2016 Best DC Metro Area High Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is silly and arbitrary. It relies purely on test scores - the SAT for Presidential Scholar candidates and the scores themselves, PSAT for National Merit - which isn't surprising for a test prep business.

Even worse, the data are unreliable. The privates do not report their SAT scores. The public schools claim different/higher scores than the College Board. The ranking table includes a percentage for the average number of students who go on to a top 15% college, but it doesn't include the number in the ranking. This number is not reported by any of the schools, so there is no reason to believe that it is particularly accurate. Even sillier, the top 15 college list doesn't include Stanford or Columbia.

Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

ok tell us what your scores your private school kid received.

Sound a bit bitter for alllllll that money you spent

Just between you and me... You're the one on this thread that sounds bitter. Why are you so sure other people made the wrong decision for their children and why do you care? The reason students at the top privates get high test scores is because they have to compete for a spot in the school and academics and test scores are a big part of the competition, just like at TJ. Parents don't send their children to private schools because they think it will boost SAT scores. They send them there because of the environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:God, please no more. So tired of "privates are not about test scores" BS. Yeah, I get it. Your kid who scores 1100 on SAT is somehow doing better than kids who scored 1500 on SAT from public.

No one is saying that a student from a private school with 1100 SAT is "better" than a public school student with 1500s. But among students scoring in the top 1, 2 or 5%, the scores tell you very little about academic preparation or intellectual development. The SAT may be very good at sorting out those in the top tier from those in the middle tiers, but it doesn't sort out those in the top tier at all.

FWIW, DC was a 99% SAT scorer back in 7th grade. If colleges took 4 year old scores, I would tell her not to her take it again. She goes to a private school because I want her to get an education that goes beyond the basic algebra and reading comprehension in the SAT. If you think a good score on the SAT or ACT is all it takes to be a well-educated thinker, then you're doing a disservice to your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is silly and arbitrary. It relies purely on test scores - the SAT for Presidential Scholar candidates and the scores themselves, PSAT for National Merit - which isn't surprising for a test prep business.

Even worse, the data are unreliable. The privates do not report their SAT scores. The public schools claim different/higher scores than the College Board. The ranking table includes a percentage for the average number of students who go on to a top 15% college, but it doesn't include the number in the ranking. This number is not reported by any of the schools, so there is no reason to believe that it is particularly accurate. Even sillier, the top 15 college list doesn't include Stanford or Columbia.

Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

"Please don't use junk[i] lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents."

New P here. This is not a junk list; it is actually quite helpful. That said, I agree with the rest of your sentence, in the sense that no parent should send their child to one of these schools based solely on this list. Each child is different, etc. My Landon son would be miserable at St Anselms, even if he could get in, and I personally wouldn't send anyone to GDS, though our Bernie-bro-sis friends think its the best thing since sliced (gluten-free) bread and vegan bacon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL.

So hearsay from random parents that "Sidwell is a hippie school" or school visit propaganda about "heritage" and "distinction" = unimpeachable evidence.

But a list of which schools have the most National Merit scholars and highest SAT scores = "junk".

Duly noted.

Anonymous wrote:
Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

If you think any of the selective independent schools are about boosting your child's SAT scores or solely about where they go to college, don't bother. Send them to public school and spend your money on cram classes and test prep. If you disagree, please tell the admissions officers when you visit that your priority in determining where to send your child is the school's average SAT score and college admissions. They will solve your search dilemma by not admitting your child. If you think that lying about your rationale for a school is better, why do you think it will provide something it doesn't like to emphasize?

Smart, thoughtful, motivated student may have high test scores but not all high scorers are particularly smart, thoughtful, or motivated. In putting together a diverse class, a private school may make room for a student who might climb far from where they came from, but not necessarily to the top 1% of test takers. They might have experiences and viewpoints that add to the richness of a class. Your child's scores don't impact mine at all, but the your child's potential ability to deepen intellectual conversations does. When the standardized tests provide insight into a student's creative thinking and leadership skills, I'll be on your side.

God, please no more. So tired of "privates are not about test scores" BS. Yeah, I get it. Your kid who scores 1100 on SAT is somehow doing better than kids who scored 1500 on SAT from public.

I don't think you get it.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, I think that LotusPrep site pulled my data sets from the DCUM FAQ. I don't have any connection to LotusPrep and don't know anything about them. As I've explained in many threads, I think the data is useful but needs to be used with caution and context. HTH

Sam2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL.

So hearsay from random parents that "Sidwell is a hippie school" or school visit propaganda about "heritage" and "distinction" = unimpeachable evidence.

But a list of which schools have the most National Merit scholars and highest SAT scores = "junk".

Duly noted.

Anonymous wrote:
Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

If you think any of the selective independent schools are about boosting your child's SAT scores or solely about where they go to college, don't bother. Send them to public school and spend your money on cram classes and test prep. If you disagree, please tell the admissions officers when you visit that your priority in determining where to send your child is the school's average SAT score and college admissions. They will solve your search dilemma by not admitting your child. If you think that lying about your rationale for a school is better, why do you think it will provide something it doesn't like to emphasize?

Smart, thoughtful, motivated student may have high test scores but not all high scorers are particularly smart, thoughtful, or motivated. In putting together a diverse class, a private school may make room for a student who might climb far from where they came from, but not necessarily to the top 1% of test takers. They might have experiences and viewpoints that add to the richness of a class. Your child's scores don't impact mine at all, but the your child's potential ability to deepen intellectual conversations does. When the standardized tests provide insight into a student's creative thinking and leadership skills, I'll be on your side.

The recurring public school trolls generally don't.
God, please no more. So tired of "privates are not about test scores" BS. Yeah, I get it. Your kid who scores 1100 on SAT is somehow doing better than kids who scored 1500 on SAT from public.

I don't think you get it.

[Anonymous]

It looks like the big 3 schools have a significantly higher percentage of kids in top 15 colleges than anyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It looks like the big 3 schools have a significantly higher percentage of kids in top 15 colleges than anyone else.

..because they are small.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, I think that LotusPrep site pulled my data sets from the DCUM FAQ. I don't have any connection to LotusPrep and don't know anything about them. As I've explained in many threads, I think the data is useful but needs to be used with caution and context. HTH

Sam2

I was looking over the data and wondering if it came from SAM2. Did they ask your permission to use it? I've never heard of this company, but Lotus prep is a weird name.

[Anonymous]

Also no Langley or McLean, but all the W schools? This list is messed up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is silly and arbitrary. It relies purely on test scores - the SAT for Presidential Scholar candidates and the scores themselves, PSAT for National Merit - which isn't surprising for a test prep business.

Even worse, the data are unreliable. The privates do not report their SAT scores. The public schools claim different/higher scores than the College Board. The ranking table includes a percentage for the average number of students who go on to a top 15% college, but it doesn't include the number in the ranking. This number is not reported by any of the schools, so there is no reason to believe that it is particularly accurate. Even sillier, the top 15 college list doesn't include Stanford or Columbia.

Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

Maret's SAT scores are on their curriculum guide on their website. For the class of 2015, they are indeed 1373, exactly what the chart says.

[Anonymous]

Data used on college attendances is off by an order of magnitude for the top privates. Anyone who knows anything about these schools would recognize this instantly as a red flag and throw everything else out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also no Langley or McLean, but all the W schools? This list is messed up.

Both schools have as high SATs and NMSFs as the W schools and the lower tier privates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It looks like the big 3 schools have a significantly higher percentage of kids in top 15 colleges than anyone else.

..because they are small.

Smaller class size = larger percentage?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It looks like the big 3 schools have a significantly higher percentage of kids in top 15 colleges than anyone else.

..because they are small.

Smaller class size = larger percentage?

Agree with the question. The larger percentage means the peer group is stronger and more homogeneous academically.