Actual admissions rates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's kind of relative too. Our AD told me once that while they got a lot of applications, the actual pool of candidates they deemed qualified was about 10% of the total. The admissions rate among that group was about 80% (and they hated to WL any of them, but there are only so many seats in the class). So, if you are considered highly qualified, your chances are great. If you aren't (90% of applicants), your chances are zero.

What would mark you as highly qualified as a rising freshman?

I’m curious this too. There’s so many bright and talented students in this area. What makes some qualified vs highly qualified

Not parents saying how wonderful kid is. By middle school, they have a track record.

- 99% SSAT
- standardized tests scores off the charts in subject matters
- potential/likely D1 athletic recruit for college, with coaches known to private school coaches who vouch
- teacher recommendations that say best student ive seen in a decade, particularly from teachers known to private school

Im sure there are other things. This isn’t kindergarten entry.

Look, kids get admitted for sibling, donation abilities, friends of friends, etc. But by 9th, they typically are very good students as well at the top tier schools & you have unconnected kids who are off the charts (like above).


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DEI matters as well in this area. The private schools cannot be seen to have a non diverse class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's kind of relative too. Our AD told me once that while they got a lot of applications, the actual pool of candidates they deemed qualified was about 10% of the total. The admissions rate among that group was about 80% (and they hated to WL any of them, but there are only so many seats in the class). So, if you are considered highly qualified, your chances are great. If you aren't (90% of applicants), your chances are zero.

What would mark you as highly qualified as a rising freshman?

I’m curious this too. There’s so many bright and talented students in this area. What makes some qualified vs highly qualified

Not parents saying how wonderful kid is. By middle school, they have a track record.

- 99% SSAT
- standardized tests scores off the charts in subject matters
- potential/likely D1 athletic recruit for college, with coaches known to private school coaches who vouch
- teacher recommendations that say best student ive seen in a decade, particularly from teachers known to private school

Im sure there are other things. This isn’t kindergarten entry.

Look, kids get admitted for sibling, donation abilities, friends of friends, etc. But by 9th, they typically are very good students as well at the top tier schools & you have unconnected kids who are off the charts (like above).


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Not if the child and/or parents have difficult personalities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s interesting because I always assumed the opposite (that 80% were perfectly qualified and that the decisions were based on the non-academic differences). I’m not basing my opinion on anything factual, just a gut that may be wrong.

Between grade inflation and a certain “type” of family that seeks out private schools, I kind of assumed that nearly every applicant to the super competitive schools was an A/A- and occasional B+ student.

Obviously that depends on the school, I'm just giving one AD's perspective. There simply is no one answer that will apply to every school, which is why I said it is relative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's kind of relative too. Our AD told me once that while they got a lot of applications, the actual pool of candidates they deemed qualified was about 10% of the total. The admissions rate among that group was about 80% (and they hated to WL any of them, but there are only so many seats in the class). So, if you are considered highly qualified, your chances are great. If you aren't (90% of applicants), your chances are zero.

What would mark you as highly qualified as a rising freshman?

Depends on where you are applying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's kind of relative too. Our AD told me once that while they got a lot of applications, the actual pool of candidates they deemed qualified was about 10% of the total. The admissions rate among that group was about 80% (and they hated to WL any of them, but there are only so many seats in the class). So, if you are considered highly qualified, your chances are great. If you aren't (90% of applicants), your chances are zero.

What would mark you as highly qualified as a rising freshman?

I’m curious this too. There’s so many bright and talented students in this area. What makes some qualified vs highly qualified

Not parents saying how wonderful kid is. By middle school, they have a track record.

- 99% SSAT
- standardized tests scores off the charts in subject matters
- potential/likely D1 athletic recruit for college, with coaches known to private school coaches who vouch
- teacher recommendations that say best student ive seen in a decade, particularly from teachers known to private school

Im sure there are other things. This isn’t kindergarten entry.

Look, kids get admitted for sibling, donation abilities, friends of friends, etc. But by 9th, they typically are very good students as well at the top tier schools & you have unconnected kids who are off the charts (like above).


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I honestly do not think it is this competitive. My kid applied to 2 Big 3 schools for 9th last year and doesn’t meet any of the criteria above. We are also not legacy or donors or any of the other things. He was admitted to both and to the 2 other non big 3 schools he applied to. He’s a great kid but not a superstar by any means

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's kind of relative too. Our AD told me once that while they got a lot of applications, the actual pool of candidates they deemed qualified was about 10% of the total. The admissions rate among that group was about 80% (and they hated to WL any of them, but there are only so many seats in the class). So, if you are considered highly qualified, your chances are great. If you aren't (90% of applicants), your chances are zero.

What would mark you as highly qualified as a rising freshman?

I’m curious this too. There’s so many bright and talented students in this area. What makes some qualified vs highly qualified

Having graduated kids from 2 different "Big3" schools in the past 2 years I can say confidently that these schools want kids they can place in top colleges, including of course into the Ivy league.
Who are the only kids that have a shot at the Ivies from the DC privates?

-top 20% of the grade
-recruited athletes
-legacies who are also strong students
-URM who are also strong students
-children of VIPs who are also strong students

These high schools are looking for these kids.

[Anonymous]

The handful of most competitive schools in this area can be selective. However, I suspect that it’s less selective than many believe. The high tuitions narrow down the application pool a lot, especially as the cost of attendance can be high even with financial aid. A lot of other independent schools aren’t selective at all. Especially in small, independent but religiously affiliated K-8s off-year admissions and even mid-year admissions happen.

[Anonymous]

How are we defining “selective”? A school that takes 50-75% of applicants isn’t really selective, but it still means a kid has a 25-50% chance of not getting in. Even if it’s 80/20, that’s still not the same as the “any warm body with a checkbook” admissions policy that some folks on DCUM like to claim any school below the big 3 have.

[Anonymous]

I think gender imbalance is a visible indicator of a high admissions/low enrollment rate.

[Anonymous]

Phillip Academy’s acceptance rate was 9% in 2022 (via their school newspaper). Assume Sidwell, St. Albans, etc. have similar 9th grade acceptance rate. So I assume 6th grade may be like 15%, maybe 20%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's kind of relative too. Our AD told me once that while they got a lot of applications, the actual pool of candidates they deemed qualified was about 10% of the total. The admissions rate among that group was about 80% (and they hated to WL any of them, but there are only so many seats in the class). So, if you are considered highly qualified, your chances are great. If you aren't (90% of applicants), your chances are zero.

What would mark you as highly qualified as a rising freshman?

I’m curious this too. There’s so many bright and talented students in this area. What makes some qualified vs highly qualified

Not parents saying how wonderful kid is. By middle school, they have a track record.

- 99% SSAT
- standardized tests scores off the charts in subject matters
- potential/likely D1 athletic recruit for college, with coaches known to private school coaches who vouch
- teacher recommendations that say best student ive seen in a decade, particularly from teachers known to private school

Im sure there are other things. This isn’t kindergarten entry.

Look, kids get admitted for sibling, donation abilities, friends of friends, etc. But by 9th, they typically are very good students as well at the top tier schools & you have unconnected kids who are off the charts (like above).


-

I honestly do not think it is this competitive. My kid applied to 2 Big 3 schools for 9th last year and doesn’t meet any of the criteria above. We are also not legacy or donors or any of the other things. He was admitted to both and to the 2 other non big 3 schools he applied to. He’s a great kid but not a superstar by any means

Is he visibly Not White? Is your HHI higher than 1,000,000 a year? Are you or DH a boldface DC name? These are very helpful things. Especially the first.

-- former Sidwell parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's kind of relative too. Our AD told me once that while they got a lot of applications, the actual pool of candidates they deemed qualified was about 10% of the total. The admissions rate among that group was about 80% (and they hated to WL any of them, but there are only so many seats in the class). So, if you are considered highly qualified, your chances are great. If you aren't (90% of applicants), your chances are zero.

What would mark you as highly qualified as a rising freshman?

I’m curious this too. There’s so many bright and talented students in this area. What makes some qualified vs highly qualified

Not parents saying how wonderful kid is. By middle school, they have a track record.

- 99% SSAT
- standardized tests scores off the charts in subject matters
- potential/likely D1 athletic recruit for college, with coaches known to private school coaches who vouch
- teacher recommendations that say best student ive seen in a decade, particularly from teachers known to private school

Im sure there are other things. This isn’t kindergarten entry.

Look, kids get admitted for sibling, donation abilities, friends of friends, etc. But by 9th, they typically are very good students as well at the top tier schools & you have unconnected kids who are off the charts (like above).


-

I honestly do not think it is this competitive. My kid applied to 2 Big 3 schools for 9th last year and doesn’t meet any of the criteria above. We are also not legacy or donors or any of the other things. He was admitted to both and to the 2 other non big 3 schools he applied to. He’s a great kid but not a superstar by any means

Is he visibly Not White? Is your HHI higher than 1,000,000 a year? Are you or DH a boldface DC name? These are very helpful things. Especially the first.

-- former Sidwell parent.

None of these

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Reminder, looking for actual acceptance rate ranges for K, 3 and 6 only. Not high school. Thanks

Annoying. If you can't help but speak this way in person, have your spouse do the interview without you.

[Anonymous]

For K, 3rd and 6th admissions at coed schools, I expect the admissions rate will vary especially by gender. Schools often try to balance out the classes and sometimes will try to rebalance if the class is lopsided toward one gender.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Reminder, looking for actual acceptance rate ranges for K, 3 and 6 only. Not high school. Thanks

Annoying. If you can't help but speak this way in person, have your spouse do the interview without you.

+1