Beauvoir or Key School??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Call St. Alban's and ask. Seriously. You don't have to explain all of the details of your situation, but you can ask about admissions from DCPS. I had a very candid discussion with one (recently) former AD and one former head of school -- one from a top 3 school and one from a competitive school, but not top three -- when we were deciding between public and private. We ended up in private, but because of the class size and a few other things not related to later admissions. My concern was that my kids would not be prepared/on par with Beauvoir kids, but I was assured that was not the case (as long as we left by 4th grade). Admittedly, I knew both of these ADs through friends/family, so perhaps the candor that I got would not be the same if you didn't know them through someone, but I was pretty reassured that my kids would do just fine if they went to public school and would have good options if they left 3rd/4th grade.

Come on PP, take a look at yourself or simply read your post "I had a very candid discussion with one (recently) former AD and one former head of school " "Admittedly, I knew both of these ADs through friends/family" Likely their decision to admit your child, if you waited, would similarly be base don fact that this is your social circle and the AD is your friend.

You are setting the OP up. Is it deliberate ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: A special thank you to PP 12:37. I really appreciate your post. I think you nailed exactly what my fears are with waiting. Do you know how many DCPS boys tend to come in 4th and where they come from- anyone out there??

Mann and Saint Pats, but again, boys admitted from there are legacies usually. Perhaps you already know this, but the Head of School at Saint Patricks, Peter Barrett, is a former ? Upper school head ? at Saint Albans, and many key staff at STA send their kids to Saint Pats, so I would think a Saint Pats boy has an excellent chance if the school recommends him to STA. Sorry , that's more competition isn't it.


There are about 15 spots in 4th grade for boys outside Beauvoir. Some years less.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps the Mom who lives out on Benning Rd. should take the PP's advice and use her family connnections to chat up her friend the 'former Head of School" and the former AD of the Big 3 school. After that, she can be reassured that if she keeps her DC in public , he'll compare just fine with the other applicants , as long as she "gets him out by 4th grade"

Yeah , right. http://dcschoolreform.org/news/huge-achievement-gaps-persist-dc-schools

Don't worry non-Ward 3 parents, you should just wait a bit.

[Anonymous]

NP here: I'm in a similar situation with DD. She was accepted to Beauvoir for K and our alternative is a Ward 3 DCPS (Eaton.) We do want NCS for 4th and have no legacy or ties to either Beauvoir or NCS. Do the same arguments apply for Beauvoir to NCS vs. Beauvoir to STA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here: I'm in a similar situation with DD. She was accepted to Beauvoir for K and our alternative is a Ward 3 DCPS (Eaton.) We do want NCS for 4th and have no legacy or ties to either Beauvoir or NCS. Do the same arguments apply for Beauvoir to NCS vs. Beauvoir to STA?

Statistically speaking, yes, absolutely, applicants applying from Beauvoir have a very high rate of being accepted to NCS and STA unless there are behavioral issues or they are not meeting the criteria academically. If you are really set on NCS and can afford it, I would definitely accept your admit to Beauvoir. It is very difficult to be admitted to NCS even for very qualified applicants because the of the number of applicants versus the spots available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Calling yourself a parent who is "going for it for the kids we love" might not make you an elitist, but it does make you an ass. Your comment suggests that others - those who didn't apply/get into STA didn't love their kids. Come to think of it, it makes you an elitist too b/c it pre-supposes that STA is better.

PP, your reaction is pretty twisted. Did you not see " Waiting for Superman" ? Perhaps you don't live in Washington ? One wonders why you are lurking on the DCUM Private School forum as you seem so totally out of touch with what every parent of a 4 year old in this city goes through whether they are going for the " out of bounds" DCPS lottery, hoping they get lucky with the Charter school lottery or are throwing a hope and a prayer at their DC maybe getting accepted into Private School. No parent in DC wants their kid in a poorly performing DCPS, and many , many schools are just that. They don't serve our children, and yes, ALL try to get out. ALL. I don't believe a single parent in this city wants to send their kid to ( insert name of the worst DCPS you know) . No parent. We all love our kids. Not every parent will find an altternative solution. Many of my friends have sold or rented out their house and moved to Bethesda or Arlington. Some people don't own a home, and can't afford to move because they can't afford to rent in Bethesda. Yes, there are people in this city who, horrors do live on like $300/week and , no they can't afford to "just find an apartment somewhere else" . Does not mean they aren't looking at voucher program, Charter schools , and yes, Private schools. Why not ?


Do you not have any friends with children about 3 or 4 years old ? Why are you lurking on this thread when you are so obviously out of touch with the concerns of DC parents ?

What is your dog in the fight of whether the OP sends her child to Beauvoir or not ? OP wants Saint Albans, that is her end game. What is your purpose here ? To try to convince her that ," all DC Privates schools are filled with elitists" and she should not bother ? " If she were a decent human being she'd stick with the "real people" in DCPS. Really ? Would you say this to a Mom who lives in Ward 7 and who's son was just offered almost a full FA package to STA ? Its a great opportunity, nothing more, nothing less.

Um, seriously? This entire thread is about whether Op should send her child to Beauvoir ($30k+) or to Key school (neighborhood where houses are approx. 1mm). Where exactly is the woe-is-the-poor-ward 7-parent-with-no-options take coming from?? This entire thread is elitist if you hadn't noticed. Also, do you really think 1st or 2nd grade at Beauvoir is significantly better than what is happening at Key school. You are a fool and a joke. Signed, DC resident

[Anonymous]

Congrats on Beauvoir! Our seven (pre-k to 5th) years at Key were great for us. DC makes As but isn't top of class at Key. Did well on SSAT (w/no prep, other than 6.5 years at Key). We aren't interested in an all girls/boys school but applied DC to similarly ranked schools and DC was accepted w/no connections. Very few (if any) Key kids are going to Hardy for 6th. DC's outcome is the same for all of the classmates we know (who aren't moving to Deal district or Montgomery County). I wouldn't trade those DCPS/Key years for anything. In addition to being free, we're so glad DC had an opportunity to attend a public school, where there are great teachers and best of all, a super smart, caring, thoughtful, friendly, down-to-earth community. Good luck in your decision making.

[Anonymous]

Former Beauvoir parent here. A little more food for thought: our son was accepted at STA, but chose to go elsewhere. You may think STA will be perfect for your son, but he's only five now. You will learn a great a deal more about his learning style, personality, and interests by the time he's eight or nine, and you may feel that he isn't a good fit for STA when the time comes to apply for fourth grade. Going to Beauvoir just because you want him to go to STA in four years seems like a bit of a gamble.

[Anonymous]

Following on PP's thought, we over heard loud conversation in coffee shop yesterday. Child leaving Beauvoir and "we haven't decided yet" in response to question about where child is going next year. Unclear if child got in or not but not a straight shot for that family for one reason or another.

[Anonymous]

Depending on the year, anywhere from 15-30% of the graduating class chooses schools other than NCS or St. Alban's. That's no surprise.

[Anonymous]

Am I alone in thinking there is something wrong with a school that admits children because their parent went to the same school? What century is this? How is social mobility possible when that is what people are up against - even if they have the cash? I'm not from the US, so apologies if this sounds naive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here: I'm in a similar situation with DD. She was accepted to Beauvoir for K and our alternative is a Ward 3 DCPS (Eaton.) We do want NCS for 4th and have no legacy or ties to either Beauvoir or NCS. Do the same arguments apply for Beauvoir to NCS vs. Beauvoir to STA?

Yes, the odds would be almost as steep for an unconnected girl applying to NCS from DCPS ( almost identical to a non connected DCPS boy applying to STA). You could ask the guidance counsellor at Eaton how many 3rd grade girls from Eaton get accepted into Private school each year , emphasis at non-connected, non-high profile ( assuming that description fits your family)

Of the 40 girls at Beauvoir, about 25-30 will go on to NCS, and I assume NCS has about the same number of 4th grade spots as STA ( 45).

Something else to consider is the overall outstanding placement of Beauvoir grads upon leaving the school at end of 3rd grade. In DC's grade, the girls who did not choose NCS , went to Maret, Sidwell, GDS, Holton and Stone Ridge. Many of the 40 familes with girls( Beauvoir has 40 boys/40 girls/ grade) got their first choice, all got at least their 2nd choice school for 4th grade. That's pretty favorable advantage provided just by attending Beauvoir, compared to going it alone as a child coming from DCPS without a family connection to any private school. ( ulness you prefer public which would be Wilson for HS)

Good Luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Am I alone in thinking there is something wrong with a school that admits children because their parent went to the same school? What century is this? How is social mobility possible when that is what people are up against - even if they have the cash? I'm not from the US, so apologies if this sounds naive.

I think you are jumping to a conclusion, PP. I said "some of the kids are children of alums" . That is very differnt than saying " all of the admitted kids, have parents who were alums". Beauvoir admits a lot of regular familes who are new to Washington. Some of these families are new to Washington because , like yourself, they have come to DC from another country. There were many familes like this in my DC's classes over the years. There were also plenty of regular parents, albeit with impressive educations and really interesting careers.

What is more in play here is that Washington is a pretty small town and , chances are, if your mother was a Diplomat or a member of the Kennedy administration and your father also worked in the Federal government, you may have gone to one of these private schools growing up. Given your genes, you may also be interested in law, or foreign policy, or politics or journalism, and when you finish grad school you may eventually end up back in Washington working in similar fields as your parents. ( Many children of doctors become doctors, etc..) These people eventually get married to someone who they meet at say, the state department, and have kids. 5 years later they are looking at schools. Of course, if a person such as this has wonderful memories and got a good education at the school they attended, they might want their child to have that experience as well.

Do you see how that is a bit different than just accepting someone's kid because their parents went there ? Yes, these schools do ask a lot of their admitted familes: to serve unpaid on the board, to give thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of $$$ to annual fund and capital campaigns over the years, to donate one's time and professional expertise unpaid, over and over again and on and on. The school develop these relationships, and , yes, they honor them when a child is qualified. By no means to they admit kids who cannot do the work. Its just that given who the parents are, and the opportunities provided them , unlikely their kids can't meet the academic requirements. It does happen on occasion and then, no, those kids do not attend. Usually because the parents know better.

That being said, many Washington natives choose schools other than the one they went to as a child and that is also based on how they felt about the school. Some times parents do say about a particular school, " oh my god, I will never send my child there"

So, I think you are miss judging a bit. There is opportunity, but Washington is a town that draws people and , as a result its competitive ( think applying to buy an apartment in ther Upper West Side). There is competition. In DC what also drive sthat is the dismall state of DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Former Beauvoir parent here. A little more food for thought: our son was accepted at STA, but chose to go elsewhere. You may think STA will be perfect for your son, but he's only five now. You will learn a great a deal more about his learning style, personality, and interests by the time he's eight or nine, and you may feel that he isn't a good fit for STA when the time comes to apply for fourth grade. Going to Beauvoir just because you want him to go to STA in four years seems like a bit of a gamble.

Beauvoir 3rd grade boys do get accepted at Maret, Sidwell, Potomac, GDS, Landon. Excellent placement overall. Familes are also provided info about MOCO magnet as many live in MD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Congrats on Beauvoir! Our seven (pre-k to 5th) years at Key were great for us. DC makes As but isn't top of class at Key. Did well on SSAT (w/no prep, other than 6.5 years at Key). We aren't interested in an all girls/boys school but applied DC to similarly ranked schools and DC was accepted w/no connections. Very few (if any) Key kids are going to Hardy for 6th. DC's outcome is the same for all of the classmates we know (who aren't moving to Deal district or Montgomery County). I wouldn't trade those DCPS/Key years for anything. In addition to being free, we're so glad DC had an opportunity to attend a public school, where there are great teachers and best of all, a super smart, caring, thoughtful, friendly, down-to-earth community. Good luck in your decision making.

OP is specificlaly asking about her DS's chances of getting into Saint Albans from Key. If you did not apply to Saint Albans for your DC, how can you state that it will be "no problem" to get into STA from Key. I suppose this is what you mean to suggest by " was accepted at similarly ranked school".

Congrat's on your son's acceptance,but I think it would be helpful to the OP if you listed the school that DC was accepted to. Also, when you say "no connections" have you thought about your profession, and anything else about your family that may be regarded as "fit" at the particlar school , such as connections through a church or synagogue.