Beauvoir parents: would you choose Sidwell or Maret over STA/NCS?

[Anonymous]

Would you choose Sidwell or Maret over STA/NCS for your child? If so, is there one specific reason, or multiple factors? Do many Beauvoir third graders apply to Maret or Sidwell?

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't choose any school solely for athletics, particularly in 3rd grade.

There are many kids who apply to those schools, both in 3rd grade and 4th grade. But, if sports are a priority, you might want to wait til your kid is in jr high or high school to see what the caliber of play is, who the coaches are etc.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't choose any school solely for athletics, particularly in 3rd grade.

There are many kids who apply to those schools, both in 3rd grade and 4th grade. But, if sports are a priority, you might want to wait til your kid is in jr high or high school to see what the caliber of play is, who the coaches are etc.

Interesting phenomenon. Who chooses a school for athletics? Is the mission of these schools to train our young boys and girls for athletics? I am confused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't choose any school solely for athletics, particularly in 3rd grade.

There are many kids who apply to those schools, both in 3rd grade and 4th grade. But, if sports are a priority, you might want to wait til your kid is in jr high or high school to see what the caliber of play is, who the coaches are etc.

What are you referencing? The OP did not mention sports. If you are coming out of Beauvoir you have to apply somewhere for 4th grade so waiting till HS is probably not practical.

[Anonymous]

Vastly different schools - Beauvoir is a traditional school leading into a single sexed environment; whereas maret and Sidwell are coed and much more progressive in their way of teaching.......

[Anonymous]

No child or family at Beauvoir (or any school) is the same as all the others, so the decision is going to be different for different families. Each year, roughly 2/3 (give or take a few) of the graduating girls go to NCS and roughly 2/3 (give or take a few) of the graduating boys go to St. Albans. So I guess about 2/3 of the families at Beauvoir would likely answer your question, "No." Of the children who do not go on to St. Albans and NCS, Sidwell and Maret (and GDS) are popular choices. Those schools are very different from NCS/STA, so for the families that choose those schools, I'm sure they're just a better fit/more the type of school they're looking for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vastly different schools - Beauvoir is a traditional school leading into a single sexed environment; whereas maret and Sidwell are coed and much more progressive in their way of teaching.......

As the parent of a Beauvoir Alum, Beauvoir is a experiential learning environment, not "traditional" at all, with the exception of its moral curriculum. Some people see that as the best of both worlds, and yes, some to go on to Maret, Sidwell, and GDS though the vast majority go on to STA or NCS.

[Anonymous]

Being a former B parent, I would look at all 3 carefully. B is far less traditional than STA/NCS, so a B to Sidwell or Maret track may make sense. Moreover, I do see Maret as being as "progressive" as Sidwell or GDS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vastly different schools - Beauvoir is a traditional school leading into a single sexed environment; whereas maret and Sidwell are coed and much more progressive in their way of teaching.......

As the parent of a Beauvoir Alum, Beauvoir is a experiential learning environment, not "traditional" at all, with the exception of its moral curriculum. Some people see that as the best of both worlds, and yes, some to go on to Maret, Sidwell, and GDS though the vast majority go on to STA or NCS.

At the risk of more overuse of the word "vast," I think it is vastly overstating the facts to claim that these schools (Beauvoir, Maret, Sidwell) are so, so different.

[Anonymous]

At the Upper School level, the style of teaching (although not other cultural issues perhaps) is pretty similar at Sidwell/NCS/STA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No child or family at Beauvoir (or any school) is the same as all the others, so the decision is going to be different for different families. Each year, roughly 2/3 (give or take a few) of the graduating girls go to NCS and roughly 2/3 (give or take a few) of the graduating boys go to St. Albans. So I guess about 2/3 of the families at Beauvoir would likely answer your question, "No." Of the children who do not go on to St. Albans and NCS, Sidwell and Maret (and GDS) are popular choices. Those schools are very different from NCS/STA, so for the families that choose those schools, I'm sure they're just a better fit/more the type of school they're looking for.

This is terrible math. If your numbers are correct, 1/3 of the families answer "no."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No child or family at Beauvoir (or any school) is the same as all the others, so the decision is going to be different for different families. Each year, roughly 2/3 (give or take a few) of the graduating girls go to NCS and roughly 2/3 (give or take a few) of the graduating boys go to St. Albans. So I guess about 2/3 of the families at Beauvoir would likely answer your question, "No." Of the children who do not go on to St. Albans and NCS, Sidwell and Maret (and GDS) are popular choices. Those schools are very different from NCS/STA, so for the families that choose those schools, I'm sure they're just a better fit/more the type of school they're looking for.

This is terrible math. If your numbers are correct, 1/3 of the families answer "no."

PP here---whoops---this is what I get for being snarky (not my personality...). I think I was confused by the double negative.

[Anonymous]

Yes. I am a Beauvoir parent and would choose Maret over NCS. But I am not sure I would choose it over St. A.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No child or family at Beauvoir (or any school) is the same as all the others, so the decision is going to be different for different families. Each year, roughly 2/3 (give or take a few) of the graduating girls go to NCS and roughly 2/3 (give or take a few) of the graduating boys go to St. Albans. So I guess about 2/3 of the families at Beauvoir would likely answer your question, "No." Of the children who do not go on to St. Albans and NCS, Sidwell and Maret (and GDS) are popular choices. Those schools are very different from NCS/STA, so for the families that choose those schools, I'm sure they're just a better fit/more the type of school they're looking for.

Well I do not think it is that straightforward. Of the 1/3 who do not go to NCS/STA, there are those who may have liked to go there but are not accepted to go there. Of them, let's make a guess, about half (less/more/who knows) would have liked to go and would also answer "NO" to whether they would prefer Sidwell/Maret/other.

[Anonymous]

Maret and Sidwell are actually not that progressivein their teaching styles. They are within the DC mainstream. This false reputation may be be because the communities are politically and socially progressive, but that doesn't translate into the academics.
STA/NCS are single sex. Maret and Sidwell are not. All have extremely wealthy student bodies, but STA/NCS are a little more open about it while the others try to downplay it as a general rule. All provide rich educational experiences.
Your deciding factors should be single sex vs co-ed and how comfortable you and your child feel in the different social environments.