I'm not so sure the "top 3" are actually the top 3....

[Anonymous]

I was reading another thread in this forum and someone brought up the term "top 3" yet again. For some reason the term has lost its luster and to tell you the truth, it got me to thinking "who decided they are the top 3?" Is it because they are the most difficult as far as admissions? Is it because they are the most expensive? Most exclusive? What is it???

Our child entered pre-k this year and we toured a bunch of schools. Off the top of my head we looked at Sidwell, Beauvoir, GDS, St. Patrick's, River School, WIS, Lowell, Aidan, Holy Trinity and threw in Potomac just to see what K was like should we wait a year. I figured if we were going to spend a small fortune, I'm darn well going to comparison shop! Take it for what it's worth, which is nothing because it's just my personal opinion but I'll share anyway:

I think my child would have received a good education at Sidwell, but it was so pretentious and plastic, that I believe it's only a name-drop school. The admissions process was so horrible that I would never apply again.

We were really impressed with the WIS. The AD was lovely and the teachers actually took time to engage us in conversation. We toured with a few sets of parents, all but us were French speakers. Those parents would ask questions to the teachers in French and what really impressed us was that the teachers would respond in French and then translate to us in English so we would not feel left out of the conversation. The classes we observed were top notch and honestly, everyone was so down to earth and lovely it would have been our top pick had there been more open slots this year.

GDS was just strange to me. The children wandering in and out of the classrooms and walking the halls at random times on their own did not sit well with me. I'm paying for an education at a very dear price. I want my child in a classroom learning, not wandering around. Plus, the AD was downright obnoxious. We were so put off we did not bother to apply.

St. Patrick's was nice, the AD was very friendly and took time to answer our questions. The school seemed good but slightly dated. I did overhear during the open house that other parents were displeased with the condition of certain rooms. All in all, with the exception of the state of some of the facilities I think it is a very good school.

We found the small class size was very appealing at the River School. The teachers were engaging and hold actual degrees. From the classroom visits, the students seemed to thrive. The AD was really sweet and made us feel very welcome. We looked at the school twice and thought it was a hidden gem.

Beauvoir has a beautiful campus and we were really impressed during the tour. The teachers were unique offering their life experience into the education process which was impressive. We felt a little bit out of place and putting the 3rd grade kids on show during the open house seemed a bit forced and OTT in my opinion. We did apply, but the AD was so dismissive and treated us so poorly during the application process that it really turned us off from the school. I don't want my child educated in that type of environment.

There is only one word I can think of to describe Lowell....chaos. The teachers seemed to have absolutely no control of the children and, at least from my impression during the tour, there seemed to be little organization in the classrooms.

I was not impressed by Aidan but I cannot say it was the school per se, more so our ideas of a Montessori education. The AD was a bit scary as well and the open house was a mad house. Plus, the facilities seemed a bit run down.

For a Catholic school, I cannot believe how nasty and dismissive people were over the phone when I would call to enquire about tours/application status/playdate visits at Holy Trinity. Maybe it was because we are not part of the congregation or maybe everyone working there has a major issue when it comes to dealing with prospective parents. I rang there three times over the course of a couple of months, I spoke to three different people and none of them were friendly.

Potomac has a beautiful campus. Very impressive. Maybe it's not part of the "top 3" because it's not in DC but we were blown away.

So, I'm not sure really why the top 3 are called the top 3, but please feel free to engage in conversation and tell me if you think I'm a jerk (well, not really, I prefer not to be called a jerk) but tell me if you think I'm wrong if you like. Pl ease share your own experiences with other schools people might not consider because they are not "top 3."

Oh, and for the record because I know someone will ask. We chose the River School and are quite happy.

[Anonymous]

Well, what is curious about your post is that it focuses on the admission process. Which is a valid discussion, yes, but it's also very limiting.

I have no idea what the top3 are, or top6, or what, but I do know that whatever they are, that classification would include topics such as teaching ability, arts, social development of the the children, eximissions, mastery of math, etc etc etc etc. And your (very interesting) post doesn't begin to touch on the meat of the matter.

In other words, a school can be the best in a city and still have a bitch for an AD.

[Anonymous]

OP, what is WIS. Do you mean WES - Washington Episcopal School?

[Anonymous]

OP, your perspective is interesting. I actually found River School to be a bit weird in terms of administration (including AD) and facilities -- two areas that you seem to focus on in your description of other schools. I agree that there is much, much more to selecting a school than one's take on the AD. It is difficult to get a read on the schools from browsing websites and brochures and going on an hour-long tour. For me, curriculum and its execution are key. Unfortunately, perceptions are created with those first impressions when visiting schools. Oftentime perception is not the reality. You have to dig deeper than what is presented on the surface during open houses and tours.

[Anonymous]

You are right 22:18, my perspective is soley based on tours and some included the admission process. A very limited view. But still, I'd love to know why the top 3 are the top 3 when I toured some schools that seemed pretty darn good. I would like to know how the top 3 became known as such when there are so many to choose from.

Oh, and 22:20, WIS is: Washington International School.

[Anonymous]

What about Maret? Did you not look because it doesnt start until K (although you did look at Potomac)? It is often placed in the top three by posters on this sight. Why also did you not look at NPS or Sheridan? Your list was interesting but kind of all over the place philosophically (Aidan and Trinity?) I would love to hear why you picked the ones you did and why you left off the others I named above. Thanks.

I agree with your premise. I think the "top three" is a gross misnomer, and few can seem to even agree which are the top three (IMHO because there really isnt a top three). Our kids actually are at one of the schools you discuss and we love it. It was our first choice and we have been there for several years now. Your critical comments on it were similar to what we thought after our first tour, but positive feelings about it grew with every contact and, by January, it was our first choice and we let them know... and got lucky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was reading another thread in this forum and someone brought up the term "top 3" yet again. For some reason the term has lost its luster and to tell you the truth, it got me to thinking "who decided they are the top 3?" Is it because they are the most difficult as far as admissions? Is it because they are the most expensive? Most exclusive? What is it???

Our child entered pre-k this year and we toured a bunch of schools. Off the top of my head we looked at Sidwell, Beauvoir, GDS, St. Patrick's, River School, WIS, Lowell, Aidan, Holy Trinity and threw in Potomac just to see what K was like should we wait a year. I figured if we were going to spend a small fortune, I'm darn well going to comparison shop! Take it for what it's worth, which is nothing because it's just my personal opinion but I'll share anyway:

I think my child would have received a good education at Sidwell, but it was so pretentious and plastic, that I believe it's only a name-drop school. The admissions process was so horrible that I would never apply again.

We were really impressed with the WIS. The AD was lovely and the teachers actually took time to engage us in conversation. We toured with a few sets of parents, all but us were French speakers. Those parents would ask questions to the teachers in French and what really impressed us was that the teachers would respond in French and then translate to us in English so we would not feel left out of the conversation. The classes we observed were top notch and honestly, everyone was so down to earth and lovely it would have been our top pick had there been more open slots this year.

GDS was just strange to me. The children wandering in and out of the classrooms and walking the halls at random times on their own did not sit well with me. I'm paying for an education at a very dear price. I want my child in a classroom learning, not wandering around. Plus, the AD was downright obnoxious. We were so put off we did not bother to apply.

St. Patrick's was nice, the AD was very friendly and took time to answer our questions. The school seemed good but slightly dated. I did overhear during the open house that other parents were displeased with the condition of certain rooms. All in all, with the exception of the state of some of the facilities I think it is a very good school.

We found the small class size was very appealing at the River School. The teachers were engaging and hold actual degrees. From the classroom visits, the students seemed to thrive. The AD was really sweet and made us feel very welcome. We looked at the school twice and thought it was a hidden gem.

Beauvoir has a beautiful campus and we were really impressed during the tour. The teachers were unique offering their life experience into the education process which was impressive. We felt a little bit out of place and putting the 3rd grade kids on show during the open house seemed a bit forced and OTT in my opinion. We did apply, but the AD was so dismissive and treated us so poorly during the application process that it really turned us off from the school. I don't want my child educated in that type of environment.

There is only one word I can think of to describe Lowell....chaos. The teachers seemed to have absolutely no control of the children and, at least from my impression during the tour, there seemed to be little organization in the classrooms.

I was not impressed by Aidan but I cannot say it was the school per se, more so our ideas of a Montessori education. The AD was a bit scary as well and the open house was a mad house. Plus, the facilities seemed a bit run down.

For a Catholic school, I cannot believe how nasty and dismissive people were over the phone when I would call to enquire about tours/application status/playdate visits at Holy Trinity. Maybe it was because we are not part of the congregation or maybe everyone working there has a major issue when it comes to dealing with prospective parents. I rang there three times over the course of a couple of months, I spoke to three different people and none of them were friendly.

Potomac has a beautiful campus. Very impressive. Maybe it's not part of the "top 3" because it's not in DC but we were blown away.

So, I'm not sure really why the top 3 are called the top 3, but please feel free to engage in conversation and tell me if you think I'm a jerk (well, not really, I prefer not to be called a jerk) but tell me if you think I'm wrong if you like. Pl ease share your own experiences with other schools people might not consider because they are not "top 3."

Oh, and for the record because I know someone will ask. We chose the River School and are quite happy.

Thanks for your exhaustive and honest statement. You are not a jerk at all ) With your post you've read my mind. I totally agree with your impressions of all the schools you visited, which were also the ones on our own tour last year. We ended up choosing WIS, and we are also very thrilled.

[Anonymous]

I think the "Top 3," usually Beauvoir, Sidwell, and either GDS, but more often than not, Maret, is a name used to refer to what are generally regarded as the most "elite" of the fancy NW DC privates. We loved WIS, but were applying for first grade and DC did not have the foreign language skills necessary, so we were actually rejected by WIS, though accepted by 2 of the top 3.

The only thing negative I can say about WIS is that they do seem to try so hard to distinguish themselves from the Top 3 and others of that type, when I think the school and parent community are in their heart of hearts, just dying to be included in the same breadth as the Top 3, or Top 6, or whatever Top List names are being bandied about at the country club.

[Anonymous]

OP, if you liked Potomac, also look at Norwood and Sheridan. Both good schools.

[Anonymous]

I am amazed that after Sidwell does all of that cherry picking and has all that money, they don't even get the best college admissions in the area. I would NEVER even apply to that school.

[Anonymous]

I agree that talk of the "Big 3" is misleading. It is tough to even identify the top three. We chose to send our children to Sidwell (though the admissions process was awful at that time!) because of the rich upper school curriculum, the Quaker philosophy, and frankly, the resources. Established schools like Sidwell can offer a little more in terms of resources for the same tuition because they have endowments, etc....

We are just thrilled with the education our children are getting at Sidwell for middle and upper school. Lower school was also very nice, but I sometimes wish I had saved the money and sent to public. My children do not have any special needs, so they would have done very well in public school and could have moved to Sidwell later.

Don't fret if your children are not accepted to a top choice for PK or K. There are plenty more years to apply.

[Anonymous]

Who does have the best college admissions in the area? Holton?

Sidwell and the Cathedral schools seem to do quite well. Sidwell does not publish a list, but a good chunk of the class goes to the Ivies and they have tons of Merit Finalists.

Maret's college list disappointed me. I don't know anything about GDS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed that after Sidwell does all of that cherry picking and has all that money, they don't even get the best college admissions in the area. I would NEVER even apply to that school.

Why? Sidwell is a terrific school with a group of nice, smart kids and fabulous teachers. Was the admissions process that awful? My children are happy and challenged there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed that after Sidwell does all of that cherry picking and has all that money, they don't even get the best college admissions in the area. I would NEVER even apply to that school.

If my DC is admitted to Sidwell, we will accept the offer. Of course, it is unlikely and the school has to be very selective, but that's just the way it is with competitive schools. Think of the poor kids who are applying to college this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed that after Sidwell does all of that cherry picking and has all that money, they don't even get the best college admissions in the area. I would NEVER even apply to that school.

I could not agree more. I am appalled every time I read someone include it with the supposed "top 3" or name it as the most elite school in Washington. As far as I am concerned its a totally "nouveau /wanna-be" school that only really got national attention because Chelsea Clinton went there. They also blantantly stack the deck to play the exmissions game by purposefully selecting kids who's parents went to an Ivy (legacy anyone?). Some really nice families I know have their kids there and more than one has expressed shocked dissapointment with the lower school. They often grin and bear it because of the reputation and exmissions of the upper school. Sidwell has managed to pull the wool over many a newer Washingtonians' eyes.