Mann Waitlist

[Anonymous]

My son goes to Mann and the idea of Mann people being snobbish is completely untrue. It is a very good school, with a great principal, tremendously dedicated teachers and passionate parents who care about the school. Plus, all parents look nice people to me: they might be very rich too, but that does not prove snobbishness.

[Anonymous]

My child attended Mann a few years ago; took years to be invited to bday parties/playdates. Took years to be invited into the soccer team. Came a little late and could not make inroads. I was routinely ignored on the 'blacktop' by other parents. Maybe I / we should have made more of an effort? I'm open to that. However, was not our experience at schools prior or later, which have been positive. By the time we left, I was not that impressed with some of the kids/families to make inroads with.... just found them a bit unpleasant--obviously tinged by experience. Just be prepared to be really really forceful in seeking people out would be my opinion and to be that 'positive force' that hopefully impacts the whole community. I was a bit timid in asserting our family values--again, I accept responsibility. I should have 'killed people with kindness'. I was just thrown off guard that there wasn't more outreach initially I guess.
I think Whisnant is a good administrator; a bit over the top with the robo-calls, but extremely competent. Hope this helps!

[Anonymous]

I went to Mann a while back (actually just had our 10th year reunion) and there is some truth to all of the posts here. It's a great school, and I really loved every minute of it, but it's not really comparable to 99% of DC public schools. There is so much money in the area that many of the local families have the option of sending their kids to private schools, but instead opt for the proximity of Mann. They expect no less in quality of education though, and are willing to pay out-of-pocket to keep it competitive. Consider that upon graduating from Mann at least 80% of the students moved on to private schools, with the single biggest percentage (6 out of ~30) going on to Sidwell Friends. I know at least a dozen students (myself included) who then went to Ivy or other top-tier universities. So really, it's not your typical DC public school at all.

As far as the wait list goes, you really have to be struck by lightning to get in, or know someone. Out of my whole class I think there were 3-4 OOB students. I myself actually joined the school halfway through 4th grade, and (I didn't know it at the time) my parents had to pull quite a few strings to get me in it during the school year. Of the OOB students, I think all of them had been there since Kindergarten/1st grade.

Honestly, if you're a DC resident and looking for a quality public school I would recommend focusing on Charter schools instead. I know it's a touchy subject, but because Mann is a neighborhood school in a monied area, the vast majority of students live close to each other and wary of kids who come from poorer/distant backgrounds. Sadly, some of the OOB students were virtual pariahs and seemed quite unhappy. I really wish it wasn't the case, but as kids we really didn't know any better.

If it really is that important to your kid go a good public school, I would suggest looking at Northern Virginia or Maryland. DC public is pretty hopeless, and it gets worse as you go into middle/high school.

Hope this helps