Potomac School
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Anonymous
Sorrry....did you mean me? The one asking about the SM? I honestly didn’t know because they’re not ivies so thanks for telling me! |
Anonymous
OP here - so husband was Hotchkiss and I was top 3 NYC prep. We don’t want Quaker or Catholic or single sex. What is the best (academically) for us here in DC area? We live in McLean. |
Anonymous
Potomac. Seriously. Great school. |
Anonymous
+1 If you are in McLean there shouldn't even be a question. No reason to haul down to DC for similar standard unless you want single sex/religious. You'll gain 100 hours of your life back every year for quality family time or academic enrichment time vs commuting time. |
Anonymous
Based on the shadow day? Got it. 
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Anonymous
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As a parent of an STA student and a Potomac student, both upper school, these days Potomac kids do get into the Ivies and other top colleges at similar rates to “Big 3” and sometimes a bit better, see last year for example. I have the lists for all 4 privates (Sidwell NCS and STA) and Potomac is right there with the others. Oh, and lots of Big 3 kids go to UVA too although Potomac has historically sent more. In our experience and the experience of families we know who also have/had kids at Potomac and Sidwell, NCS and/or STA, the academic curriculum in these schools’ upper school is similar.
The best coed privates in the area with no religious affiliation (although I do not consider Quaker or Episcopal school to really be religious) are GDS, Potomac and Maret, no question. Each of these three has a distinct culture/atmosphere but they are the ones you should look at OP. Episcopal and SSSAS, while good schools, do not have equally rigorous curriculum across the board as the schools mentioned above. |
Anonymous
I suspect that if you look at it on paper it may look like APS is ahead, as in it moves kids through the material faster. As others have said, however, I find the Potomac teaching to go into the material and issues in greater depth. More emphasis on critical thinking and writing. I base my opinion on moving my own kids from APS to Potomac and on the experience of friends who moved their kids from the same APS schools in later years; the students who were “not challenged” and “getting straight As with no effort” in the “most advanced classes” were challenged and working hard to earn decent grades at Potomac. They are doing well, but not acing everything the way they thought they would. Some are falling behind their new peers. Even when they were (allegedly) repeating math concepts that they say they had already learned and aced. That said, they seem to enjoy it and are glad they made the switch. We really like Potomac for our kids. It is well rounded and thorough. Yes, people (no idea which people) might be more impressed if I could say they go to Sidwell or a Cathrdral school. But, as someone else pointed out, the time we don’t spend getting them to and from DC every day helps make Potomac the right school for us. |
Anonymous
That's where we are planning to send our children, |
Anonymous
OP, this thread is premature. It isn’t as if you choose in advance. You first apply to see where you are able to secure admissions and then assess your choices based on what opportunities you have. These are all very competitive, and comparably good schools and chances even for the most connected are far from a sure thing...take it one step at a time. |
Anonymous
Pretty simple. Wealthier kids who go too private at K tend to have had nannies et al until K, whereas many families in public school do pre-K, which means at those early ages public school kids usually read sooner and do math , so there is a substantial catch up phase to get everyone on the same track. But Potomac and pretty much all school it all evens out around 3-4th grades and then you see the shift to more rigor. |
Anonymous
GDS or TJ |
Anonymous
| Potomac is the best for a balanced education. It just is for an all around terrific education. TJ is niche and you miss out on too many things. GDS probably is the best shot to Ivy but again very niche. Potomac serves everything so I actually you are more real world prepared. All three of these schools are impossible to get in so maybe you apply to all and see how it goes. Also add Sidwell, Cathedral, Maret into the mix. By the way, Langley and Mclean high schools are also terrific and nothing to sneeze at. We considered our public a lot. |
Anonymous
Isn't GDS Catholic? |
Anonymous
+1 We are in Virginia and my DC loved Potomac for 9th. Guess who didn’t get it in? So we drive into DC for a Cathedral school. Child ended up very happy, but I wouldn’t assume your child will get into Potomac. |
Anonymous
Georgetown University is Catholic Georgetown Visitation School is Catholic Georgetown Preparatory School is Catholic. Georgetown Day School is decidedly not a Catholic school in any way, shape or manner. |