Announcing National Merit Semi-Finalists

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, NCS stands out for DC result. JR underperforms given its overall class size. Washington Latin also punched above its weight. Maret was lackluster. St. Anselm's was very respectable. GDS and Sidwell were as expected.

I knew Latin was a great school, but a little mind-blowing that a 50% minority, pure lottery school is beating out STA. Know a few families at Latin, good for them.

LOL…

The average SAT score at Latin is 1220.

The average SAT score at STA is 1420.

Sure, but again, STA handpicks its students for intelligence, drive and HNW donor families from a very young age, while Latin is a 50% student of color, pure lottery, purely egalitarian public school taking students from all 8 wards. They also have a 20% equitable access mandate which means food-stamps, homeless kids, foster kids, etc. The fact that the above SAT spread isn't larger tells you everything you need to know about the caliber of education kids are getting at Latin. I'd also point out that test prep matters a great deal, and you know ALL STA families are paying for that.

Not a slum on STA at all, 1420 is exactly what I would expect as an STA parent. But it doesn't negate the fact that they didn't produce as many NMS as a tiny public charter halfway across the city.

NMS is a scholarship program. Why do STA kids need to spend extra time prepping for a test for a scholarship they don’t need? They are getting into top colleges based on other criteria, including their parents being full pay.

That’s why no one cares about NM finalists (scholarships are often determined by need) but only semi finalists (determined by test scores).

Twenty years ago if you weren’t a national merit semi finalist you had zero chance of getting into an ivy unless you were an athlete or from a lower socioeconomic background (and therefore likely had less prep than other kids). I can’t imagine that’s changed very much.

It’s not just a random award, it reflects scoring well on the PSAT, which is an (imperfect) way of assessing intelligence and ability.

It matters if you have a parent who works for a big company that gives scholarships for making the NMSF cut.

[Anonymous]

While making the list is an honor, and should be celebrated, as pointed out by some, this should not be the only criterion for assessing students' achievements, and certainly should not be made the main goal for kids to study. A kid might just need 1-2 problems to make the list, and the cutoff is not the same across states. And if a kid need to take test prep from 9th to make the list, that is also an opportunity cost for developing other interest, or simply sleep. Being commended is also a big achievement, especially if the kid plays a sport or pursues other extra curriculum activities.

[Anonymous]

Woo! Go Holton! Brilliant and well rounded girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While making the list is an honor, and should be celebrated, as pointed out by some, this should not be the only criterion for assessing students' achievements, and certainly should not be made the main goal for kids to study. A kid might just need 1-2 problems to make the list, and the cutoff is not the same across states. And if a kid need to take test prep from 9th to make the list, that is also an opportunity cost for developing other interest, or simply sleep. Being commended is also a big achievement, especially if the kid plays a sport or pursues other extra curriculum activities.

I guess Holton didn’t get the memo.

[Anonymous]

Holton usually has 4-5 every year and this year is exceptional - not sure if it is an one off effect or a structural change. If I can think of any factor - maybe the background of those winners and whether they transferred to Holton during the pandemic would help explain, as the 2026 class entered high school in the fall of 2022 and I think there was a high wave of application during pandemic years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Holton usually has 4-5 every year and this year is exceptional - not sure if it is an one off effect or a structural change. If I can think of any factor - maybe the background of those winners and whether they transferred to Holton during the pandemic would help explain, as the 2026 class entered high school in the fall of 2022 and I think there was a high wave of application during pandemic years.

7 of the 12 came in Lower School, pre pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Holton usually has 4-5 every year and this year is exceptional - not sure if it is an one off effect or a structural change. If I can think of any factor - maybe the background of those winners and whether they transferred to Holton during the pandemic would help explain, as the 2026 class entered high school in the fall of 2022 and I think there was a high wave of application during pandemic years.

7 of the 12 came in Lower School, pre pandemic.

I think it’s a one-off. The Class of 2026 has always been super strong academically (and not so much athletically).

[Anonymous]

It is weird that unlike other schools, Holton hasn’t announced its NMSFs in social media or even within the school. If the news were related to athletics, it would be all over the place!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is weird that unlike other schools, Holton hasn’t announced its NMSFs in social media or even within the school. If the news were related to athletics, it would be all over the place!

I’m sure they will eventually. They did last year.

https://www.holton-arms.edu/about/news/holton-celebrates-national-merit-semifinalists

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is weird that unlike other schools, Holton hasn’t announced its NMSFs in social media or even within the school. If the news were related to athletics, it would be all over the place!

I’m sure they will eventually. They did last year.

https://www.holton-arms.edu/about/news/holton-celebrates-national-merit-semifinalists

Last year was the first time when Holton did the announcement in March (!!!) In previous years, it was always in Sept/Oct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you!

Does anyone have the numbers from VA privates? Potomac, Flint Hill, Madeira etc?

SSSAS had 4

VA privates:

Potomac: 9
Basis (McLean): 9
Flint Hill: 4
Madeira: 4
SSSAS: 4
Bishop Ireton: 3
Bishop O’Connell: 1

MD privates:

Holton: 12
Landon: 5
St Andrews: 5
Bullis: 3
Heights: 1

DC privates:

NCS: 5
GDS: 4
Sidwell: 4
St Anselm: 3
STA: 2
Visi: 2
Maret: 1
WIS: 1
St John’s: 1

Isn't BIM graduating class like 30 students?

Yeah. Imagine 1 out of every 3 students is a NMSF.

Holy sh*t! That is incredible!

There are a few private schools down in Texas where 20-35% of their classes consistently earn NMSF. One of them typically graduates 130 students per year. I know it is a slightly lower cutoff score, but still….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you!

Does anyone have the numbers from VA privates? Potomac, Flint Hill, Madeira etc?

SSSAS had 4

VA privates:

Potomac: 9
Basis (McLean): 9
Flint Hill: 4
Madeira: 4
SSSAS: 4
Bishop Ireton: 3
Bishop O’Connell: 1

MD privates:

Holton: 12
Landon: 5
St Andrews: 5
Bullis: 3
Heights: 1

DC privates:

NCS: 5
GDS: 4
Sidwell: 4
St Anselm: 3
STA: 2
Visi: 2
Maret: 1
WIS: 1
St John’s: 1

Isn't BIM graduating class like 30 students?

Yeah. Imagine 1 out of every 3 students is a NMSF.

Holy sh*t! That is incredible!

There are a few private schools down in Texas where 20-35% of their classes consistently earn NMSF. One of them typically graduates 130 students per year. I know it is a slightly lower cutoff score, but still….

It's 219 in Texas. That's like another 10 questions wrong--an entirely different standard.
My DC kid would have this as well as 2 best friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you!

Does anyone have the numbers from VA privates? Potomac, Flint Hill, Madeira etc?

SSSAS had 4

VA privates:

Potomac: 9
Basis (McLean): 9
Flint Hill: 4
Madeira: 4
SSSAS: 4
Bishop Ireton: 3
Bishop O’Connell: 1

MD privates:

Holton: 12
Landon: 5
St Andrews: 5
Bullis: 3
Heights: 1

DC privates:

NCS: 5
GDS: 4
Sidwell: 4
St Anselm: 3
STA: 2
Visi: 2
Maret: 1
WIS: 1
St John’s: 1

Isn't BIM graduating class like 30 students?

Yeah. Imagine 1 out of every 3 students is a NMSF.

Holy sh*t! That is incredible!

There are a few private schools down in Texas where 20-35% of their classes consistently earn NMSF. One of them typically graduates 130 students per year. I know it is a slightly lower cutoff score, but still….

It's 219 in Texas. That's like another 10 questions wrong--an entirely different standard.
My DC kid would have this as well as 2 best friends.

They lower cutoff explains some of it, but your response is exaggerated. 3 points is somewhere around 1-2 questions on the PSAT and the historical gap of 4 points between Texas and DC is around 2-3 questions. This year it is 222 in Texas vs 225 in DC.

Schools in question are reporting middle 50% SAT scores of 1405-1570 and 1370-1530, respectively. Which means their median student is roughly at 99th and 98th percentile nationally, backing up the NM results.

Yes, it is tougher standard in DC, but not as exaggerated as you are making it out to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is weird that unlike other schools, Holton hasn’t announced its NMSFs in social media or even within the school. If the news were related to athletics, it would be all over the place!

I’m sure they will eventually. They did last year.

https://www.holton-arms.edu/about/news/holton-celebrates-national-merit-semifinalists

Last year was the first time when Holton did the announcement in March (!!!) In previous years, it was always in Sept/Oct.

When are finalists announced? Maybe they were/are waiting for that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is weird that unlike other schools, Holton hasn’t announced its NMSFs in social media or even within the school. If the news were related to athletics, it would be all over the place!

I’m sure they will eventually. They did last year.

https://www.holton-arms.edu/about/news/holton-celebrates-national-merit-semifinalists

Last year was the first time when Holton did the announcement in March (!!!) In previous years, it was always in Sept/Oct.

When are finalists announced? Maybe they were/are waiting for that?

No, the announcement was about the semifinalists.