.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think Covid has helped Bullis, but I do believe that Bullis has done an amazing job adapting during the pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think Covid has helped Bullis, but I do believe that Bullis has done an amazing job adapting during the pandemic.

COVID has definitely increased competition at almost all private schools. This has led to kids going to Bullis that in less competitive years may have gone elsewhere. It is raising the bar at the same time that the HoS is lowering class size and focusing on elevating academics.

[Anonymous]

Based on my experience as a Bullis mom of a recent graduate who is now at Harvard (no sports or legacy), highly academic kids are going to excel no matter where they are. If your child is self motivated and loves to learn they will be successful wherever they go. The key that I found is providing them an environment that is supportive and gives them a well rounded education. That is what makes Bullis such an amazing school. We’ve been there since third grade and I can tell you that the teachers there really care about their students. Yes, the school offers academically challenging courses (lots of APs and Honors level classes) but more importantly they offer a well balanced education. It’s a place where arts are given as much attention as the academics and sports are available for kids at all different skill levels. The kids are taught about teamwork and collaboration and are given many opportunities to excel at whatever it is they love to do. They are also taught to care about their community and help wherever they can. My son loved his experience there and always found something to keep him challenged.

[Anonymous]

Bullis has been great for my 3 kids. 2 boys and a girl. Son is at an Ivy. Daughter just got accepted ED to a smaller liberal arts school in New England. Younger son still attends. Both older kids scored above 33 on ACT. Great balance and very progressive.modern curriculum, which all of my kids loved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids really want to go to school together, and this seems like a school that hits everything they want and I want for them, but one of my kids is academically very strong, and I wonder how they do for that. Any experience?

He's not a kid who needs to be pushed. Very much an explore on your own kinda kid.

Must take after his father.

[Anonymous]

If you were to believe this thread, it sounds as if Bullis sends 50% of its graduates to Ivy league schools without athletic hooks. This is patently ridiculous.


Every single Bullis high schooler I know from the past 5 years was unable to get an offer from a more rigorous school. Bullis is where the “oh sh!t MCPS sucks!” parents ended up when Covid created a scramble for anything at all that wasn’t a public school disaster.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I wish there were more schools like Bullis around here. SSSAS in VA might be comparable? My kids have all attended a Big3 and the last one is finishing up soon. It is a complete grind and not sure the amount of stress and angst they go through is worth it. I am starting to think I made a huge mistake by sucking all the fun out of their teenage years.

[Anonymous]

This whole thread reads fishy to me. Timed to add people to apply, so many positive responses that just might feel real and sway people to apply.

Interesting tactic, but wonder why it's needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread reads fishy to me. Timed to add people to apply, so many positive responses that just might feel real and sway people to apply.

Interesting tactic, but wonder why it's needed.

I'm sure you know why it's needed and the original post was so poorly worded it makes one wonder if it was intentional.

[Anonymous]

I agree that the number of Ivy parent posters is odd (who comes to this site after kids graduate?). That said, as a new Bullis parent with an academic-oriented child, I have been very pleased. I am thankful for the balanced environment and the many, many opportunities for DC to try new things outside of the classroom. As one of the other posters mentioned, use your network to find people to talk to. We did and got a lot of positive feedback from families at the school (not haters who left). I understand there were significant issues under the previous HoS, but hopefully that is in the past and from where I sit, the future looks bright.

If positive reviews seem “fishy” how do you explain the absence of negative reviews from current members of the Bullis community? I think it’s because most people actually at the school seem pretty happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Happy Bullis parent, honest assessment: my DC moved from a much more academically intense school and Bullis is not in the same league. That said, there are significant opportunities to take classes higher than grade level, APs, honors, clubs, highly engaging electives, etc. DC is thriving based on very solid academic environment complemented by an overall very well balanced experience. With the difficult admissions cycle during COVID Bullis seems to have really attracted very strong students that may have gone elsewhere in the past, which is raising the overall level in many grades.

Bullis was hemorrhaging students long before Covid.

Bullis is at full capacity, there are 0 open spots. It's not exactly hemorrhaging students--perhaps you should fine tune your reading skills.