Thoughts on Field School

[Anonymous]

If your child attends Field School, can you please share your impressions so far? I am looking for a smart boy, no disabilities, who loves learning but he is not interested in tones of homework and teach to the test. TIA

[Anonymous]

My friend's daughter started their last fall. I can't give you all the details about the school, but I know they are very happy with it. The daughter came out of a private elementary school in NoVa, is cute, popular and a good student, but mom thought she would get lost in a large public school. (I'm sure she would have been fine). So far, with one year under their belt, they are very happy.

[Anonymous]

Love it. One DC has graduated and another is there now. Its the rare school where kids like going to school. Very caring teachers and administration, focus on class discussion and writing. They have a range of learners. My first DC was a very academic, high achieving type and and DC has some mild LD issues and both have done well there. I can't say enough good things.

It has recently become quite popular and not easy to get in. Their admissions are quirky, they aren't going for the same kids who would go to say, the Cathedral schools or GDS or Sidwell. They're looking for Field kids, who would thrive there.

[Anonymous]

It is a lovely school and even more expensive than some of the other private schools in the area. If you want your child going to a top ranked college, it is not the place for you. If you don't care, then it is really fine. I knew a few kids who went there from my dd's montessori school. It had a montessori vibe to me when we looked at it. My kid almost went there but got off the waitlist to a much better school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a lovely school and even more expensive than some of the other private schools in the area. If you want your child going to a top ranked college, it is not the place for you. If you don't care, then it is really fine. I knew a few kids who went there from my dd's montessori school. It had a montessori vibe to me when we looked at it. My kid almost went there but got off the waitlist to a much better school.

They actually do send kids to top schools. One grad from last year, for example, is at Stanford. But they don't send them in the same numbers as other schools because they have a range of learners. I think they have the best college guidance counseling in the city and one thing they do is find the right school for kids. We found we got more attention during the guidance process than families I know at other schoools.

But PP is right that if you want your child to go to a top ranked school its probably not the right school for you, for cultural reasons. Unlike a lot of schools in the area, it just doesn't have parents with sharp elbows and a competitive vibe. If you're gunning for an ivy you will really stick out.

[Anonymous]

That is right. If your major concern is how many NMSFs a school produces or how many kids go to US News ranked colleges, you would be ver unhappy with Field School. They offer no AP classes. It is also more expensive because they do not have a fundraising auction every year. Instead they get their financial aid budget mostly from tuition dollars.

[Anonymous]

They offer advanced classes but not APs because they don't want to buy into the curricula created by an outside business that stresses breadth over depth. They certainly offer enough advanced courses for kids to go onto schools like Stanford, Wesleyan, . . .

[Anonymous]

Field could knock of GDS as a big three runner up. It has better facilities and room to expand. But I hope it doesn't. It's a school that allows kids to learn without the pressure cooker atmosphere. If it were more competitive athletically, as dumb as this sounds, it's reputation would begin matching its performance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Field could knock of GDS as a big three runner up. It has better facilities and room to expand. But I hope it doesn't. It's a school that allows kids to learn without the pressure cooker atmosphere. If it were more competitive athletically, as dumb as this sounds, it's reputation would begin matching its performance.

I don't know about that...they still accept a lot of kids who just don't like school. High achievers can do well there but there is also a forgiveness towards kids who hate to do homework. Because it can be a happy place for that type of kid (and they take that mission seriously), it probably won't ever become a school like GDS which is better for kids who love the classroom.

[Anonymous]

+!. Nothing in Field's history or its marketing literature as of at least a few years ago suggest it isn't a "runner up" to any others. Most people we know who applied to Field did not apply to Sidwell, GDS, St. Albans, NCS or whatever others think are Big X schools these days. In our experience, Field's closest competitor was Burke, although the feel of the two schools is very different. Embrace Field for what it is and don't pretend it is something else.

[Anonymous]

Rumor has it -- and I have no idea if this is true but from the specifics I do know, it rings true -- that Field only accepted 18% of non-sibling boys for this year's 9th grade. I wouldn't compare it to GDS or any other school, but for what it is, it has become extremely popular.

[Anonymous]

With the demand in this market for private schools, Field can't help but become more selective. As word get's out, people will see it a strong alternative to GDS. Won't happen this year or next, but it's inevitable.

[Anonymous]

It is not inevitable, and the board would need to decide if it is even desirable. Schools like Field and Burke are rooted in certain founding ideas that can serve some strong academic students, but also students - strong or less so -- who would not fit in well at GDS, Sidwell etc. If it became a pure backup" do those schools it may stray from its mission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is not inevitable, and the board would need to decide if it is even desirable. Schools like Field and Burke are rooted in certain founding ideas that can serve some strong academic students, but also students - strong or less so -- who would not fit in well at GDS, Sidwell etc. If it became a pure backup" do those schools it may stray from its mission.

+1. I'm not familiar with Burke but Field will always do its own thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rumor has it -- and I have no idea if this is true but from the specifics I do know, it rings true -- that Field only accepted 18% of non-sibling boys for this year's 9th grade. I wouldn't compare it to GDS or any other school, but for what it is, it has become extremely popular.

People aren't posting here for rumors. Stop fueling them.