Montgomery Blair/Albert Einstein vs. B-CC/Whitman -- help me understand the differences

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll bite. If you want your kid pushed from the school, skip public education and pay for private.

I don't know what you actually mean but private schools in this area are inferior to MCPS. Only a few can compare to MCPS.

Seriously? My kid went to silver creek and was given sentence starters as their only source of writing. He had an A in math because he could retake anything until he got an A and the teacher point blank told me he was a C in math kinda kid, but that was only when I pushed her for the info.

He’s now at private. There is Hw, quizzes, and tests. He’s actually learning how to study. I think he’ll be better served for high school than had we stayed in MCPS.

The question OP asked was whether mcps pushes kids. And quite frankly, they don’t.

private schools also have a vested interested in not letting the kids flunk a class. The class sizes are smaller, and you are paying for the hand holding. So yes, if your kid can't hack it in a large public, then private is the way to go.

My kid's HS really encourages all the kids to take the most rigorous courses, including AP courses.

That’s a bunch of bull. The better and only good privates do NOT hand hold.

having a small class size lends itself to some hand holding. That's why ES have smaller class sizes than MS/HS. Younger kids need more hand holding and individualized attention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll bite. If you want your kid pushed from the school, skip public education and pay for private.

I don't know what you actually mean but private schools in this area are inferior to MCPS. Only a few can compare to MCPS.

Seriously? My kid went to silver creek and was given sentence starters as their only source of writing. He had an A in math because he could retake anything until he got an A and the teacher point blank told me he was a C in math kinda kid, but that was only when I pushed her for the info.

He’s now at private. There is Hw, quizzes, and tests. He’s actually learning how to study. I think he’ll be better served for high school than had we stayed in MCPS.

The question OP asked was whether mcps pushes kids. And quite frankly, they don’t.

private schools also have a vested interested in not letting the kids flunk a class. The class sizes are smaller, and you are paying for the hand holding. So yes, if your kid can't hack it in a large public, then private is the way to go.

My kid's HS really encourages all the kids to take the most rigorous courses, including AP courses.

That’s a bunch of bull. The better and only good privates do NOT hand hold.

having a small class size lends itself to some hand holding. That's why ES have smaller class sizes than MS/HS. Younger kids need more hand holding and individualized attention.

Nope, not at the top ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll bite. If you want your kid pushed from the school, skip public education and pay for private.

I don't know what you actually mean but private schools in this area are inferior to MCPS. Only a few can compare to MCPS.

Seriously? My kid went to silver creek and was given sentence starters as their only source of writing. He had an A in math because he could retake anything until he got an A and the teacher point blank told me he was a C in math kinda kid, but that was only when I pushed her for the info.

He’s now at private. There is Hw, quizzes, and tests. He’s actually learning how to study. I think he’ll be better served for high school than had we stayed in MCPS.

The question OP asked was whether mcps pushes kids. And quite frankly, they don’t.

private schools also have a vested interested in not letting the kids flunk a class. The class sizes are smaller, and you are paying for the hand holding. So yes, if your kid can't hack it in a large public, then private is the way to go.

My kid's HS really encourages all the kids to take the most rigorous courses, including AP courses.

That’s a bunch of bull. The better and only good privates do NOT hand hold.

having a small class size lends itself to some hand holding. That's why ES have smaller class sizes than MS/HS. Younger kids need more hand holding and individualized attention.

This thread is about high school. You can start your own thread about elementary school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll bite. If you want your kid pushed from the school, skip public education and pay for private.

I don't know what you actually mean but private schools in this area are inferior to MCPS. Only a few can compare to MCPS.

Seriously? My kid went to silver creek and was given sentence starters as their only source of writing. He had an A in math because he could retake anything until he got an A and the teacher point blank told me he was a C in math kinda kid, but that was only when I pushed her for the info.

He’s now at private. There is Hw, quizzes, and tests. He’s actually learning how to study. I think he’ll be better served for high school than had we stayed in MCPS.

The question OP asked was whether mcps pushes kids. And quite frankly, they don’t.

private schools also have a vested interested in not letting the kids flunk a class. The class sizes are smaller, and you are paying for the hand holding. So yes, if your kid can't hack it in a large public, then private is the way to go.

My kid's HS really encourages all the kids to take the most rigorous courses, including AP courses.

That’s a bunch of bull. The better and only good privates do NOT hand hold.

having a small class size lends itself to some hand holding. That's why ES have smaller class sizes than MS/HS. Younger kids need more hand holding and individualized attention.

This thread is about high school. You can start your own thread about elementary school.

You missed the point, but ok.

So, what are the HS class sizes in the "top" privates?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing that distinguishes Blair from the other schools is that it hosts the STEM magnet. In 11th and 12th grade students who meet the prereqs are eligible for these classes that aren't available elsewhere. This include anything from genetic analysis, linear algebra, complex analysis, neuroscience, or machine learning courses on par with those offered at Universities.

But at Blair, if you are a non magnet student, aren’t you competing for college spots with magnet students?
Colleges will only take a few kids from each school. I always wonder whether at Blair, the highest performing non-magnet students are at a disadvantage for top colleges compared with the Blair magnet students. Is my analysis wrong?

No, it doesn't work that way.

Yes, it doesn't matter and Blair has much higher admissions to elite colleges than the other schools anyway.

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2021/09/06/college-bound-6/

Actually Whitman appears to beat Blair in most decent schools even with the magnet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids have gone to BCC and it’s fine. I am actually somewhat jealous of my friends (white professionals) whose kids have gone to Einstein and, Northwood. All did really well at those schools. I think that since there’s a smaller pool of competitive kids they shined more academically and definitely athletically and got into colleges that they may not have from BCC or Whitman. Another benefit is that all those kids seem to be a lot less materialistic and less into the basic rich white girl bs that my kids are into like having to have the right labels, whining that “all their friends” are at Bethany and eating disorders.

This was our logic of not choosing BCC or a W school. Kids have less competition for college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the advice. As regards pushing, he does need some of that because he loves to slack off. But what I’m most concerned about is being able to easily fall into a peer group where academics are cool.

Re housing budget, it’s not prohibitive to live either place because you can always trade off on other amenities to find something affordable. But I have noticed the MASSIVE housing price differences between the two sides of the county - seems like a 30-40 percent gap which is huge.

Is he in 8th grade now at a DC public? Are you open to religious privates?

[Anonymous]

OP, I suggest you find out more about the need for pushing. Does he have exec function challenges? We pulled both our sons from MCPS and put them in private because it is too easy to fall between the cracks at MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are looking at moving to Maryland close in to DC along the red line and have started investigating the schools. We are white UMC and have a student who is reasonably intelligent but not that academically motivated, so will need a push from school.

Based on Great School ratings and other reputational rankings there seem to be very sharp differences between schools in the Silver Spring area like Montgomery Blair, Albert Einstein, and Northwood, as compared to Bethesda/Chevy Chase schools like B-CC, Whitman, and Walter Johnson. But they are all part of the same system. When I look at the school stats on the MCPS web site the big difference seem to be racial makeup (although frankly all schools are pretty diverse) and the proportion of kids taking the SATs. Are the reputational differences mostly just picking this up? What difference will it actually make to our kid's high school experience?

NP here. Welcome to MoCo! As you’ve already seen, this board has strong opinions, and if you search past threads, well, you will find a lot more. Take it all with a grain (or 3) of salt. MCPS is one very big district with 110 schools. The entire county tax base supports the entire district, and funding is allocated with need in mind. You don’t need to buy an expensive home to know that your school is receiving appropriate funding.Great schools ratings for MCPS are mostly a reflection of SES, and also the diversity of the area. MoCo has” 5 of the top 10 “most diverse cities” in the country. Schools have varying numbers of English Language Learners, which skews testing results.

If you are thinking red line for commuting purposes, I’d like to suggest looking at Rockville area, with Richard Montgomery High School. There is a variety of housing types/cost close by, strong elementary schools, and easy access to both downtown (via metro) and upcounty shopping, restaurants, parks, and agricultural reserve farms and wineries. It’s also a little less intense than downcounty.”

I hope you have the opportunity to drive around different areas. The neighborhoods are very different ages and have very different feels. If you are UMC, make your housing choice based on neighborhood and commute. You’ll be fine in any of the related school pyramids. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

MCPS has 210 schools, not 110.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing that distinguishes Blair from the other schools is that it hosts the STEM magnet. In 11th and 12th grade students who meet the prereqs are eligible for these classes that aren't available elsewhere. This include anything from genetic analysis, linear algebra, complex analysis, neuroscience, or machine learning courses on par with those offered at Universities.

But at Blair, if you are a non magnet student, aren’t you competing for college spots with magnet students?
Colleges will only take a few kids from each school. I always wonder whether at Blair, the highest performing non-magnet students are at a disadvantage for top colleges compared with the Blair magnet students. Is my analysis wrong?

No, it doesn't work that way.

Yes, it doesn't matter and Blair has much higher admissions to elite colleges than the other schools anyway.

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2021/09/06/college-bound-6/

That is because of the magnet. If you are not in the magnet, it won’t help you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing that distinguishes Blair from the other schools is that it hosts the STEM magnet. In 11th and 12th grade students who meet the prereqs are eligible for these classes that aren't available elsewhere. This include anything from genetic analysis, linear algebra, complex analysis, neuroscience, or machine learning courses on par with those offered at Universities.

We heard only a very small number of non-magnet kids are in magnet classes. Is this your experience too?

I have the same question. Do only a small number of non-magnet kids take the advanced magnet classes and are they at a disadvantage compared with kids who are in the magnet program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing that distinguishes Blair from the other schools is that it hosts the STEM magnet. In 11th and 12th grade students who meet the prereqs are eligible for these classes that aren't available elsewhere. This include anything from genetic analysis, linear algebra, complex analysis, neuroscience, or machine learning courses on par with those offered at Universities.

But at Blair, if you are a non magnet student, aren’t you competing for college spots with magnet students?
Colleges will only take a few kids from each school. I always wonder whether at Blair, the highest performing non-magnet students are at a disadvantage for top colleges compared with the Blair magnet students. Is my analysis wrong?

No, it doesn't work that way.

How can it not work that way though? Colleges limit the number of students from each school. They are picking students from the entire DC metro area.
If an elite college takes 5 Blair students, wouldn’t they take something like 4 magnet kids and 1 regular kid?
At Whitman, kids are all at the same level, not in two different tiers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll bite. If you want your kid pushed from the school, skip public education and pay for private.

I don't know what you actually mean but private schools in this area are inferior to MCPS. Only a few can compare to MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing that distinguishes Blair from the other schools is that it hosts the STEM magnet. In 11th and 12th grade students who meet the prereqs are eligible for these classes that aren't available elsewhere. This include anything from genetic analysis, linear algebra, complex analysis, neuroscience, or machine learning courses on par with those offered at Universities.

But at Blair, if you are a non magnet student, aren’t you competing for college spots with magnet students?
Colleges will only take a few kids from each school. I always wonder whether at Blair, the highest performing non-magnet students are at a disadvantage for top colleges compared with the Blair magnet students. Is my analysis wrong?

No, it doesn't work that way.

How can it not work that way though? Colleges limit the number of students from each school. They are picking students from the entire DC metro area.
If an elite college takes 5 Blair students, wouldn’t they take something like 4 magnet kids and 1 regular kid?
At Whitman, kids are all at the same level, not in two different tiers

The question to the counselor at Blair would be can my kid get the most rigorous box checked if they are not in a magnet program.