Entry to privates from non-private elementaries

[Anonymous]

Any parents out there whose children started at a private school at the high school years, or even at 4th grade or middle school, without having spent elementary school in a private? I've been reading various threads that talk about certain schools feeding other schools, and wonder if I don't get my child into a private kindergarten then just forget about considering private down the road.

Is there data to indicate the % of incoming non-kindergarten kids that are admitted from public schools.

[Anonymous]

Both of my kids went to DCPS for elementary and then to private for middle school. So did a lot of my friends' kids. No problems there.

[Anonymous]

It is common--I would be surprised if you could not get into a school from DCPS. That said, certain schools will always be exceptionally hard to get into whether you start in PK/K or later...and admissions in the later grades is more focused on the child as the kid will actually have a record by then. We are doing DCPS with the intention of switching to private eventually.

[Anonymous]

Our kids went to MCPS for elementary and then moved to Sidwell for middle and upper school. It's worked out fine both academically and socially. Besides saving 6 years' worth of private school tuition, we like the fact that our kids have friends right in their neighborhood, as well as other friends from throughout the DMV region. Their experience shifting from public to private is not at all unusual. All 3 kids have many friends at Sidwell and other DC independent schools who went to public schools -- in DC, MoCo and PG Counties, Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax.

[Anonymous]

This is a risk. We switched privates and the new private said 4th grade is the last year they accept public school kids because after that the kids are too far behind. The new kids in 6th and 9th at both my DCs schools are all from private schools not public.

[Anonymous]

Not true pp. Most privates --including the most elite-- accept kids from public schools throughout. We saved money up through to the 7th grade and then had our dd go private.

[Anonymous]

At DC's "big 3" school, the kids who come from public schools (which includes DCPS and charters as well as MD and VA schools) are not behind. Sometimes any change of schools (inc. private to private) involves a bit of catch-up (e.g. one school's math curriculum or foreign language program may differ from another's) but often that's something that can be addressed over the summer.

And if your DC arrives in a major entry year, the school is very aware that kids are coming from all over and will structure the curriculum in a way that tries to get everyone on the same page over the course of that transition year.

There's always that risk with selective admissions that your DC doesn't get his/her/your first choice. But I don't think public school decreases the odds, at least not if the public school in question has been a good fit and your DC excels there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a risk. We switched privates and the new private said 4th grade is the last year they accept public school kids because after that the kids are too far behind. The new kids in 6th and 9th at both my DCs schools are all from private schools not public.

Not sure where you are but I have never heard that from any private school and we have been private for 10 years. In many cases, the kids coming from MoCo public schools will be ahead in math (could be anywhere froma year to 3 years difference) and may be behind in language because language is not required till 9th grade. As far as reading goes, it is nonsensical that many of these kids would be behind since they work 1-2 years ahead of their current grade. In HS, if someone comes in in 10th, it may be a little harder as many privates do Biology in 9th and Chemistry in 10th which is opposite in MoCo.

Most privates are not accelerating the curriculum the way the publics are. That is why there is always a debate regarding the academics at private vs public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a risk. We switched privates and the new private said 4th grade is the last year they accept public school kids because after that the kids are too far behind. The new kids in 6th and 9th at both my DCs schools are all from private schools not public.

I know kids who switched from public to private at Sidwell, GDS, and STA, so it's not any of those.

My DC started at one of those schools in 6th, after public, and was actually ahead of the other kids in some areas. Really, there's no worry here.

[Anonymous]

PP here. I should have added, the only schools I know where this might be an issue are the language immersion schools and some Montessori schools. But they don't take kids from other private schools either, unless they are (depending) fluent in the target language or coming from another Montessori school.

[Anonymous]

I think it's a risk? Why because when privates open up a class or two for an entry year, it's a small opening and then all the public parents who waited to save money are competing against privates that are k8--it's tough and more dificult to get in than if your child starts at K and you make a huge assumption that your child is going to be top of their class at a public or a star athlete..both dificult. I have agaonized over this and for that reason am thinking of taking my spot at a private since I don't want to take that chance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's a risk? Why because when privates open up a class or two for an entry year, it's a small opening and then all the public parents who waited to save money are competing against privates that are k8--it's tough and more dificult to get in than if your child starts at K and you make a huge assumption that your child is going to be top of their class at a public or a star athlete..both dificult. I have agaonized over this and for that reason am thinking of taking my spot at a private since I don't want to take that chance.

I'm not seeing your logic here. If you apply from public, you need to have excellent grades, high scores on the SSAT, and good recommendations. It also helps if other students from your school have done well in the past. If you apply from private, you need to have excellent grades, high scores on the SSAT, and good recommendations. It also helps if other students from your school have done well in the past.

Now, if you are saying that it is easier to continue on in a K-12 school than to apply for admission in 6th, 7th, or 9th, of course that is true - although that comes with its own set of issues (cost over time, child wanting something new). But if you are talking about applying to a new school at that point, I don't think it matters whether you are coming from public or private.

[Anonymous]

Almost all the kids I know about that were counseled out were lifers (ie, had started private school in K or pre-K).

[Anonymous]

Her logic seems to be bird in the hand (refers to "taking my spot at a private"), in which case what she's saying makes sense. A DC who gets in at PreK/K will not inevitably be as strong a candidate when at 6th or 9th. The criteria change. And you don't know if turning down an offer hurts you if/when you apply later.

So if you have an offer now from *the* school (vs. a feeder or another private) you think you ultimately want your kid to attend, it makes sense to take the slot offered.

But OP's question seemed to be more along the lines of if we don't apply for privates at the LS level and do public instead, are we screwed if we want to send DC to a private MS/HS? Different question since there's no reason to assume that DC will find it easier to get in now rather than later. The best argument for apply at LS in that situation would be the more times you play, the better your chances, but, of course, it could just be more chances to be rejected and why pursue something very expensive that you don't even value (i.e. private LS)? Especially when you don't know who your kid will be x many years down the road and what parents/kids will want (be able to afford, live near) then? Strikes me as too big a commitment to function as a means to an end.

Psychologically, I think that once the offer's on the table, it's harder to turn down (especially if you're the sort who is risk-averse and tends to minimize future regret) than if you make a rational decision just not to put yourself in that position to begin with.

[Anonymous]

Looking at my kids friends, he knows kids who jumped to WIS, Landon, Sidwell, Saint Alban's, NCS, Bullis, and Maret after completing 5th or 6th grade at Murch or Janney (depending on which was the highest grade in the year they applied). He also knows kids who went to Burke, Sidwell, and Sandy Spring Friends from 5th grade at a charter.