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Which prestigious private high schools
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Anonymous
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will be essentially off limits if I don't make the decision now apply to a feeder preschool for my 3 YO?
I know the chances are never zero, but I am stressed about whether I really need to worry about this now. We live in Potomac and really want to send my DS to a local preschool, and maybe local elementary school/Catholic school, but need to understand what options I am giving up by doing that. Thanks |
Anonymous
| None |
Anonymous
| Are you joking? |
Anonymous
| Not a PP. The correct answer again is None. |
Anonymous
| you will not be giving up any options. Send your child to a preschool that's right for the child, not one that will get him/her into Harvard. |
Anonymous
| Yes, I think you need to worry, worry, worry, worry and stress, stress, stress about this right now. After all, DD is already 3 years old.... |
Anonymous
Yes, and be sure to communicate that worry to your child. It's never too soon for her to start internalizing your anxiety. Sorry to be snarky, but since people move to Potomac for the schools, I don't understand your concern. |
Anonymous
Although not directly responsive, I do think that once you put yourself on the Catholic school track, it will be very difficult to get into St. Albans/NCS or Sidwell. |
Anonymous
OK, maybe my word choice was not very good. And I shouldn't have focused on feeder preschools, but feeder elementary/middle schools. I am not really stressed about it; I just want information on when you are essentially making the decision that your child will NOT be going to Sidwell, NCS, GDS, etc. Witness the thread about STA and Beauvoir. And the many many people on these threads who acknowledge that they pay ridiculous sums of money for a preschool/elementary school to better their odds of getting in into the better private high schools. And right, I am sure I am taking about any of this to my 3YO. Can some mature person provide some information, please? Thanks |
Anonymous
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If you make the decision about what is right for your child in the moment, you can't go wrong. I think that is what everyone is trying to say. You have a three-year-old. Find the right school for her and your family situation (at that age convenience means a lot).
I think everyone is reacting to the idea that your decision is somehow going to doom your child in some way. |
Anonymous
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Honestly, if you know that applying to those schools is ultimately what you want to do, then I would suggest applying to the name preschools as well.
What is your reason for not wanting to apply to the "feeder" preschools? |
Anonymous
I really don't think there are any true "feeder" middle schools. Yes, you get places like Norwood and WES, but their kids go all over. And frankly, by then, the private school game is all over. Which is why so many of the people on this Board stress out about the early grades and seem like idiots in the process (they are not, they are just shrewd parents). I have to say, as far as I can tell there really is only one "feeder" school that fits the definition of what you are interested in. That's Beauvoir. If you don't go to Beauvoir, the odds of DS/DD going to STA/NCS are very, very slim. If you have your heart set on Maret, Sidwell, GDS for high school, you'd do better trying your darndest to get in at the K level. I guess what I'm saying is that if you don't choose private early, going to any one of the elites won't be impossible, but it will be much more difficult. Another way of putting it, the quarter million dollars + you will spend on tuition from pre-k to 9 will serve as a placeholder for high school. Think long and hard before getting on this road. Good luck. |
Anonymous
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If you have your heart set on Maret, Sidwell, GDS for high school, you'd do better trying your darndest to get in at the K level.
I guess what I'm saying is that if you don't choose private early, going to any one of the elites won't be impossible, but it will be much more difficult. Another way of putting it, the quarter million dollars + you will spend on tuition from pre-k to 9 will serve as a placeholder for high school. Think long and hard before getting on this road. Good luck. This is the information I was interested in. At this point, I have not inclined to send my child to any of these schools, but my point is that I have no idea how I will feel, and what kind of student my child will be, 11 years from now when he will be in high school. I may want to consider Sidwell, for example. But I think you are saying that it will probably be too late. And that is my concern; I really don't want to worry about it now and would rather not spend the big $$ now. Do you know which prestigious HS will still be good options. In other words, which ones don't have elementary/middle schools. Or which ones have much larger classess to accommodate their middle schools kids, and new kids. (I know I can find this information myself, just looking for a jump start). thanks |
Anonymous
This is the information I was interested in. At this point, I have not inclined to send my child to any of these schools, but my point is that I have no idea how I will feel, and what kind of student my child will be, 11 years from now when he will be in high school. I may want to consider Sidwell, for example. But I think you are saying that it will probably be too late. And that is my concern; I really don't want to worry about it now and would rather not spend the big $$ now. Do you know which prestigious HS will still be good options. In other words, which ones don't have elementary/middle schools. Or which ones have much larger classess to accommodate their middle schools kids, and new kids. (I know I can find this information myself, just looking for a jump start). thanks All of these schools get larger in HS. |
Anonymous
| There are always the boarding schools that open up at about 8th-9th grade -- Episcopal and Madeira, for example. |