Ransom Everglades (Miami) vs DC Privates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a lot of friends who went to Ransom. They ended up at middle of the pack colleges and a lot went to UF. Normal lawyer/doctor crowd.

I’ve heard now that Ransom is filled with mostly billionaires/multimillionaires because of the shift in extreme wealth in South Florida.

You would be correct about the last part.

Take a look at the RE decisions page on instagram: @ransomseniors. The CEO of Citadel’s son is featured (going to Stanford).

These outcomes at RE are absolutely insane and surpass all DC private schools. That doesn’t necessarily speak to the quality of education being superior but rather the wealth/power of RE families.

Yep. If you google the Dartmouth girl (for example)-her dad is the wealthiest person in Bolivia.

RE is extreme money.

[Anonymous]

The wsj article does not reference admission rates. I was referring to this :

The children of South Florida’s new tech titans and hedge-fund managers are overwhelming the area’s school system. Most of the private schools are full. Many are expanding but still lack even enough desks for all the children of recently relocated executives.

South Florida has plenty of new housing and shiny modern office space. It is the shortage of private school slots that is emerging as a major bottleneck for more high earners relocating to the area. Those whose children are on multiyear waiting lists for the next available opening may end up moving away, or never arriving in the first place.

Barry Sternlicht, chief executive of Starwood Capital Group, has said repeatedly that he wanted his executives from the firm’s former Connecticut headquarters to relocate to the new base in Miami Beach. But a number of them have school-age children and wouldn’t move because the area’s private schools have long waiting lists.

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/floridas-billionaires-want-more-private-schools-so-theyre-building-their-own-14954cfd?st=9P6KaE

[Anonymous]

Hmmm wonder if we know each other? I was there a bit past the cocaine cowboys days...but not by much.

It's a very strong school. Many grads in my class off to harvard, yale, etc. There will always be folks at mid-to-lower tier schools too, but their admissions record is strong. It is quite similar to the big three here in that way - you get the super rich/influential folks who get in that way and may end up at UF, and the very smart kids who get in that way. I'd say I had a very positive experience there, and the academics are quite rigorous if they are at all similar to where things were (cough cough) years ago. From what I remember it's like a larger Maret, maybe more rigorous, definitely more 'moderate to conservative.' It is Florida after all. And if you don't like traditional sports...they have sailing and water polo (actually KILLER water polo teams).

Other great schools in the area - Gulliver I think has grown and can be solid, Carrolton (next to ransom) is a good all girls school. There are lots of good private options there.

It's not the schools/teachers...it's the Miami crowd. As you're getting from the other posts...it's a vibe, which has changed since covid days. You'll have some culture shock but it's a great place to live, and coral gables/coconut grove is great.

Anonymous wrote:It is Niche, but hi 👋, probably going to out myself to anyone who knows my background that I'm on here, BUT I will answer your question.

So it is definitely a high quality school that is very comparable to the DC Big 3 in all but historical old guard prestige. My grandmother was a NCS girl but when she and my grandfather moved down to South Florida after graduating from Georgetown law, my grandmother thought none of the private schools were up to snuff at the time. Bear in mind, this was back in the day of the cocaine cowboys and the rest of Florida was a pretty backwaters small town place. Miami was just turning into a place to be and it was a pretty seedy. However, I'm sure we are all aware that air conditioning did a LOT for Florida and now it is a very different place. Miami is a tech and finance hub connecting the Americas. Even before the pandemic, NYC money had been moving down and they brought their prep school ideals with them. At that point money was also coming in from South America, which helped raise sheer numbers as far as kids private schools were serving. So today, the private schools are significantly better than they were when we were kids.

If I had to say one school in DC that Everglades compares to, I would probably say it is if Maret doubled in size with a touch of WIS's global mobility flavor. Most of the money there is going to be International Finance money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My family has an opportunity to move to Miami for a career opportunity, and we are strongly considering it but I am apprehensive due to the poor schools in the area. My research indicates that Ransom Everglades is considered the best school in Miami. Does anyone know how this compares to the DC top private schools?

It’s truly amazing. Can your kids get in?

[Anonymous]

And heard lots of mean girls, but extremely prestigious

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good luck getting in.

Exactly. In the IEC world it’s the hottest school out there right now.

And KG personally funded the massive expansion of the college counseling program.

[Anonymous]

You are not just going to walk in - it’s probably equivalent to getting into Sidwell. Very wealthy - wealthier than DC schools. I know someone who teaches there and my impression is it makes big 3 schools look down to earth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are not just going to walk in - it’s probably equivalent to getting into Sidwell. Very wealthy - wealthier than DC schools. I know someone who teaches there and my impression is it makes big 3 schools look down to earth.

It's harder to get into than Sidwell. But a lot of the Miami employers hold "spots" for the kids of their management team/C-suite - just ask the CEO of your company.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The PP's assessment is basically correct.
The best school in Florida is about as good as a silver-ish school in DC and would be a bronze in NYC.
If your hopes for your DC's are ok-ish, make the move.

DC private schools don’t have national recognition nor prestige of New England privates. Ransom may be as “good” as GDS or Maret but no one outside the zip code hasn’t heard or these schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hmmm wonder if we know each other? I was there a bit past the cocaine cowboys days...but not by much.

It's a very strong school. Many grads in my class off to harvard, yale, etc. There will always be folks at mid-to-lower tier schools too, but their admissions record is strong. It is quite similar to the big three here in that way - you get the super rich/influential folks who get in that way and may end up at UF, and the very smart kids who get in that way. I'd say I had a very positive experience there, and the academics are quite rigorous if they are at all similar to where things were (cough cough) years ago. From what I remember it's like a larger Maret, maybe more rigorous, definitely more 'moderate to conservative.' It is Florida after all. And if you don't like traditional sports...they have sailing and water polo (actually KILLER water polo teams).

Other great schools in the area - Gulliver I think has grown and can be solid, Carrolton (next to ransom) is a good all girls school. There are lots of good private options there.

It's not the schools/teachers...it's the Miami crowd. As you're getting from the other posts...it's a vibe, which has changed since covid days. You'll have some culture shock but it's a great place to live, and coral gables/coconut grove is great.

Anonymous wrote:It is Niche, but hi 👋, probably going to out myself to anyone who knows my background that I'm on here, BUT I will answer your question.

So it is definitely a high quality school that is very comparable to the DC Big 3 in all but historical old guard prestige. My grandmother was a NCS girl but when she and my grandfather moved down to South Florida after graduating from Georgetown law, my grandmother thought none of the private schools were up to snuff at the time. Bear in mind, this was back in the day of the cocaine cowboys and the rest of Florida was a pretty backwaters small town place. Miami was just turning into a place to be and it was a pretty seedy. However, I'm sure we are all aware that air conditioning did a LOT for Florida and now it is a very different place. Miami is a tech and finance hub connecting the Americas. Even before the pandemic, NYC money had been moving down and they brought their prep school ideals with them. At that point money was also coming in from South America, which helped raise sheer numbers as far as kids private schools were serving. So today, the private schools are significantly better than they were when we were kids.

If I had to say one school in DC that Everglades compares to, I would probably say it is if Maret doubled in size with a touch of WIS's global mobility flavor. Most of the money there is going to be International Finance money.

HA maybe🙈 if you knew a girl who told people in the bars that she was from Alaska (because she thought being born and raised there was boring despite having such origin stories as "my parents finally agreed it was time to move to a bigger house when the neighbor's tiger jumped over the fence and bit another neighborhood kid") than you knew my mother slightly past the cocaine cowboy era 🤣 but not to long past she would have been raising kids back in the DMV.

Fully agree with your take especially the part about the culture shock is going to be Miami not Ransom in particular. They are very different places. Money feels and plays differently down there!

I also have eyed up their sailing summer camp for a future potential vacation for us, camp/skill building for DC. Could be a good "testing the waters" idea for OP if they have time to decide. (They have other really cool camps that are different from ours if sailing isn't your game, but boating skills do come in handy more often than you would think).

[Anonymous]

RE and Gulliver are the top two privates in Miami. The academics are top notch. It’s the culture that I’d be worried about more than the money. It’s hyper materialistic and superficial. DC private school culture is more serious, intellectual, and politically engaged. If you have a girl, I’d be especially worried about moving to Miami.

[Anonymous]

The instagram page for seniors is absolutely insane. @ransomseniors
Even Sidwell pales in comparison to those results. They are out of this world.

[Anonymous]

The academics at Ransom are excellent but the culture is very, very different than a DC prep school.

The students and families at RE and other Miami privates are much flashier with money and aren't afraid to let everyone know they're rich.

DC, by contrast, is far more restrained when it comes to showing wealth. It's just considered gauche and rude in DC to show off money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The instagram page for seniors is absolutely insane. @ransomseniors
Even Sidwell pales in comparison to those results. They are out of this world.

Agree it’s pretty impressive… even assuming these kids have hooks/connections/money. There’s a wide variety of elite schools too (as opposed to sending 16 kids to U Chicago)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My family has an opportunity to move to Miami for a career opportunity, and we are strongly considering it but I am apprehensive due to the poor schools in the area. My research indicates that Ransom Everglades is considered the best school in Miami. Does anyone know how this compares to the DC top private schools?

Also privates in Miami have become extremely competitive to get into and billionaires are opening their own schools. FWIW. And no good backup options like here