Which private high schools have significant cohorts of gifted kids?

[Anonymous]

Agree there's a difference between 99th percentile kids and 90th percentile kids.

Out of about 100 kids, there are definitely 7-8 very bright, 90 plus percentile kids at our child's top private. There was one extremely smart outlier girl and I don't think anyone else is at her level. She left for high school and I heard it was either TJ or Blair.

[Anonymous]

Not going to answer as OP has already stated the outcome they prefer, which is a fine choice. So what's the point of engaging?

[Anonymous]

So OP, you seem to value more peers at that level, i.e., larger classes, and more courses to choose from, as opposed to enough of the challenging classes for the group you have. So, yes, public magnet gets you what you want.

If you want a smaller group of highly academic peers and enough courses to fill your own plate (you each can only take so many classes after all), then a private school would work well for you. This would not be a disadvantage, just a different environment.

[Anonymous]

My kid tested in the 99.9 range on WISC-V. She has been sufficiently challenged in private school. There are many kids who are smart in her class and she is one of them. She works hard and I have never shared her score with her. My nephew got a 92.5 on WISC-V and my SIL was calling him a genius. 🙄 I don't think those WISC-V results mean much.

[Anonymous]

the 90th percentile for IQ is 120 which is not really gifted. 130 is the start of "gifted" according to those who research it. That's 96% and the one percenters are above 140. Those are the real "think different" set.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They can be well served in any place.

No they definitely can’t if they are highly gifted

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the 90th percentile for IQ is 120 which is not really gifted. 130 is the start of "gifted" according to those who research it. That's 96% and the one percenters are above 140. Those are the real "think different" set.

This. One of my children has an IQ of over 140, the other is about 130, they are both very bright obviously but my over 140 child isn’t just a “high achieving” student, in fact they find school and the hypocrisy of education systems to be very irritating and sometime would check out if it was too boring, where as my regular gifted child is a very high achieving student and does not check out if the work is “beneath” their ability. They just keep plugging away are pleased with their outcome. Highly gifted people actually do think differently and are not served well in a traditional classroom in the early years in particular before they can apply to advanced programs and such.

[Anonymous]

I should have added above that if I had to do it over I would not have sent my over 140 child to the private they went to in DC and would have tried harder to find a good fit for a highly gifted student.Montessori was the only time they seemed to be actually challenged in hindsight. My other 130 kid is at a Big 3 and doing very well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can students be better served in public schools when their class sizes are significantly larger (even the classes in the magnet programs)?

For highly gifted, public magnets are a better fit - more advanced curriculum and larger peer group.

Not necessarily, we did not like the forced curriculum at the mcps magnets.


Public’s have more kids do more class offerings. They also allow classes at community college. There are pros and cons to public vs private but a super smart truly gifted kid will be fine anywhere.

Op, ask what schools all algebra in 6th.

[Anonymous]

What public schools call " gifted" is laughable OP. Elite privates are better for UMC and rich kids. Publics are much better for the striving poor and MC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like kids in the top 10% (e.g. WISC-V scores) could be better served in public magnet programs because they would have more peers at their level and more course offerings.

Are there any private high schools with a cohort of students in this range?

Both of my kids were in top 10 percent. They have done well at the Cathedral schools. Lot of high scoring kids there.

[Anonymous]

If the Davidson forums are to be believed, no one in the area really feels like their kids' needs are being met. Many leave the school system to homeschool. Some at TJ.

I have a 7th grader who is in the >99.9 percentile and this question eats at me. We are willing to move but we are just not sure where to go, online school or homeschooling is not an option for our family.

[Anonymous]

I have kids with IQs in the 140s (tested at age 16 and 17) and I'd guesstimate that they're at the 80-85th percentile grade wise of their Big3 classes, working at maximum capacity (approx a 3.8 at graduation).
There are some really smart kids at these schools---doing math 3 or 4 years above grade level, etc. I.e. they blow my kids out of the water both with what they can excel at and the ease at which they excel at it.

One word of wisdom--the IQ tests that are administered in early childhood (WPPSI and the earlier of the WISC) are a bunch of bunk. I don't know any kid at our Big3 who didn't get a 99.9% on those at age 4 or 8. Then by high school these same kids are all over the continuum of smarts.
(IQ testing is not reliable in early childhood and even less reliable when you're paying someone big bucks for the results with private school admissions on the line.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is DC -they are at every school.

We got in everywhere - Blair, sta, sfs, gds- and picked based on fit after the admit days.
They got all their stem, maths, robotics club and college outcomes they needed via private.
We were imf too so paid 20%.
This was years ago so I don’t mind mentioning such details.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a genius myself, I hate when people complain about being gifted. It's like complaining about being too rich. Or too beautiful. It's just tasteless.

Lol
Same here but as a Triple Threat myself - attractive, athletic, genius- I never see people complaining.