What private schools for high school are the hardest to get into?

[Anonymous]

can we end this post? seems pointless.

[Anonymous]

It is somewhat pointless, especially since as percentage of applicants accepted and numbers of applicants, NCS/St. Albans, Sidwell, and Maret are hardest to get into. While others are also highly selective, those three are the most selective in the DC area.

Let's not confuse hardest to get into with "best," though. The best school is the one where your child will thrive the most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is somewhat pointless, especially since as percentage of applicants accepted and numbers of applicants, NCS/St. Albans, Sidwell, and Maret are hardest to get into. While others are also highly selective, those three are the most selective in the DC area.

Let's not confuse hardest to get into with "best," though. The best school is the one where your child will thrive the most.

Are there actual figures for this somewhere? I really question whether NCS is still among the most selective. I was recently at an alumni event at which the HOS (who I think ahs been terrible for the school) was crowing about the fact that they have full enrollment. Seriously? You're proud of full enrollment? She said nothing about acceptance rates. The rumor that I've heard from several sources is that they've gone way up, but I would love to see actual numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is somewhat pointless, especially since as percentage of applicants accepted and numbers of applicants, NCS/St. Albans, Sidwell, and Maret are hardest to get into. While others are also highly selective, those three are the most selective in the DC area.

Let's not confuse hardest to get into with "best," though. The best school is the one where your child will thrive the most.

Are there actual figures for this somewhere? I really question whether NCS is still among the most selective. I was recently at an alumni event at which the HOS (who I think ahs been terrible for the school) was crowing about the fact that they have full enrollment. Seriously? You're proud of full enrollment? She said nothing about acceptance rates. The rumor that I've heard from several sources is that they've gone way up, but I would love to see actual numbers.

I think Holton and Stone Ridge have gotten much better for people looking at all girls. NCS doesn't have the pull it once did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is somewhat pointless, especially since as percentage of applicants accepted and numbers of applicants, NCS/St. Albans, Sidwell, and Maret are hardest to get into. While others are also highly selective, those three are the most selective in the DC area.

Let's not confuse hardest to get into with "best," though. The best school is the one where your child will thrive the most.

Are there actual figures for this somewhere? I really question whether NCS is still among the most selective. I was recently at an alumni event at which the HOS (who I think ahs been terrible for the school) was crowing about the fact that they have full enrollment. Seriously? You're proud of full enrollment? She said nothing about acceptance rates. The rumor that I've heard from several sources is that they've gone way up, but I would love to see actual numbers.

I think Holton and Stone Ridge have gotten much better for people looking at all girls. NCS doesn't have the pull it once did.

NCS will always have more pull. The NW DC location, the history, the grounds are all incomparable. No amount of abusing NCS on social media like DCUM is going to change that. I say this as somebody with no connection to the place.

[Anonymous]

I haven't read this whole thread but this is very hard to quantify. I haven't seen anyone post admissions numbers to prove what some are saying. And just to throw in another factor, I also know from friends who applied that NCS and Sidwell are pulling from their wait lists for next years' admissions which means people are turning them down as well so they are getting the cream of the crop they wanted. There is just so much at play here to measure this.

[Anonymous]

I think the acceptance rates for local privates have gone up. Definitely know that "Big 3/5" are taking kids from the wait lists more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read this whole thread but this is very hard to quantify. I haven't seen anyone post admissions numbers to prove what some are saying. And just to throw in another factor, I also know from friends who applied that NCS and Sidwell are pulling from their wait lists for next years' admissions which means people are turning them down as well so they are getting the cream of the crop they wanted. There is just so much at play here to measure this.

Well, that's a pretty silly conclusion. None of the top schools have 100% yield (the % of students who accept an offer). They have always drawn from the waitlist. Good Lord, even Harvard draws from its waitlist and it only admitted 5.8 % of applicants this year.

The information on percentage applicants admitted and percent offered who accepted is available. I don't have time to look it up this morning. If you want to know, Google it maybe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the acceptance rates for local privates have gone up. Definitely know that "Big 3/5" are taking kids from the wait lists more.

You have no way of knowing this. Even if you were admissions staff at one schools, you would not have data on the other Bigs. You'd also need historical data.

You're just making stuff up and trying to sound authoritative.

[Anonymous]

Field is clearly on its way to displacing GDS, with its agita over the new campus. Maret should also be looking over its shoulder. I have no connection with any of these schools but if you look at all the variables, I see Field as one of the most attractive places to send your kid in terms of educational environment, campus and general attitude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Field is clearly on its way to displacing GDS, with its agita over the new campus. Maret should also be looking over its shoulder. I have no connection with any of these schools but if you look at all the variables, I see Field as one of the most attractive places to send your kid in terms of educational environment, campus and general attitude.

You are viewing it incorrectly. Field is not so much displacing GDS as GDS is displacing Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

Isn't Field for special needs kids?

[Anonymous]

I think all the private schools have taken more kids over the past years. I think Field is really moving up in the private school ranks, but probably not into the Big 3 arena for a while. I looked at Field and loved it, but its curriculum is much more limited than the offerings at Sidwell, GDS, Cathedral schools.

Also, I hardly think GDS is "displacing" Sidwell. Displacing them as what? Both are excellent schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't Field for special needs kids?

No. But you knew that already...

[Anonymous]

GDS isn't that hard to get into for HS anyway.

I might say Visitation is the hardest to get into actually.