2023 Niche results: Basis McLean #1 in VA in 3 categories: best private HS in VA, best college prep…

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Three? Get with the times.

Flint hill apparently has a rep for that. Basis (and their Chinese owners) not so much. Matters to some more than others.

I think we are going to go in a tour of Basis just to see why everyone thinks it’s so awful. The comments on here are beyond ridiculous to an almost farcical level.

If you do, ask them for their exact enrollment numbers for the school and by grade. Somehow, they never appear on their website anywhere. What a coincidence.

They provide grade by grade enrollment numbers to the US Department of Education, so they’re there for anyone whose cares to look. FYI, Potomac and FH do not, which seems sus.

https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?HiGrade=-1&IncGrade=-1&LoGrade=-1&NumOfStudentsRange=more&SchoolName=in&Search=1&SchoolPageNum=4&ID=A1703643

Wow, those numbers are really low!

Enrollment by Grade:
PK KG 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Students 66 17 34 22 23 17 37 30 40 49 30 24 34 29

Way to mislead by not putting this into context. This is for school year 2019 - 2020 (bottom of the URL’s webpage), which is 2 years after the school opened.

Then what are the numbers now?

BIM doesn't release those numbers. They are SECRET. They only release bits and pieces of performance metrics that make them look good. How convenient. Numbers of staff turnover would really suck if people saw them in black and white.

FWIW, the school opened in 2016, so this was their fourth school year. The number crashed more after 2019-2020 because of more mismanagement then slowly rebounded since then.

Just once, I'd like to see a school official come on here and quote some numbers they would stand behind. What a clown show.

Don’t know about officials coming on here (never heard of that for any school), but based on a newsletter on ParentSquare and on Niche, it’s 588 for this year.

593 based on ParentSquare

How does a prospective parent access ParentSquare? How many names on that platform are school and company staff, not students? Why doesn't the school just put the info on its home page like many other schools?

It's really not hard to make this info open to all, especially grade by grade data that PS clearly lacks.

You mean like this? I don't see the grade by grade data, but plenty of other stats out front on the main website.

https://www.sidwell.edu/about

Not PP but what’s the big deal here? Google Basis Independent Mclean and there are are 3rd party websites that will tell you the number. Don’t believe it? Call the school, tell them you’re a prospective parent wanting to know (at least for a particular grade or primary/middle/high school) and they will tell you. Still don’t believe them? Schedule a tour and count the the students yourselves (at least for the grade you’re interested in). We did the latter 2 earlier this year and had no problems getting answers. Is your problem about the school trying to keep it a secret or that they just don’t broadcast it in the same way some other schools may?

Exactly.
No school is perfect.
BIM is relatively new. Has a lot to be improved for sure.
People here often reminded me the bullies I used to suffer. I am glad I have found a good school like BIM which is bully-free for my children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Three? Get with the times.

Flint hill apparently has a rep for that. Basis (and their Chinese owners) not so much. Matters to some more than others.

I think we are going to go in a tour of Basis just to see why everyone thinks it’s so awful. The comments on here are beyond ridiculous to an almost farcical level.

If you do, ask them for their exact enrollment numbers for the school and by grade. Somehow, they never appear on their website anywhere. What a coincidence.

They provide grade by grade enrollment numbers to the US Department of Education, so they’re there for anyone whose cares to look. FYI, Potomac and FH do not, which seems sus.

https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?HiGrade=-1&IncGrade=-1&LoGrade=-1&NumOfStudentsRange=more&SchoolName=in&Search=1&SchoolPageNum=4&ID=A1703643

Wow, those numbers are really low!

Enrollment by Grade:
PK KG 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Students 66 17 34 22 23 17 37 30 40 49 30 24 34 29

Way to mislead by not putting this into context. This is for school year 2019 - 2020 (bottom of the URL’s webpage), which is 2 years after the school opened.

Then what are the numbers now?

BIM doesn't release those numbers. They are SECRET. They only release bits and pieces of performance metrics that make them look good. How convenient. Numbers of staff turnover would really suck if people saw them in black and white.

FWIW, the school opened in 2016, so this was their fourth school year. The number crashed more after 2019-2020 because of more mismanagement then slowly rebounded since then.

Just once, I'd like to see a school official come on here and quote some numbers they would stand behind. What a clown show.

Don’t know about officials coming on here (never heard of that for any school), but based on a newsletter on ParentSquare and on Niche, it’s 588 for this year.

593 based on ParentSquare

https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-private-high-schools/
Niche says 588, it’s close. There still students joining after school year started. The number from ParentSquare is more accurate. National private high school ranking is 61.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Three? Get with the times.

Flint hill apparently has a rep for that. Basis (and their Chinese owners) not so much. Matters to some more than others.

I think we are going to go in a tour of Basis just to see why everyone thinks it’s so awful. The comments on here are beyond ridiculous to an almost farcical level.

If you do, ask them for their exact enrollment numbers for the school and by grade. Somehow, they never appear on their website anywhere. What a coincidence.

They provide grade by grade enrollment numbers to the US Department of Education, so they’re there for anyone whose cares to look. FYI, Potomac and FH do not, which seems sus.

https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?HiGrade=-1&IncGrade=-1&LoGrade=-1&NumOfStudentsRange=more&SchoolName=in&Search=1&SchoolPageNum=4&ID=A1703643

Wow, those numbers are really low!

Enrollment by Grade:
PK KG 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Students 66 17 34 22 23 17 37 30 40 49 30 24 34 29

Way to mislead by not putting this into context. This is for school year 2019 - 2020 (bottom of the URL’s webpage), which is 2 years after the school opened.

Then what are the numbers now?

BIM doesn't release those numbers. They are SECRET. They only release bits and pieces of performance metrics that make them look good. How convenient. Numbers of staff turnover would really suck if people saw them in black and white.

FWIW, the school opened in 2016, so this was their fourth school year. The number crashed more after 2019-2020 because of more mismanagement then slowly rebounded since then.

Just once, I'd like to see a school official come on here and quote some numbers they would stand behind. What a clown show.

Don’t know about officials coming on here (never heard of that for any school), but based on a newsletter on ParentSquare and on Niche, it’s 588 for this year.

593 based on ParentSquare

https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-private-high-schools/
Niche says 588, it’s close. There still students joining after school year started. The number from ParentSquare is more accurate. National private high school ranking is 61.

This bit of the Niche profile sounds very accurate:

What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?

hard working
36%
Robots
27%
Rigor
18%
Inclusive
9%
introvert
9%

[Anonymous]

This one from Niche is interesting too - less than half?

Culture & Safety

POLL
45%
of students agree that they feel safe at their school.

POLL
45%
of students agree that they like their school and feel happy there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This one from Niche is interesting too - less than half?

Culture & Safety

POLL
45%
of students agree that they feel safe at their school.

POLL
45%
of students agree that they like their school and feel happy there.

Sample size is 11 students who agreed to answer the questions.

Means very little.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Three? Get with the times.

Flint hill apparently has a rep for that. Basis (and their Chinese owners) not so much. Matters to some more than others.

I think we are going to go in a tour of Basis just to see why everyone thinks it’s so awful. The comments on here are beyond ridiculous to an almost farcical level.

If you do, ask them for their exact enrollment numbers for the school and by grade. Somehow, they never appear on their website anywhere. What a coincidence.

They provide grade by grade enrollment numbers to the US Department of Education, so they’re there for anyone whose cares to look. FYI, Potomac and FH do not, which seems sus.

https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?HiGrade=-1&IncGrade=-1&LoGrade=-1&NumOfStudentsRange=more&SchoolName=in&Search=1&SchoolPageNum=4&ID=A1703643

Wow, those numbers are really low!

Enrollment by Grade:
PK KG 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Students 66 17 34 22 23 17 37 30 40 49 30 24 34 29

Way to mislead by not putting this into context. This is for school year 2019 - 2020 (bottom of the URL’s webpage), which is 2 years after the school opened.

Then what are the numbers now?

BIM doesn't release those numbers. They are SECRET. They only release bits and pieces of performance metrics that make them look good. How convenient. Numbers of staff turnover would really suck if people saw them in black and white.

FWIW, the school opened in 2016, so this was their fourth school year. The number crashed more after 2019-2020 because of more mismanagement then slowly rebounded since then.

Just once, I'd like to see a school official come on here and quote some numbers they would stand behind. What a clown show.

Don’t know about officials coming on here (never heard of that for any school), but based on a newsletter on ParentSquare and on Niche, it’s 588 for this year.

593 based on ParentSquare

https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-private-high-schools/
Niche says 588, it’s close. There still students joining after school year started. The number from ParentSquare is more accurate. National private high school ranking is 61.

This bit of the Niche profile sounds very accurate:

What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?

hard working
36%
Robots
27%
Rigor
18%
Inclusive
9%
introvert
9%

Sample size is 11 students who agreed to answer the question.

Means very little.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Three? Get with the times.

Flint hill apparently has a rep for that. Basis (and their Chinese owners) not so much. Matters to some more than others.

I think we are going to go in a tour of Basis just to see why everyone thinks it’s so awful. The comments on here are beyond ridiculous to an almost farcical level.

If you do, ask them for their exact enrollment numbers for the school and by grade. Somehow, they never appear on their website anywhere. What a coincidence.

They provide grade by grade enrollment numbers to the US Department of Education, so they’re there for anyone whose cares to look. FYI, Potomac and FH do not, which seems sus.

https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?HiGrade=-1&IncGrade=-1&LoGrade=-1&NumOfStudentsRange=more&SchoolName=in&Search=1&SchoolPageNum=4&ID=A1703643

Wow, those numbers are really low!

Enrollment by Grade:
PK KG 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Students 66 17 34 22 23 17 37 30 40 49 30 24 34 29

Way to mislead by not putting this into context. This is for school year 2019 - 2020 (bottom of the URL’s webpage), which is 2 years after the school opened.

Then what are the numbers now?

BIM doesn't release those numbers. They are SECRET. They only release bits and pieces of performance metrics that make them look good. How convenient. Numbers of staff turnover would really suck if people saw them in black and white.

FWIW, the school opened in 2016, so this was their fourth school year. The number crashed more after 2019-2020 because of more mismanagement then slowly rebounded since then.

Just once, I'd like to see a school official come on here and quote some numbers they would stand behind. What a clown show.

Don’t know about officials coming on here (never heard of that for any school), but based on a newsletter on ParentSquare and on Niche, it’s 588 for this year.

593 based on ParentSquare

https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-private-high-schools/
Niche says 588, it’s close. There still students joining after school year started. The number from ParentSquare is more accurate. National private high school ranking is 61.

This bit of the Niche profile sounds very accurate:

What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?

hard working
36%
Robots
27%
Rigor
18%
Inclusive
9%
introvert
9%

Sample size is 11 students who agreed to answer the question.

Means very little.

Fascinating how few parents and students bothered to express their love for the best high school in the state, huh?

Looks like Niche ratings are gold when they are good and faulty when they aren't. Most of the overall "rating" is based on Nice staff crunching a few selective numbers anyway.

As has been said on this thread more than once, private education is sold into the marketplace. What consumers say and what they will pay for is the bottom line.

Not cherry-picking what looks good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Three? Get with the times.

Flint hill apparently has a rep for that. Basis (and their Chinese owners) not so much. Matters to some more than others.

I think we are going to go in a tour of Basis just to see why everyone thinks it’s so awful. The comments on here are beyond ridiculous to an almost farcical level.

If you do, ask them for their exact enrollment numbers for the school and by grade. Somehow, they never appear on their website anywhere. What a coincidence.

They provide grade by grade enrollment numbers to the US Department of Education, so they’re there for anyone whose cares to look. FYI, Potomac and FH do not, which seems sus.

https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?HiGrade=-1&IncGrade=-1&LoGrade=-1&NumOfStudentsRange=more&SchoolName=in&Search=1&SchoolPageNum=4&ID=A1703643

Wow, those numbers are really low!

Enrollment by Grade:
PK KG 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Students 66 17 34 22 23 17 37 30 40 49 30 24 34 29

Way to mislead by not putting this into context. This is for school year 2019 - 2020 (bottom of the URL’s webpage), which is 2 years after the school opened.

Then what are the numbers now?

BIM doesn't release those numbers. They are SECRET. They only release bits and pieces of performance metrics that make them look good. How convenient. Numbers of staff turnover would really suck if people saw them in black and white.

FWIW, the school opened in 2016, so this was their fourth school year. The number crashed more after 2019-2020 because of more mismanagement then slowly rebounded since then.

Just once, I'd like to see a school official come on here and quote some numbers they would stand behind. What a clown show.

Don’t know about officials coming on here (never heard of that for any school), but based on a newsletter on ParentSquare and on Niche, it’s 588 for this year.

593 based on ParentSquare

https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-private-high-schools/
Niche says 588, it’s close. There still students joining after school year started. The number from ParentSquare is more accurate. National private high school ranking is 61.

This bit of the Niche profile sounds very accurate:

What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?

hard working
36%
Robots
27%
Rigor
18%
Inclusive
9%
introvert
9%

Sample size is 11 students who agreed to answer the question.

Means very little.

Fascinating how few parents and students bothered to express their love for the best high school in the state, huh?

Looks like Niche ratings are gold when they are good and faulty when they aren't. Most of the overall "rating" is based on Nice staff crunching a few selective numbers anyway.

As has been said on this thread more than once, private education is sold into the marketplace. What consumers say and what they will pay for is the bottom line.

Not cherry-picking what looks good.

Amazing how people make conclusions based on limited data.

[Anonymous]

This whole thread is

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in McLean and know several kids who switched over to Basis. I have toured several times - before the school even opened, when they first started accepting students and recently.

Basis McLean is like a private TJ and has mostly very smart rich Asian kids. The kids we know who go there are far smarter than the kids who we know who chose Potomac, Langley, Flint Hill, Landon and the other suburban privates. I don’t doubt that Basis has the best academics around.

I have athletic boys and the lack of sports is a dealbreaker for us. Extracurriculars seem lacking unless you are only interested in STEM. The school gives a ton of homework. Class sizes also seem too small. I know it is a new school but the graduating class has only 30-40 kids. That is too small in my opinion.

While the school is not a good fit for our family, it may work for a super smart kid who is not athletic.

BIM is nothing like TJ. BIM is for TJ wannnabees and the HS is full of TJ rejects.

That’s not true. There were 5 8th graders got admitted by TJ this summer from a very small 8th grade class. Only one joined TJ, the other 4 are all stay at BIM and in their 2026 class now.

That’s great
Yes. 5 got admitted by TJ this summer only one accepted. 4 out of 5 stay at BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For anyone saying Niche is unreliable, will you say the same thing if the rankings looked different? Did you make the same criticism for last year’s rankings or the year before that? Why does the methodology bother you so much this year? Seems like some people just don’t like the results, like losing at something and then complaining about the rules. People should give Niche the same credibility, as little or as much as it should be (yes, I know it’s imperfect but it’s as imperfect as any other year) as other years when BIM wasn’t ranked at the top. Regardless of absolutely ranking number, the fact it improved so much year over year is commendable.

Toured Basis McLean when it opened and have seen other Basis campus — there’s potential, but the McLean outpost has clear issues despite boosters like the parent above. The real point is that the Niche rankings are joke. It is not really “commendable” to improve “year over year” with criteria that clearly can be gamed via self-reporting and meaningless inputs like what colleges students *apply to* — not get accepted to — points for applying to lots of reach schools?!?! Great indicia of a top school (fwiw some top school affirmatively dissuade students from applying to too many reaches). Niche also seems to have a pay-to-play element to it: https://www.niche.com/about/partnerships/#schools — “… Upgrade to Premium to motivate users to drive more applications, visits, and inquiries.” Wonder how that impacts results and commendable year over year ranking improvement?

What makes Basis McClean’s ranking even more laughable is that it is ranked #4 in the entire DMV. Higher, among others, than St. Albans, Maret, Holton, and Potomac: https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-private-high-schools/m/washington-dc-metro-area/

That speaks even more to a suspect ranking system than ranking among a small sampling of Virginia privates.

It is ranked #61 national wide. The first time among top 100.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2023 niche results :
Best Private High Schools in Virginia
1 of 139

Best College Prep Private High Schools in Virginia
1 of 131

Best Private K-12 Schools in Virginia
1 of 97

https://www.niche.com/k12/basis-independent-mclean-mclean-va/

Just checked.
BASIS McLean is ranked very top in the whole DC area:
#2 best high school for stem (only after TJ)
#3 best private K-12
#4 best private high school
#3 best college prep private high

Not surprised for the stem and college prep categories .
But surprised it is ranked #3 for k-12 private school and #4 for best private high school. There are so many top private schools in this area.

It is ranked #61 national wide. The first time in the top 100. I am new to this area. Don’t understand why top private schools in DMV areas are not ranked high national wide. GDS: #30. Sidwell: 37. Ncs: 56. Basis: 61.

[Anonymous]

Haven’t we learned from college rankings do not carry much meshing? And that they can be manipulated by schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Haven’t we learned from college rankings do not carry much meshing? And that they can be manipulated by schools?

Niche has its own formula that discounts many features that DCUM parents ask about and prioritize all the time. BIM is an academic grind machine, which is what Niche values.

If you don't want anything else at your DC's school, send them there. Otherwise, check out DCUM's other threads to see if BIM is ever ranked by actual tuition-paying parents above the other established DMV privates.

This is it, the little Niche fan club meeting in their treehouse and proclaiming themselves masters of the universe.

[Anonymous]

Niche is literally a paid for subscription service. The schools that pay the most get the top billing, just like any top docs issue or top schools issue in any of the local magazines. They are paid ads. If a school doesn't pay for the service they just pull the bare minimum for the school, if at all. Research the schools on your own on their own websites. See what fits best for your student.