How good is Maret?

[Anonymous]

We are a new family with another child at a so called Big 3 (silly) and are very impressed with Maret thus far. FWIW it is less liberal than the school we came from. I like that they have a clear POV with academic excellence.

[Anonymous]

Maret HS parent here- this is our experience
Pros)
College outcomes are very strong but with less homework and pressure than NCS/Sidwell etc.

They seem to select "nice" families - everyone we have met has been very down to earth and relatable. Lots of people who are not supremely wealthy but who are making sacrifices to send their kids to private, (as well as many who are not.)

Your kid can push as hard or as little as they want and the school is supportive. The bar for achievement is high, but it's also ok for kids who don't want to go that route because there are alternatives.

Cons)
Facilities aren't great. If this is something that matters to you, it will be a big turn off.

Some things are a black box. I believe this is a holdover from the last HOS who make it all work in the background, but there's a lack of transparency and communication. There should be a clear set of policies and guidelines that everyone can follow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a bad platform to ask about that school. There are absolutely rabid Maret haters here.

It’s a good school. It’s a competitive but not super selective admit. A strong student will have a strong chance. Go visit.

Sorry it is super selective by 9th grade. Their admissions rate is 4-6% including siblings. The kids who get in in 9th get in to Sidwell and the cathedral schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maret angered the Gods and has been forever cursed that any action it takes related to athletic fields will cause great anger to the surrounding community.

Wait till Maret buys up the rest of the property and show you the plans. lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maret HS parent here- this is our experience
Pros)
College outcomes are very strong but with less homework and pressure than NCS/Sidwell etc.

They seem to select "nice" families - everyone we have met has been very down to earth and relatable. Lots of people who are not supremely wealthy but who are making sacrifices to send their kids to private, (as well as many who are not.)

Your kid can push as hard or as little as they want and the school is supportive. The bar for achievement is high, but it's also ok for kids who don't want to go that route because there are alternatives.

Cons)
Facilities aren't great. If this is something that matters to you, it will be a big turn off.

Some things are a black box. I believe this is a holdover from the last HOS who make it all work in the background, but there's a lack of transparency and communication. There should be a clear set of policies and guidelines that everyone can follow.

Current US parent- agree with all of this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maret HS parent here- this is our experience
Pros)
College outcomes are very strong but with less homework and pressure than NCS/Sidwell etc.

They seem to select "nice" families - everyone we have met has been very down to earth and relatable. Lots of people who are not supremely wealthy but who are making sacrifices to send their kids to private, (as well as many who are not.)

Your kid can push as hard or as little as they want and the school is supportive. The bar for achievement is high, but it's also ok for kids who don't want to go that route because there are alternatives.

Cons)
Facilities aren't great. If this is something that matters to you, it will be a big turn off.

Some things are a black box. I believe this is a holdover from the last HOS who make it all work in the background, but there's a lack of transparency and communication. There should be a clear set of policies and guidelines that everyone can follow.

Agree with this. Recent teacher firings are part of the black box. It’s not clear which policy was violated and if the school is taking additional step to prevent further incidents in the future. They prefer to hide the incidents so parents think that the school is perfect. I thinks that’s an old fashion approach that no longer works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maret angered the Gods and has been forever cursed that any action it takes related to athletic fields will cause great anger to the surrounding community.

Wait till Maret buys up the rest of the property and show you the plans. lol

They already did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the poster who has said on several threads that Maret is not selective. Having gone through high school admissions twice now, Maret is considered to be one of the MOST selective schools because of it's small size. Almost everyone I know from both of my children's classes who applied to a Big 3 also applied to Maret. Maret just doesn't have that many spots available to not be selective.

That being said, selective is different from most rigorous. It is intentionally not like the Big 3 with tons of homework. I know plenty of parents with kids at a Big 3 who didn't get into Maret (again it's just numbers!) and it was their first choice because of the school's philosophy. I have a kid at a Big 3 who often wonders if Maret would have been better. There are pros/cons of each approach.

There is a difference between being selective and being selective. They don’t always select the top students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the poster who has said on several threads that Maret is not selective. Having gone through high school admissions twice now, Maret is considered to be one of the MOST selective schools because of it's small size. Almost everyone I know from both of my children's classes who applied to a Big 3 also applied to Maret. Maret just doesn't have that many spots available to not be selective.

That being said, selective is different from most rigorous. It is intentionally not like the Big 3 with tons of homework. I know plenty of parents with kids at a Big 3 who didn't get into Maret (again it's just numbers!) and it was their first choice because of the school's philosophy. I have a kid at a Big 3 who often wonders if Maret would have been better. There are pros/cons of each approach.

There is a difference between being selective and being selective. They don’t always select the top students.

Got it. So your point is that they offer admission to a very small number of applicants, but you don’t approve of the specific students they select. I’m sure they’d appreciate your guidance on making better choices.

[Anonymous]

None of the schools only pick the best students. They look beyond grades to what else a kid may contribute to the school. Grades and test scores matter but not exclusively.

[Anonymous]

Maret is more likely to admit siblings of current students, rather than whoever they would have picked if nobody was a sibling. Whether that's a pro or a con for any individual family is up to that family.

[Anonymous]

According to the school’s profile the average SAT score of a typical senior class is close to 1400. That’s pretty high and tells me the school is quite selective.

[Anonymous]

That same profile says that the overall acceptance rate is 12%…also pretty selective.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it’s pretty selective once the sibling slots are assigned they really have a few slots for thousands of applicants and also gender and race criteria are used in the selection process. So chances are small with the wrong racial profile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s pretty selective once the sibling slots are assigned they really have a few slots for thousands of applicants and also gender and race criteria are used in the selection process. So chances are small with the wrong racial profile.

Oh come on. They are looking at a range of factors, with academics top among them.

- parent of a normal white kid admitted in 9.