Ranking privates academic rigor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I'll offer an experience. DD is about to graduate Madeira, and chose it over NCS and a couple of others.

It's not "coddling", but it is designed to not be a pressure cooker. They will push the kids as much as they can handle, but not to the breaking point. It's an individual thing (DD is pushed to the edge of her capability) rather than a collective thing where girls are played against one another.

They engender teamwork more than competition. An example: the graduation speaker isn't based on academic rank; it's a girl chosen by her peers based on an audition process.

In our experience this yields exceptionally self-aware and confident young women who have been in the workplace (successfully) several times in the last few years through the co-curricullum process. It may not be seen by those here (who tend to be very much flag-wavers) as being as rigorous as some others, but it is much more predictably lower pressure and less cut-throat.

There's remarkably little drama and bullying, and there's virtually no mean-girl vibe. Indeed, they encourage each other: during the recent musical, for example, girls cheered their peers who were changing the set between scenes.

DD has been accepted at one of her top-3 choices already. I believe she is exceptionally well prepared not only for college, but for life.

Love reading this. Had the best vibe yesterday at admitted students day.

+1

We are strongly leaning towards Madeira. Great vibe yesterday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please stop trying to rank schools. It's meaningless.

My son’s highly ranked second best all-boys school in DC has not been better than private apart from smaller class size. Academics not better, clubs and opportunities not better, writing curicullum is worse.

I’ve read this like five times and literally can’t follow. Would someone please translate what is meant by the “second best all boys school….that has not been better than private…” So it is or is not a private? Why can’t I follow?

PP has hijacked several threads with beefs against a certain private all-boys school in DC (not STA or Gonzaga, so you do the math). PP must search for the school initials or name or the word “rigor” every 30 minutes or so because the negative posts appear like clockwork, even on irrelevant threads like this one. PP never foregoes an opportunity to shout from the mountaintops how severely mediocre they think it is.

Ah, many thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I know…. Through both personal experience at 3 of these schools and good friends at the others…..

GDS/Sidwell
Potomac
Maret/ Holton

Can’t comment on the others

I think most can agree with this, though I've heard somewhat mixed things about Maret lately.

No, no one would agree with this. No ranking would put Potomac ahead of Holton.
You too must be Potomac parents.

-No affiliation whatsoever with Holton

+1
More like:
GDS/Sidwell
Holton
Maret
Potomac

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i appreciated this more when you wanted your child crushed by college.

Well I didn’t want to say it, but I do want her taken down a notch in high school. It’s a big world and she needs to know it.

I came from a small town, local “whiz kid” and my elite college destroyed me that I think my life would have been better at my state public university. Being on your own and failing at everything when everyone seems to find it so easy, not a good place.

I’ll be the one to say it 😬

Feels like you may have some unresolved issues.

Don’t thrust those onto your own kids.

One hundred percent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I know…. Through both personal experience at 3 of these schools and good friends at the others…..

GDS/Sidwell
Potomac
Maret/ Holton

Can’t comment on the others

I think most can agree with this, though I've heard somewhat mixed things about Maret lately.

No, no one would agree with this. No ranking would put Potomac ahead of Holton.
You too must be Potomac parents.

-No affiliation whatsoever with Holton

+1
More like:
GDS/Sidwell
Holton
Maret
Potomac

They are all basically the same. Differentiator is how stressed the kids are because of parent/peer pressure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I know…. Through both personal experience at 3 of these schools and good friends at the others…..

GDS/Sidwell
Potomac
Maret/ Holton

Can’t comment on the others

I think most can agree with this, though I've heard somewhat mixed things about Maret lately.

No, no one would agree with this. No ranking would put Potomac ahead of Holton.
You too must be Potomac parents.

-No affiliation whatsoever with Holton

Lots of families have done both Holton and Potomac. Those I know would say Potomac is more rigorous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i appreciated this more when you wanted your child crushed by college.

Well I didn’t want to say it, but I do want her taken down a notch in high school. It’s a big world and she needs to know it.

I came from a small town, local “whiz kid” and my elite college destroyed me that I think my life would have been better at my state public university. Being on your own and failing at everything when everyone seems to find it so easy, not a good place.

I’ll be the one to say it 😬

Feels like you may have some unresolved issues.

Don’t thrust those onto your own kids.

Hey I work in mental health. That could be a sign of anxiety and low self worth. Not really their true self. Humility can be taught and practiced. Do they work? Volunteer? What makes them want to make a better world? Give them experiences that help them see themselves as part of something greater.


Hah I do. But my kid is full teenager and so arrogant about how smart they are. It drives me nuts. I mean, maybe she is really brilliant and hard working? But I want to test her mettle before she has to head out on her own. Her MS experience has not done that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I know…. Through both personal experience at 3 of these schools and good friends at the others…..

GDS/Sidwell
Potomac
Maret/ Holton

Can’t comment on the others

I think most can agree with this, though I've heard somewhat mixed things about Maret lately.

No, no one would agree with this. No ranking would put Potomac ahead of Holton.
You too must be Potomac parents.

-No affiliation whatsoever with Holton

Lots of families have done both Holton and Potomac. Those I know would say Potomac is more rigorous.

What are the steps here, like are Potomac and Holton more just private for rich status and not academic, or actually just shy of the rigor of the top of the list?

[Anonymous]

School rankings are arbitrary but if you want a specific ranking of College preparedness, Niche ranks the following nationally under top private schools for college prep:
Gds 52
Sidwell 38
NCS 21

FWIW this seems like a very silly exercise and I’m mad at myself for participating.

[Anonymous]

Per your request, here is the definitive, objective, inarguable, uncontestable, and incontrovertible ranking (in order of most to least rigor):

Madeira
WIS
Potomoc
Maret
Holton Arms
GDS
Sidwell

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Per your request, here is the definitive, objective, inarguable, uncontestable, and incontrovertible ranking (in order of most to least rigor):

Madeira
WIS
Potomoc
Maret
Holton Arms
GDS
Sidwell

most to least? Or least to most ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Per your request, here is the definitive, objective, inarguable, uncontestable, and incontrovertible ranking (in order of most to least rigor):

Madeira
WIS
Potomoc
Maret
Holton Arms
GDS
Sidwell

most to least? Or least to most ?

That was intentional to punk you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Per your request, here is the definitive, objective, inarguable, uncontestable, and incontrovertible ranking (in order of most to least rigor):

Madeira
WIS
Potomoc
Maret
Holton Arms
GDS
Sidwell

most to least? Or least to most ?

Def least to most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I'll offer an experience. DD is about to graduate Madeira, and chose it over NCS and a couple of others.

It's not "coddling", but it is designed to not be a pressure cooker. They will push the kids as much as they can handle, but not to the breaking point. It's an individual thing (DD is pushed to the edge of her capability) rather than a collective thing where girls are played against one another.

They engender teamwork more than competition. An example: the graduation speaker isn't based on academic rank; it's a girl chosen by her peers based on an audition process.

In our experience this yields exceptionally self-aware and confident young women who have been in the workplace (successfully) several times in the last few years through the co-curricullum process. It may not be seen by those here (who tend to be very much flag-wavers) as being as rigorous as some others, but it is much more predictably lower pressure and less cut-throat.

There's remarkably little drama and bullying, and there's virtually no mean-girl vibe. Indeed, they encourage each other: during the recent musical, for example, girls cheered their peers who were changing the set between scenes.

DD has been accepted at one of her top-3 choices already. I believe she is exceptionally well prepared not only for college, but for life.

Love reading this. Had the best vibe yesterday at admitted students day.

+1

We are strongly leaning towards Madeira. Great vibe yesterday.

My DD is entering a K-8 next year but I would love to send her to Madeira for HS based on what I’ve heard. I don’t need an anxiety-causing pressure-cooker school for her. My DH, however, is not a fan of single-sex schools :-/ Anyway, we have 9 years to convince him!

[Anonymous]

DP. I think the way to look at these schools is that they are different, and not necessarily “better” or “worse” than any of the others. I know that offends the sensibilities of almost everyone on here, who seem to think we need to have a ranking for everything, even things that aren’t quantifiable.

If rigor is what you want, OP, your DD will be able to find it any of those schools. Some may be “more rigorous” in that they offer fewer non-honors classes than others. But I’d be very, very surprised if Calc AB or Calc BC or chemistry or physics changes that much from school to school.