Anonymous wrote:Instead of big 3/5, what is the big 15?! You can’t add or take away schools, only rearrange them. Don’t even think about adding BIM. Sister and brother schools go together.
Criteria: prestige, merit, matriculation, tradition, rivalries, notability, alums, etc.
1. Sidwell
2. NCS and STA
3. GDS
4. Maret
5. Potomac
6. Holton and Landon
7. Bullis
8. Maderia
9. WIS
10. SR and GP
11. SJC
12. Episcopal
13. St Andrews
14. St Stephens St Agnes
15. Visi and Gonzaga
This is the list of 15! Some rearranging could be made with the actual ranking numbers but these are the top 15.
1. STA
2. Sidwell
3. NCS
4. GDS
5. Maret
6. Holton
7. Madiera
8. Potomac
9. Landon
10. Gonzaga
11. Prep
12. St. Johns
13. Bullis
14. St. Anselms
15. St Stephens St Agnes
next 3 would be:
16. Episcopal
17. WIS
18. Field
If Sidwell isn’t #1, then the list is incorrect. I’m not a Sidwell parent (my children attend Catholic independents), but I live in DC and I’m very familiar with how these institutions are perceived.
Prestige depends on the circle you are in. For the old money establishment types STA/NCS for sure are the top.
For more progressive types and less establishment club types - Sidwell or Maret
Newer money more progressive would consider GDS the top
NP. I heard about Sidwell, before moving to DC, when I still lived in LA. If you’re immersed in the world of elite private school education, you’ve probably heard of Sidwell and know it’s considered to be a great school. New money, old money, progressive, regressive—if they care about private school education, they’ve probably heard of Sidwell. That’s much less true of the Cathedral schools.
If we’re basing this on name recognition, you have to put Dematha back on the list. If it’s name recognition outside of DC, the big 3 are Dematha, Sidwell and Gonzaga (in no particular order). If we’re basing this debate on academics, all of the privates in dc have stellar academics and trade teachers so comparing on that alone is silly.
I had never heard of Dematha or Gonzaga before moving to DC because I don’t follow sports closely. Even now, I have no idea where in Maryland the school is located (I know it’s PG, though). I don’t hear much about Gonzaga, unless it’s sports related (specifically, the recent grad who will be drafted by the NFL soon). The reputation ranking of academic institutions, whether it’s high school or college, is based on the ACADEMIC reputation of the school.
Dematha and Gonzaga are not known as academic or intellectual powerhouses. And you’re definitely overstating their national recognition in sports.
People only know about Sidwell b/c of presidents kids tbh. Similarly, St Andrews would’ve never been on any of these lists pre Trump. If we want to look at college acceptances, TJ is the best school in VA and Blair is the best school in MD. I guess Sidwell can be the best school in DC (I’m not as familiar with their public’s) but it wouldn’t hold a candle to TJ or Blair, or even Poolesville for that matter.
What is a Poolesville? Get out of here PP.
Google it. You sound like a fool.
You are the fool. Just the fact that I had to look up the school says enough. "Sidwell wouldn't hold a candle to Poolesville." Do you have their senior insta page or prior year matriculation results ? I would like to see how Sidwell students compare to the Poolesville scholars you speak of!
Once again—Google it. You’ll find lots of information and national rankings to answer all of your questions. Goes to show that people on this forum are incapable of ranking schools based on academics.
We are ranking PRIVATE schools. Did you read the title of this forum?
I did, and it’s a pity that the fan favorite Sidwell is less well known and worse at sports than Dematha, has less notable alumni than Gonzaga, and worse college outcomes than public schools. But hey, whatever you have to tell yourself to make the 60k feel worth it…
Who are Gonzaga’s notable alumni?
Who are Sidwell’s?
I asked you first. I Googled Gonzaga’s alums, and I only recognized 2-3 names. That’s hardly a list that rival’s Sidwell’s alumni. But I know you’re typing things that have no basis in facts.
Btw, you can Google Sidwell’s alums. They put Gonzaga’s to shame.
Definitely not. Both are on Wikipedia. Sidwell’s most notable alumni are “children of”. We prefer alumni that are noteworthy based on their own accomplishments. Funny enough, despite all those “children of” educated by Sidwell, Gonzaga has a more impressive list of alumni in the political/govt category. And let’s not even get started on the sports category…
Name them.
Pat Buchanan, Ken Cuccinelli, Martin O'Malley, and Don Beyer to name a few.
This is the “impressive list of alumni” you’ve been boasting about?!? Ken and Don who? My sympathies to Gonzaga for having Pat Buchanan as an alum—such an odious excuse for a human being. It also appears that Gonzaga’s four most “accomplished” alums are, for whatever reason” siloed in politics.
Sidwell’s notable alums have distinguished themselves across a much wider variety of industries. Here’s a sampling:
Nick Friedman and Omar Soliman: Co-founders of College Hunks Hauling Junk, which has over 100 franchises across the United States;
Roger Ferguson: First African American Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve and Former President and CEO of a Fortune 500 Company (TIAA-CREF);
Ann Brashares: Author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book series (later adapted into a movie);
Philip Davis Guggenheim: Screenwriter, director, and producer whose work includes An Inconvenient Truth, It Might Get Loud, and Waiting for "Superman";
Walter Gilbert: Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry (DNA sequencing); and
Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Business, science, sports, politics, filmmaking, and literature. Sidwell alums have made their mark everywhere.
PP was responding to a comment about political alum. Just check Wikipedia, Gonzaga’s list is more impressive across many categories.
I checked Wikipedia. No, Gonzaga’s list is not more impressive.
In addition to the Sidwell alums listed above, another poster upthread mentioned:
Charlie Gibson (former Good Morning America host, and the anchor of World News with Charles Gibson),
Ethan Brown (founded Beyond Meat Co.), and
Hanna Holborn Gray (the FIRST woman President of the University of Chicago—and one of the first in the United States).
I’ll also add two current NBA players: Josh Hart and Saddiq Bey.
Gonzaga’s alums do not have the range.
Sidwell clearly also has the most insufferable parents which are proven from these posts.
Anonymous wrote:Instead of big 3/5, what is the big 15?! You can’t add or take away schools, only rearrange them. Don’t even think about adding BIM. Sister and brother schools go together.
Criteria: prestige, merit, matriculation, tradition, rivalries, notability, alums, etc.
1. Sidwell
2. NCS and STA
3. GDS
4. Maret
5. Potomac
6. Holton and Landon
7. Bullis
8. Maderia
9. WIS
10. SR and GP
11. SJC
12. Episcopal
13. St Andrews
14. St Stephens St Agnes
15. Visi and Gonzaga
This is the list of 15! Some rearranging could be made with the actual ranking numbers but these are the top 15.
1. STA
2. Sidwell
3. NCS
4. GDS
5. Maret
6. Holton
7. Madiera
8. Potomac
9. Landon
10. Gonzaga
11. Prep
12. St. Johns
13. Bullis
14. St. Anselms
15. St Stephens St Agnes
next 3 would be:
16. Episcopal
17. WIS
18. Field
If Sidwell isn’t #1, then the list is incorrect. I’m not a Sidwell parent (my children attend Catholic independents), but I live in DC and I’m very familiar with how these institutions are perceived.
Prestige depends on the circle you are in. For the old money establishment types STA/NCS for sure are the top.
For more progressive types and less establishment club types - Sidwell or Maret
Newer money more progressive would consider GDS the top
NP. I heard about Sidwell, before moving to DC, when I still lived in LA. If you’re immersed in the world of elite private school education, you’ve probably heard of Sidwell and know it’s considered to be a great school. New money, old money, progressive, regressive—if they care about private school education, they’ve probably heard of Sidwell. That’s much less true of the Cathedral schools.
If we’re basing this on name recognition, you have to put Dematha back on the list. If it’s name recognition outside of DC, the big 3 are Dematha, Sidwell and Gonzaga (in no particular order). If we’re basing this debate on academics, all of the privates in dc have stellar academics and trade teachers so comparing on that alone is silly.
I had never heard of Dematha or Gonzaga before moving to DC because I don’t follow sports closely. Even now, I have no idea where in Maryland the school is located (I know it’s PG, though). I don’t hear much about Gonzaga, unless it’s sports related (specifically, the recent grad who will be drafted by the NFL soon). The reputation ranking of academic institutions, whether it’s high school or college, is based on the ACADEMIC reputation of the school.
Dematha and Gonzaga are not known as academic or intellectual powerhouses. And you’re definitely overstating their national recognition in sports.
People only know about Sidwell b/c of presidents kids tbh. Similarly, St Andrews would’ve never been on any of these lists pre Trump. If we want to look at college acceptances, TJ is the best school in VA and Blair is the best school in MD. I guess Sidwell can be the best school in DC (I’m not as familiar with their public’s) but it wouldn’t hold a candle to TJ or Blair, or even Poolesville for that matter.
What is a Poolesville? Get out of here PP.
Google it. You sound like a fool.
You are the fool. Just the fact that I had to look up the school says enough. "Sidwell wouldn't hold a candle to Poolesville." Do you have their senior insta page or prior year matriculation results ? I would like to see how Sidwell students compare to the Poolesville scholars you speak of!
Once again—Google it. You’ll find lots of information and national rankings to answer all of your questions. Goes to show that people on this forum are incapable of ranking schools based on academics.
We are ranking PRIVATE schools. Did you read the title of this forum?
I did, and it’s a pity that the fan favorite Sidwell is less well known and worse at sports than Dematha, has less notable alumni than Gonzaga, and worse college outcomes than public schools. But hey, whatever you have to tell yourself to make the 60k feel worth it…
Who are Gonzaga’s notable alumni?
Who are Sidwell’s?
First Gonzaga vs Potomac now Gonzaga vs Sidwell. These Gonzaga parents have lost it. You need a reality check ASAP.
This forum needs a reality check. No one is using any real objective metrics to rank any of these schools and it’s full of bias. There is no objective metric that makes Sidwell #1 but for some reason we’re all supposed to accept it as gospel. It doesn’t have the best campus/facilities, price, college outcomes, alumni or sports. People throw these rankings around with no real rigor.
No. I agree with OP. You just have to accept that it is #1, if you get it you do and if you don't, oh well. Maybe some schools are better sports wise but notability, merit, academic and tradition everyone collectively puts Sidwell as #1(besides some STA parents). It's like Harvard, when someone thinks of an Ivy, they think Harvard first. Yale's(think-Maret, STA, Bullis, Potomac, SJC and Gonzaga's) entire sports division could dominate Harvards(Sidwell) or Penn's( think- NCS, GDS, Holton, SR, Madeira, STA's, even the fan favorite BIM's) academic curriculum could be more challenging; regardless, if you are from America or are international, you know Harvard. If you know DC privates, you know Sidwell. Simple as that.
+1, as a new NYC parent who moved to the area and wanted private education, everyone mentioned Sidwell first.
We also moved from NYC and everyone who was anyone both in NYC and here mentioned the Cathedral schools hands down - both dem and republicans told us those were the most elite and prestigious. Sidwell appeals to a certain type.
It is fascinating to me the lengths these posters go to justify the mounds of money they spend on their kids’ K-12 education. The kids are going to be alright whether they attend Sidwell or Gonzaga. They all end up in places that suit them and many find great success. You don’t have to invest a half a million dollars in their k-12 tuition to find them that success!! We did it with less than $200K over 12 years, a savings of $300K. DS ended up at a top 20 university and is now employed by a top consulting firm making close to six figures first year out of college.
Anonymous wrote:Instead of big 3/5, what is the big 15?! You can’t add or take away schools, only rearrange them. Don’t even think about adding BIM. Sister and brother schools go together.
Criteria: prestige, merit, matriculation, tradition, rivalries, notability, alums, etc.
1. Sidwell
2. NCS and STA
3. GDS
4. Maret
5. Potomac
6. Holton and Landon
7. Bullis
8. Maderia
9. WIS
10. SR and GP
11. SJC
12. Episcopal
13. St Andrews
14. St Stephens St Agnes
15. Visi and Gonzaga
This is the list of 15! Some rearranging could be made with the actual ranking numbers but these are the top 15.
1. STA
2. Sidwell
3. NCS
4. GDS
5. Maret
6. Holton
7. Madiera
8. Potomac
9. Landon
10. Gonzaga
11. Prep
12. St. Johns
13. Bullis
14. St. Anselms
15. St Stephens St Agnes
next 3 would be:
16. Episcopal
17. WIS
18. Field
If Sidwell isn’t #1, then the list is incorrect. I’m not a Sidwell parent (my children attend Catholic independents), but I live in DC and I’m very familiar with how these institutions are perceived.
Prestige depends on the circle you are in. For the old money establishment types STA/NCS for sure are the top.
For more progressive types and less establishment club types - Sidwell or Maret
Newer money more progressive would consider GDS the top
NP. I heard about Sidwell, before moving to DC, when I still lived in LA. If you’re immersed in the world of elite private school education, you’ve probably heard of Sidwell and know it’s considered to be a great school. New money, old money, progressive, regressive—if they care about private school education, they’ve probably heard of Sidwell. That’s much less true of the Cathedral schools.
If we’re basing this on name recognition, you have to put Dematha back on the list. If it’s name recognition outside of DC, the big 3 are Dematha, Sidwell and Gonzaga (in no particular order). If we’re basing this debate on academics, all of the privates in dc have stellar academics and trade teachers so comparing on that alone is silly.
I had never heard of Dematha or Gonzaga before moving to DC because I don’t follow sports closely. Even now, I have no idea where in Maryland the school is located (I know it’s PG, though). I don’t hear much about Gonzaga, unless it’s sports related (specifically, the recent grad who will be drafted by the NFL soon). The reputation ranking of academic institutions, whether it’s high school or college, is based on the ACADEMIC reputation of the school.
Dematha and Gonzaga are not known as academic or intellectual powerhouses. And you’re definitely overstating their national recognition in sports.
People only know about Sidwell b/c of presidents kids tbh. Similarly, St Andrews would’ve never been on any of these lists pre Trump. If we want to look at college acceptances, TJ is the best school in VA and Blair is the best school in MD. I guess Sidwell can be the best school in DC (I’m not as familiar with their public’s) but it wouldn’t hold a candle to TJ or Blair, or even Poolesville for that matter.
What is a Poolesville? Get out of here PP.
Google it. You sound like a fool.
You are the fool. Just the fact that I had to look up the school says enough. "Sidwell wouldn't hold a candle to Poolesville." Do you have their senior insta page or prior year matriculation results ? I would like to see how Sidwell students compare to the Poolesville scholars you speak of!
Once again—Google it. You’ll find lots of information and national rankings to answer all of your questions. Goes to show that people on this forum are incapable of ranking schools based on academics.
We are ranking PRIVATE schools. Did you read the title of this forum?
I did, and it’s a pity that the fan favorite Sidwell is less well known and worse at sports than Dematha, has less notable alumni than Gonzaga, and worse college outcomes than public schools. But hey, whatever you have to tell yourself to make the 60k feel worth it…
Who are Gonzaga’s notable alumni?
Who are Sidwell’s?
First Gonzaga vs Potomac now Gonzaga vs Sidwell. These Gonzaga parents have lost it. You need a reality check ASAP.
This forum needs a reality check. No one is using any real objective metrics to rank any of these schools and it’s full of bias. There is no objective metric that makes Sidwell #1 but for some reason we’re all supposed to accept it as gospel. It doesn’t have the best campus/facilities, price, college outcomes, alumni or sports. People throw these rankings around with no real rigor.
Which DC Private school has better facilities, college outcomes, alumni or sports than Sidwell? I’ll give you price, though.
And I mean name one DC Metro school that is better than Sidwell in all areas listed above? Gonzaga is already out based on its facilities/location (practically a homeless shelter), academics, college outcomes, and alumni.
Although Gonzaga does host homeless men on their campus for lunch, the campus is quite lovely.
Ehh its ok. STA, Potomac and Bullis look way better by far.
Debatable but do they look three times better?! b/c they’re like triple the price…And before you say price doesn’t matter, everyone cares about value even billionaires. No one is paying $500 for a Big Mac after all, so the price does need to reflect what you’re getting.
Yea...the price reflects great academics, sports and college results(merit and athletic). Price doesn't matter, there are so many people on FA.
People were just laying into OP on that financial aid thread the other day for asking about aid despite high income. So which one is it, is financial aid abundantly available or not b/c you can send 2 or 3 kids to Gonzaga for the price of one at these other schools. Gonzaga is very clearly a better value b/c nothing anyone here has posted shows that STA/Potomac/Bullis is leaps and bounds above Gonzaga to justify the premium. Not in terms of campus, sports, academics or alumni
Yes!! Such a good value Gonzaga is even with its recent high tuition increases. I think we paid about $20K a year to send our son there...such a good good value at $80K for all four years AND he got into a top 20. A few friends went to ivies! It was such a amazing experience for him. The boys have such a strong brotherhood bond and he got to experience so much more than those boring sprawling campuses in suburbia. Upon graduation, he was not only book smart, but street smart. His essays for college were chuck full of his experiences interacting directly with homeless people and learning their stories up close. No Potomac kid is doing anything like that.
Do you want a cookie?
I guess the Potomac booster has run out of constructive counter arguments.
I’m not a booster and I don’t have a kid there but I find your relentless delusional posting annoying. Gonzaga, with 250 kids graduating, has 6 elite school acceptances (with every student playing a sport/URM). Potomac, with 120 students, has 13. That’s not to mention how many kids they got into Duke and other great schools like Middlebury and Colgate. I’m posting Gonzaga’s page as you conveniently have forgotten to - https://www.instagram.com/gonzagaseniors_2024?igsh=aHB2bGFhenFqbDJo
Anonymous wrote:It does seem like public school parents are insecure about some private/independent schools. Why come into a private/independent school forum to discuss public schools? In all honesty, who cares? Send your child where you want. It's an anonymous message board; most of these folks are probably posting to get a response from the few people who take this stuff too personally.
Private schools parents do that all the times. Check the MCPS forum. It is overrun by private schools parents.
I don't believe you. There is absolutely no reason to go on a public school forum. The worlds do not intersect. Once a year we play a public school in sports that is it. Separate worlds socially and school wise.
LOL
You don't need to believe me. It's there for all to see.
Seriously, do you live in a bubble or are you really that dumb?
They are not really private school parents trust me. They are posing as them. Private school parents are not going on public school forums trolling.
Anonymous wrote:Instead of big 3/5, what is the big 15?! You can’t add or take away schools, only rearrange them. Don’t even think about adding BIM. Sister and brother schools go together.
Criteria: prestige, merit, matriculation, tradition, rivalries, notability, alums, etc.
1. Sidwell
2. NCS and STA
3. GDS
4. Maret
5. Potomac
6. Holton and Landon
7. Bullis
8. Maderia
9. WIS
10. SR and GP
11. SJC
12. Episcopal
13. St Andrews
14. St Stephens St Agnes
15. Visi and Gonzaga
This is the list of 15! Some rearranging could be made with the actual ranking numbers but these are the top 15.
1. STA
2. Sidwell
3. NCS
4. GDS
5. Maret
6. Holton
7. Madiera
8. Potomac
9. Landon
10. Gonzaga
11. Prep
12. St. Johns
13. Bullis
14. St. Anselms
15. St Stephens St Agnes
next 3 would be:
16. Episcopal
17. WIS
18. Field
If Sidwell isn’t #1, then the list is incorrect. I’m not a Sidwell parent (my children attend Catholic independents), but I live in DC and I’m very familiar with how these institutions are perceived.
Prestige depends on the circle you are in. For the old money establishment types STA/NCS for sure are the top.
For more progressive types and less establishment club types - Sidwell or Maret
Newer money more progressive would consider GDS the top
NP. I heard about Sidwell, before moving to DC, when I still lived in LA. If you’re immersed in the world of elite private school education, you’ve probably heard of Sidwell and know it’s considered to be a great school. New money, old money, progressive, regressive—if they care about private school education, they’ve probably heard of Sidwell. That’s much less true of the Cathedral schools.
If we’re basing this on name recognition, you have to put Dematha back on the list. If it’s name recognition outside of DC, the big 3 are Dematha, Sidwell and Gonzaga (in no particular order). If we’re basing this debate on academics, all of the privates in dc have stellar academics and trade teachers so comparing on that alone is silly.
I had never heard of Dematha or Gonzaga before moving to DC because I don’t follow sports closely. Even now, I have no idea where in Maryland the school is located (I know it’s PG, though). I don’t hear much about Gonzaga, unless it’s sports related (specifically, the recent grad who will be drafted by the NFL soon). The reputation ranking of academic institutions, whether it’s high school or college, is based on the ACADEMIC reputation of the school.
Dematha and Gonzaga are not known as academic or intellectual powerhouses. And you’re definitely overstating their national recognition in sports.
People only know about Sidwell b/c of presidents kids tbh. Similarly, St Andrews would’ve never been on any of these lists pre Trump. If we want to look at college acceptances, TJ is the best school in VA and Blair is the best school in MD. I guess Sidwell can be the best school in DC (I’m not as familiar with their public’s) but it wouldn’t hold a candle to TJ or Blair, or even Poolesville for that matter.
What is a Poolesville? Get out of here PP.
Google it. You sound like a fool.
You are the fool. Just the fact that I had to look up the school says enough. "Sidwell wouldn't hold a candle to Poolesville." Do you have their senior insta page or prior year matriculation results ? I would like to see how Sidwell students compare to the Poolesville scholars you speak of!
Once again—Google it. You’ll find lots of information and national rankings to answer all of your questions. Goes to show that people on this forum are incapable of ranking schools based on academics.
We are ranking PRIVATE schools. Did you read the title of this forum?
I did, and it’s a pity that the fan favorite Sidwell is less well known and worse at sports than Dematha, has less notable alumni than Gonzaga, and worse college outcomes than public schools. But hey, whatever you have to tell yourself to make the 60k feel worth it…
Who are Gonzaga’s notable alumni?
Who are Sidwell’s?
First Gonzaga vs Potomac now Gonzaga vs Sidwell. These Gonzaga parents have lost it. You need a reality check ASAP.
This forum needs a reality check. No one is using any real objective metrics to rank any of these schools and it’s full of bias. There is no objective metric that makes Sidwell #1 but for some reason we’re all supposed to accept it as gospel. It doesn’t have the best campus/facilities, price, college outcomes, alumni or sports. People throw these rankings around with no real rigor.
No. I agree with OP. You just have to accept that it is #1, if you get it you do and if you don't, oh well. Maybe some schools are better sports wise but notability, merit, academic and tradition everyone collectively puts Sidwell as #1(besides some STA parents). It's like Harvard, when someone thinks of an Ivy, they think Harvard first. Yale's(think-Maret, STA, Bullis, Potomac, SJC and Gonzaga's) entire sports division could dominate Harvards(Sidwell) or Penn's( think- NCS, GDS, Holton, SR, Madeira, STA's, even the fan favorite BIM's) academic curriculum could be more challenging; regardless, if you are from America or are international, you know Harvard. If you know DC privates, you know Sidwell. Simple as that.
+1, as a new NYC parent who moved to the area and wanted private education, everyone mentioned Sidwell first.
We also moved from NYC and everyone who was anyone both in NYC and here mentioned the Cathedral schools hands down - both dem and republicans told us those were the most elite and prestigious. Sidwell appeals to a certain type.
Sure buddy. What’s the certain type your digging at? It’s BOTH Sidwell and the Cathedral schools that are the most prestigious and pretentious.
Anonymous wrote:That won't be true for many families at other, less-costly private schools.
It's cute that you think families going to "less-costly private schools" aren't also extremely privileged relative to the rest of the general population.
There's no gotcha here. Of course the majority of us with kids at private schools probably have some level of privilege. Where did I say otherwise? Oh, that's right, I didn't. It's true of many of the parents who send kids to certain public schools, as well.
I'm simply pointing out that there is a continuum among private-school parents just like any other group. Many of us have to budget very carefully and give up other things to send our kids to private schools. We were more limited in the schools we applied to due to cost. And it will be the same for college. We are grateful to be able to do what we can, but our choices here are not unlimited.
And it by no means speaks to the academic abilities or worthiness of our kids and the schools that they attend. Or to the academic abilities or worthiness of kids in public schools and the schools they attend, for that matter. But keep deluding yourself.
Anonymous wrote:Instead of big 3/5, what is the big 15?! You can’t add or take away schools, only rearrange them. Don’t even think about adding BIM. Sister and brother schools go together.
Criteria: prestige, merit, matriculation, tradition, rivalries, notability, alums, etc.
1. Sidwell
2. NCS and STA
3. GDS
4. Maret
5. Potomac
6. Holton and Landon
7. Bullis
8. Maderia
9. WIS
10. SR and GP
11. SJC
12. Episcopal
13. St Andrews
14. St Stephens St Agnes
15. Visi and Gonzaga
This is the list of 15! Some rearranging could be made with the actual ranking numbers but these are the top 15.
1. STA
2. Sidwell
3. NCS
4. GDS
5. Maret
6. Holton
7. Madiera
8. Potomac
9. Landon
10. Gonzaga
11. Prep
12. St. Johns
13. Bullis
14. St. Anselms
15. St Stephens St Agnes
next 3 would be:
16. Episcopal
17. WIS
18. Field
If Sidwell isn’t #1, then the list is incorrect. I’m not a Sidwell parent (my children attend Catholic independents), but I live in DC and I’m very familiar with how these institutions are perceived.
Prestige depends on the circle you are in. For the old money establishment types STA/NCS for sure are the top.
For more progressive types and less establishment club types - Sidwell or Maret
Newer money more progressive would consider GDS the top
NP. I heard about Sidwell, before moving to DC, when I still lived in LA. If you’re immersed in the world of elite private school education, you’ve probably heard of Sidwell and know it’s considered to be a great school. New money, old money, progressive, regressive—if they care about private school education, they’ve probably heard of Sidwell. That’s much less true of the Cathedral schools.
If we’re basing this on name recognition, you have to put Dematha back on the list. If it’s name recognition outside of DC, the big 3 are Dematha, Sidwell and Gonzaga (in no particular order). If we’re basing this debate on academics, all of the privates in dc have stellar academics and trade teachers so comparing on that alone is silly.
I had never heard of Dematha or Gonzaga before moving to DC because I don’t follow sports closely. Even now, I have no idea where in Maryland the school is located (I know it’s PG, though). I don’t hear much about Gonzaga, unless it’s sports related (specifically, the recent grad who will be drafted by the NFL soon). The reputation ranking of academic institutions, whether it’s high school or college, is based on the ACADEMIC reputation of the school.
Dematha and Gonzaga are not known as academic or intellectual powerhouses. And you’re definitely overstating their national recognition in sports.
People only know about Sidwell b/c of presidents kids tbh. Similarly, St Andrews would’ve never been on any of these lists pre Trump. If we want to look at college acceptances, TJ is the best school in VA and Blair is the best school in MD. I guess Sidwell can be the best school in DC (I’m not as familiar with their public’s) but it wouldn’t hold a candle to TJ or Blair, or even Poolesville for that matter.
What is a Poolesville? Get out of here PP.
Google it. You sound like a fool.
You are the fool. Just the fact that I had to look up the school says enough. "Sidwell wouldn't hold a candle to Poolesville." Do you have their senior insta page or prior year matriculation results ? I would like to see how Sidwell students compare to the Poolesville scholars you speak of!
Once again—Google it. You’ll find lots of information and national rankings to answer all of your questions. Goes to show that people on this forum are incapable of ranking schools based on academics.
We are ranking PRIVATE schools. Did you read the title of this forum?
I did, and it’s a pity that the fan favorite Sidwell is less well known and worse at sports than Dematha, has less notable alumni than Gonzaga, and worse college outcomes than public schools. But hey, whatever you have to tell yourself to make the 60k feel worth it…
Who are Gonzaga’s notable alumni?
Who are Sidwell’s?
First Gonzaga vs Potomac now Gonzaga vs Sidwell. These Gonzaga parents have lost it. You need a reality check ASAP.
This forum needs a reality check. No one is using any real objective metrics to rank any of these schools and it’s full of bias. There is no objective metric that makes Sidwell #1 but for some reason we’re all supposed to accept it as gospel. It doesn’t have the best campus/facilities, price, college outcomes, alumni or sports. People throw these rankings around with no real rigor.
Which DC Private school has better facilities, college outcomes, alumni or sports than Sidwell? I’ll give you price, though.
And I mean name one DC Metro school that is better than Sidwell in all areas listed above? Gonzaga is already out based on its facilities/location (practically a homeless shelter), academics, college outcomes, and alumni.
Although Gonzaga does host homeless men on their campus for lunch, the campus is quite lovely.
Ehh its ok. STA, Potomac and Bullis look way better by far.
Debatable but do they look three times better?! b/c they’re like triple the price…And before you say price doesn’t matter, everyone cares about value even billionaires. No one is paying $500 for a Big Mac after all, so the price does need to reflect what you’re getting.
Yea...the price reflects great academics, sports and college results(merit and athletic). Price doesn't matter, there are so many people on FA.
People were just laying into OP on that financial aid thread the other day for asking about aid despite high income. So which one is it, is financial aid abundantly available or not b/c you can send 2 or 3 kids to Gonzaga for the price of one at these other schools. Gonzaga is very clearly a better value b/c nothing anyone here has posted shows that STA/Potomac/Bullis is leaps and bounds above Gonzaga to justify the premium. Not in terms of campus, sports, academics or alumni
Yes!! Such a good value Gonzaga is even with its recent high tuition increases. I think we paid about $20K a year to send our son there...such a good good value at $80K for all four years AND he got into a top 20. A few friends went to ivies! It was such a amazing experience for him. The boys have such a strong brotherhood bond and he got to experience so much more than those boring sprawling campuses in suburbia. Upon graduation, he was not only book smart, but street smart. His essays for college were chuck full of his experiences interacting directly with homeless people and learning their stories up close. No Potomac kid is doing anything like that.
Do you want a cookie?
I guess the Potomac booster has run out of constructive counter arguments.
I’m not a booster and I don’t have a kid there but I find your relentless delusional posting annoying. Gonzaga, with 250 kids graduating, has 6 elite school acceptances (with every student playing a sport/URM). Potomac, with 120 students, has 13. That’s not to mention how many kids they got into Duke and other great schools like Middlebury and Colgate. I’m posting Gonzaga’s page as you conveniently have forgotten to - https://www.instagram.com/gonzagaseniors_2024?igsh=aHB2bGFhenFqbDJo
Anonymous wrote:Instead of big 3/5, what is the big 15?! You can’t add or take away schools, only rearrange them. Don’t even think about adding BIM. Sister and brother schools go together.
Criteria: prestige, merit, matriculation, tradition, rivalries, notability, alums, etc.
1. Sidwell
2. NCS and STA
3. GDS
4. Maret
5. Potomac
6. Holton and Landon
7. Bullis
8. Maderia
9. WIS
10. SR and GP
11. SJC
12. Episcopal
13. St Andrews
14. St Stephens St Agnes
15. Visi and Gonzaga
This is the list of 15! Some rearranging could be made with the actual ranking numbers but these are the top 15.
1. STA
2. Sidwell
3. NCS
4. GDS
5. Maret
6. Holton
7. Madiera
8. Potomac
9. Landon
10. Gonzaga
11. Prep
12. St. Johns
13. Bullis
14. St. Anselms
15. St Stephens St Agnes
next 3 would be:
16. Episcopal
17. WIS
18. Field
If Sidwell isn’t #1, then the list is incorrect. I’m not a Sidwell parent (my children attend Catholic independents), but I live in DC and I’m very familiar with how these institutions are perceived.
Prestige depends on the circle you are in. For the old money establishment types STA/NCS for sure are the top.
For more progressive types and less establishment club types - Sidwell or Maret
Newer money more progressive would consider GDS the top
NP. I heard about Sidwell, before moving to DC, when I still lived in LA. If you’re immersed in the world of elite private school education, you’ve probably heard of Sidwell and know it’s considered to be a great school. New money, old money, progressive, regressive—if they care about private school education, they’ve probably heard of Sidwell. That’s much less true of the Cathedral schools.
If we’re basing this on name recognition, you have to put Dematha back on the list. If it’s name recognition outside of DC, the big 3 are Dematha, Sidwell and Gonzaga (in no particular order). If we’re basing this debate on academics, all of the privates in dc have stellar academics and trade teachers so comparing on that alone is silly.
I had never heard of Dematha or Gonzaga before moving to DC because I don’t follow sports closely. Even now, I have no idea where in Maryland the school is located (I know it’s PG, though). I don’t hear much about Gonzaga, unless it’s sports related (specifically, the recent grad who will be drafted by the NFL soon). The reputation ranking of academic institutions, whether it’s high school or college, is based on the ACADEMIC reputation of the school.
Dematha and Gonzaga are not known as academic or intellectual powerhouses. And you’re definitely overstating their national recognition in sports.
People only know about Sidwell b/c of presidents kids tbh. Similarly, St Andrews would’ve never been on any of these lists pre Trump. If we want to look at college acceptances, TJ is the best school in VA and Blair is the best school in MD. I guess Sidwell can be the best school in DC (I’m not as familiar with their public’s) but it wouldn’t hold a candle to TJ or Blair, or even Poolesville for that matter.
What is a Poolesville? Get out of here PP.
Google it. You sound like a fool.
You are the fool. Just the fact that I had to look up the school says enough. "Sidwell wouldn't hold a candle to Poolesville." Do you have their senior insta page or prior year matriculation results ? I would like to see how Sidwell students compare to the Poolesville scholars you speak of!
Once again—Google it. You’ll find lots of information and national rankings to answer all of your questions. Goes to show that people on this forum are incapable of ranking schools based on academics.
We are ranking PRIVATE schools. Did you read the title of this forum?
I did, and it’s a pity that the fan favorite Sidwell is less well known and worse at sports than Dematha, has less notable alumni than Gonzaga, and worse college outcomes than public schools. But hey, whatever you have to tell yourself to make the 60k feel worth it…
Who are Gonzaga’s notable alumni?
Who are Sidwell’s?
First Gonzaga vs Potomac now Gonzaga vs Sidwell. These Gonzaga parents have lost it. You need a reality check ASAP.
This forum needs a reality check. No one is using any real objective metrics to rank any of these schools and it’s full of bias. There is no objective metric that makes Sidwell #1 but for some reason we’re all supposed to accept it as gospel. It doesn’t have the best campus/facilities, price, college outcomes, alumni or sports. People throw these rankings around with no real rigor.
Which DC Private school has better facilities, college outcomes, alumni or sports than Sidwell? I’ll give you price, though.
And I mean name one DC Metro school that is better than Sidwell in all areas listed above? Gonzaga is already out based on its facilities/location (practically a homeless shelter), academics, college outcomes, and alumni.
Although Gonzaga does host homeless men on their campus for lunch, the campus is quite lovely.
Ehh its ok. STA, Potomac and Bullis look way better by far.
Debatable but do they look three times better?! b/c they’re like triple the price…And before you say price doesn’t matter, everyone cares about value even billionaires. No one is paying $500 for a Big Mac after all, so the price does need to reflect what you’re getting.
Yea...the price reflects great academics, sports and college results(merit and athletic). Price doesn't matter, there are so many people on FA.
People were just laying into OP on that financial aid thread the other day for asking about aid despite high income. So which one is it, is financial aid abundantly available or not b/c you can send 2 or 3 kids to Gonzaga for the price of one at these other schools. Gonzaga is very clearly a better value b/c nothing anyone here has posted shows that STA/Potomac/Bullis is leaps and bounds above Gonzaga to justify the premium. Not in terms of campus, sports, academics or alumni
Yes!! Such a good value Gonzaga is even with its recent high tuition increases. I think we paid about $20K a year to send our son there...such a good good value at $80K for all four years AND he got into a top 20. A few friends went to ivies! It was such a amazing experience for him. The boys have such a strong brotherhood bond and he got to experience so much more than those boring sprawling campuses in suburbia. Upon graduation, he was not only book smart, but street smart. His essays for college were chuck full of his experiences interacting directly with homeless people and learning their stories up close. No Potomac kid is doing anything like that.
Do you want a cookie?
I guess the Potomac booster has run out of constructive counter arguments.
I’m not a booster and I don’t have a kid there but I find your relentless delusional posting annoying. Gonzaga, with 250 kids graduating, has 6 elite school acceptances (with every student playing a sport/URM). Potomac, with 120 students, has 13. That’s not to mention how many kids they got into Duke and other great schools like Middlebury and Colgate. I’m posting Gonzaga’s page as you conveniently have forgotten to - https://www.instagram.com/gonzagaseniors_2024?igsh=aHB2bGFhenFqbDJo
There is no comparison. Gonzaga is a great school. It’s just not equal to any of the schools you keep trying to disparage.
You are right. GZ is not equal. In many ways it is much better.
You’re confused. Please stop comparing apples and oranges. Regardless if you are a Potomac parent, you know it’s a great school and most definitely perceived higher than Gonzaga.
Anonymous wrote:Instead of big 3/5, what is the big 15?! You can’t add or take away schools, only rearrange them. Don’t even think about adding BIM. Sister and brother schools go together.
Criteria: prestige, merit, matriculation, tradition, rivalries, notability, alums, etc.
1. Sidwell
2. NCS and STA
3. GDS
4. Maret
5. Potomac
6. Holton and Landon
7. Bullis
8. Maderia
9. WIS
10. SR and GP
11. SJC
12. Episcopal
13. St Andrews
14. St Stephens St Agnes
15. Visi and Gonzaga
This is the list of 15! Some rearranging could be made with the actual ranking numbers but these are the top 15.
1. STA
2. Sidwell
3. NCS
4. GDS
5. Maret
6. Holton
7. Madiera
8. Potomac
9. Landon
10. Gonzaga
11. Prep
12. St. Johns
13. Bullis
14. St. Anselms
15. St Stephens St Agnes
next 3 would be:
16. Episcopal
17. WIS
18. Field
If Sidwell isn’t #1, then the list is incorrect. I’m not a Sidwell parent (my children attend Catholic independents), but I live in DC and I’m very familiar with how these institutions are perceived.
Prestige depends on the circle you are in. For the old money establishment types STA/NCS for sure are the top.
For more progressive types and less establishment club types - Sidwell or Maret
Newer money more progressive would consider GDS the top
NP. I heard about Sidwell, before moving to DC, when I still lived in LA. If you’re immersed in the world of elite private school education, you’ve probably heard of Sidwell and know it’s considered to be a great school. New money, old money, progressive, regressive—if they care about private school education, they’ve probably heard of Sidwell. That’s much less true of the Cathedral schools.
If we’re basing this on name recognition, you have to put Dematha back on the list. If it’s name recognition outside of DC, the big 3 are Dematha, Sidwell and Gonzaga (in no particular order). If we’re basing this debate on academics, all of the privates in dc have stellar academics and trade teachers so comparing on that alone is silly.
I had never heard of Dematha or Gonzaga before moving to DC because I don’t follow sports closely. Even now, I have no idea where in Maryland the school is located (I know it’s PG, though). I don’t hear much about Gonzaga, unless it’s sports related (specifically, the recent grad who will be drafted by the NFL soon). The reputation ranking of academic institutions, whether it’s high school or college, is based on the ACADEMIC reputation of the school.
Dematha and Gonzaga are not known as academic or intellectual powerhouses. And you’re definitely overstating their national recognition in sports.
People only know about Sidwell b/c of presidents kids tbh. Similarly, St Andrews would’ve never been on any of these lists pre Trump. If we want to look at college acceptances, TJ is the best school in VA and Blair is the best school in MD. I guess Sidwell can be the best school in DC (I’m not as familiar with their public’s) but it wouldn’t hold a candle to TJ or Blair, or even Poolesville for that matter.
What is a Poolesville? Get out of here PP.
Google it. You sound like a fool.
You are the fool. Just the fact that I had to look up the school says enough. "Sidwell wouldn't hold a candle to Poolesville." Do you have their senior insta page or prior year matriculation results ? I would like to see how Sidwell students compare to the Poolesville scholars you speak of!
Once again—Google it. You’ll find lots of information and national rankings to answer all of your questions. Goes to show that people on this forum are incapable of ranking schools based on academics.
We are ranking PRIVATE schools. Did you read the title of this forum?
I did, and it’s a pity that the fan favorite Sidwell is less well known and worse at sports than Dematha, has less notable alumni than Gonzaga, and worse college outcomes than public schools. But hey, whatever you have to tell yourself to make the 60k feel worth it…
Who are Gonzaga’s notable alumni?
Who are Sidwell’s?
First Gonzaga vs Potomac now Gonzaga vs Sidwell. These Gonzaga parents have lost it. You need a reality check ASAP.
This forum needs a reality check. No one is using any real objective metrics to rank any of these schools and it’s full of bias. There is no objective metric that makes Sidwell #1 but for some reason we’re all supposed to accept it as gospel. It doesn’t have the best campus/facilities, price, college outcomes, alumni or sports. People throw these rankings around with no real rigor.
Which DC Private school has better facilities, college outcomes, alumni or sports than Sidwell? I’ll give you price, though.
And I mean name one DC Metro school that is better than Sidwell in all areas listed above? Gonzaga is already out based on its facilities/location (practically a homeless shelter), academics, college outcomes, and alumni.
Although Gonzaga does host homeless men on their campus for lunch, the campus is quite lovely.
Ehh its ok. STA, Potomac and Bullis look way better by far.
Debatable but do they look three times better?! b/c they’re like triple the price…And before you say price doesn’t matter, everyone cares about value even billionaires. No one is paying $500 for a Big Mac after all, so the price does need to reflect what you’re getting.
Yea...the price reflects great academics, sports and college results(merit and athletic). Price doesn't matter, there are so many people on FA.
People were just laying into OP on that financial aid thread the other day for asking about aid despite high income. So which one is it, is financial aid abundantly available or not b/c you can send 2 or 3 kids to Gonzaga for the price of one at these other schools. Gonzaga is very clearly a better value b/c nothing anyone here has posted shows that STA/Potomac/Bullis is leaps and bounds above Gonzaga to justify the premium. Not in terms of campus, sports, academics or alumni
Yes!! Such a good value Gonzaga is even with its recent high tuition increases. I think we paid about $20K a year to send our son there...such a good good value at $80K for all four years AND he got into a top 20. A few friends went to ivies! It was such a amazing experience for him. The boys have such a strong brotherhood bond and he got to experience so much more than those boring sprawling campuses in suburbia. Upon graduation, he was not only book smart, but street smart. His essays for college were chuck full of his experiences interacting directly with homeless people and learning their stories up close. No Potomac kid is doing anything like that.
Do you want a cookie?
I guess the Potomac booster has run out of constructive counter arguments.
I’m not a booster and I don’t have a kid there but I find your relentless delusional posting annoying. Gonzaga, with 250 kids graduating, has 6 elite school acceptances (with every student playing a sport/URM). Potomac, with 120 students, has 13. That’s not to mention how many kids they got into Duke and other great schools like Middlebury and Colgate. I’m posting Gonzaga’s page as you conveniently have forgotten to - https://www.instagram.com/gonzagaseniors_2024?igsh=aHB2bGFhenFqbDJo
There is no comparison. Gonzaga is a great school. It’s just not equal to any of the schools you keep trying to disparage.
DP. It's not about disparaging other schools. It's that your snobbery is misplaced.
All this college acceptance BS is about family income. Kids who go to the top-priced private schools are, for the most part, going to come from the wealthiest families. They are not going to be worrying about cost when they apply to colleges. That won't be true for many families at other, less-costly private schools. Many of those families won't even bother applying to Ivy's or other expensive colleges, because they don't make salaries that would allow them to receive financial aid and they don't have the budget for full-pay. Wealthier families with connections know all the ins and outs of these places, hire private consultants, and don't hesitate to apply.
Unless the kids from all these schools APPLY to the exact same schools, you don't really know which school is "better" based on acceptances. More a picture of where people from these schools are willing to apply.
It's all about money, like it always is, but wealthy families try to delude themselves that it is about merit and they are oh so deserving. It's not and they're not. This thread goes to show how awful these snobs are.
+1 I think it’s more than clear at this point that Gonzaga is a great school and people on this list are ranking it lower than schools like Potomac for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the education. Potomac is not better b/c it costs more or b/c the families are wealthier or because it’s in the suburbs.
A quality education is a major factor in acceptances into college. If you’ve seen the acceptance pages, there is quite the clear distinction in which school is preparing students better academically for top institutions(T25 and Ivies). It’s not the one located in dc…
To sum up the last 5 pages: STA parents think they’re better than Sidwell. Gonzaga parents thinks they’re better than Sidwell and Potomac. Sigh. Notice how GDS parents aren’t this messy and annoying.
Anonymous wrote:Instead of big 3/5, what is the big 15?! You can’t add or take away schools, only rearrange them. Don’t even think about adding BIM. Sister and brother schools go together.
Criteria: prestige, merit, matriculation, tradition, rivalries, notability, alums, etc.
1. Sidwell
2. NCS and STA
3. GDS
4. Maret
5. Potomac
6. Holton and Landon
7. Bullis
8. Maderia
9. WIS
10. SR and GP
11. SJC
12. Episcopal
13. St Andrews
14. St Stephens St Agnes
15. Visi and Gonzaga
This is the list of 15! Some rearranging could be made with the actual ranking numbers but these are the top 15.
1. STA
2. Sidwell
3. NCS
4. GDS
5. Maret
6. Holton
7. Madiera
8. Potomac
9. Landon
10. Gonzaga
11. Prep
12. St. Johns
13. Bullis
14. St. Anselms
15. St Stephens St Agnes
next 3 would be:
16. Episcopal
17. WIS
18. Field
If Sidwell isn’t #1, then the list is incorrect. I’m not a Sidwell parent (my children attend Catholic independents), but I live in DC and I’m very familiar with how these institutions are perceived.
Prestige depends on the circle you are in. For the old money establishment types STA/NCS for sure are the top.
For more progressive types and less establishment club types - Sidwell or Maret
Newer money more progressive would consider GDS the top
NP. I heard about Sidwell, before moving to DC, when I still lived in LA. If you’re immersed in the world of elite private school education, you’ve probably heard of Sidwell and know it’s considered to be a great school. New money, old money, progressive, regressive—if they care about private school education, they’ve probably heard of Sidwell. That’s much less true of the Cathedral schools.
If we’re basing this on name recognition, you have to put Dematha back on the list. If it’s name recognition outside of DC, the big 3 are Dematha, Sidwell and Gonzaga (in no particular order). If we’re basing this debate on academics, all of the privates in dc have stellar academics and trade teachers so comparing on that alone is silly.
I had never heard of Dematha or Gonzaga before moving to DC because I don’t follow sports closely. Even now, I have no idea where in Maryland the school is located (I know it’s PG, though). I don’t hear much about Gonzaga, unless it’s sports related (specifically, the recent grad who will be drafted by the NFL soon). The reputation ranking of academic institutions, whether it’s high school or college, is based on the ACADEMIC reputation of the school.
Dematha and Gonzaga are not known as academic or intellectual powerhouses. And you’re definitely overstating their national recognition in sports.
People only know about Sidwell b/c of presidents kids tbh. Similarly, St Andrews would’ve never been on any of these lists pre Trump. If we want to look at college acceptances, TJ is the best school in VA and Blair is the best school in MD. I guess Sidwell can be the best school in DC (I’m not as familiar with their public’s) but it wouldn’t hold a candle to TJ or Blair, or even Poolesville for that matter.
What is a Poolesville? Get out of here PP.
Google it. You sound like a fool.
You are the fool. Just the fact that I had to look up the school says enough. "Sidwell wouldn't hold a candle to Poolesville." Do you have their senior insta page or prior year matriculation results ? I would like to see how Sidwell students compare to the Poolesville scholars you speak of!
Once again—Google it. You’ll find lots of information and national rankings to answer all of your questions. Goes to show that people on this forum are incapable of ranking schools based on academics.
We are ranking PRIVATE schools. Did you read the title of this forum?
I did, and it’s a pity that the fan favorite Sidwell is less well known and worse at sports than Dematha, has less notable alumni than Gonzaga, and worse college outcomes than public schools. But hey, whatever you have to tell yourself to make the 60k feel worth it…
Who are Gonzaga’s notable alumni?
Who are Sidwell’s?
First Gonzaga vs Potomac now Gonzaga vs Sidwell. These Gonzaga parents have lost it. You need a reality check ASAP.
This forum needs a reality check. No one is using any real objective metrics to rank any of these schools and it’s full of bias. There is no objective metric that makes Sidwell #1 but for some reason we’re all supposed to accept it as gospel. It doesn’t have the best campus/facilities, price, college outcomes, alumni or sports. People throw these rankings around with no real rigor.
Which DC Private school has better facilities, college outcomes, alumni or sports than Sidwell? I’ll give you price, though.
And I mean name one DC Metro school that is better than Sidwell in all areas listed above? Gonzaga is already out based on its facilities/location (practically a homeless shelter), academics, college outcomes, and alumni.
Although Gonzaga does host homeless men on their campus for lunch, the campus is quite lovely.
Ehh its ok. STA, Potomac and Bullis look way better by far.
Debatable but do they look three times better?! b/c they’re like triple the price…And before you say price doesn’t matter, everyone cares about value even billionaires. No one is paying $500 for a Big Mac after all, so the price does need to reflect what you’re getting.
Yea...the price reflects great academics, sports and college results(merit and athletic). Price doesn't matter, there are so many people on FA.
People were just laying into OP on that financial aid thread the other day for asking about aid despite high income. So which one is it, is financial aid abundantly available or not b/c you can send 2 or 3 kids to Gonzaga for the price of one at these other schools. Gonzaga is very clearly a better value b/c nothing anyone here has posted shows that STA/Potomac/Bullis is leaps and bounds above Gonzaga to justify the premium. Not in terms of campus, sports, academics or alumni
Yes!! Such a good value Gonzaga is even with its recent high tuition increases. I think we paid about $20K a year to send our son there...such a good good value at $80K for all four years AND he got into a top 20. A few friends went to ivies! It was such a amazing experience for him. The boys have such a strong brotherhood bond and he got to experience so much more than those boring sprawling campuses in suburbia. Upon graduation, he was not only book smart, but street smart. His essays for college were chuck full of his experiences interacting directly with homeless people and learning their stories up close. No Potomac kid is doing anything like that.
Do you want a cookie?
I guess the Potomac booster has run out of constructive counter arguments.
I’m not a booster and I don’t have a kid there but I find your relentless delusional posting annoying. Gonzaga, with 250 kids graduating, has 6 elite school acceptances (with every student playing a sport/URM). Potomac, with 120 students, has 13. That’s not to mention how many kids they got into Duke and other great schools like Middlebury and Colgate. I’m posting Gonzaga’s page as you conveniently have forgotten to - https://www.instagram.com/gonzagaseniors_2024?igsh=aHB2bGFhenFqbDJo
There is no comparison. Gonzaga is a great school. It’s just not equal to any of the schools you keep trying to disparage.
These Instagram pages show commitments not acceptances. It stands to reason that Gonzaga kids would be more cost conscious when choosing a 4 year institution. You’re not making the point you think you’re making and with a little racism thrown in with your urm comment.
I see very few “cost conscious schools” on Gonzaga. Plenty of Tulane, BC, Bucknell. Please point me to all the cost conscious schools on Gonzaga. Potomac matches it with JMU, UVA and W&M. But that doesn’t fit your narrative.
You don’t know what scholarships or aid they got from those schools smh. It’s like you’re trying to be dense.
It’s like you are trying to be dense. Gonzaga isn’t some underprivileged group. Potomac offers financial aid to its students. Not everyone at Potomac can afford expensive colleges. You just want to make a case that Gonzaga doesn’t send kids to great schools only because everyone is just so cost conscious there. Lol. Yes, those poor, poor underprivileged Gonzaga students.
Anonymous wrote:That won't be true for many families at other, less-costly private schools.
It's cute that you think families going to "less-costly private schools" aren't also extremely privileged relative to the rest of the general population.
There's no gotcha here. Of course the majority of us with kids at private schools probably have some level of privilege. Where did I say otherwise? Oh, that's right, I didn't. It's true of many of the parents who send kids to certain public schools, as well.
I'm simply pointing out that there is a continuum among private-school parents just like any other group. Many of us have to budget very carefully and give up other things to send our kids to private schools. We were more limited in the schools we applied to due to cost. And it will be the same for college. We are grateful to be able to do what we can, but our choices here are not unlimited.
And it by no means speaks to the academic abilities or worthiness of our kids and the schools that they attend. Or to the academic abilities or worthiness of kids in public schools and the schools they attend, for that matter. But keep deluding yourself.
"Less privileged among the privileged" warrants no sympathy.
Anonymous wrote:Instead of big 3/5, what is the big 15?! You can’t add or take away schools, only rearrange them. Don’t even think about adding BIM. Sister and brother schools go together.
Criteria: prestige, merit, matriculation, tradition, rivalries, notability, alums, etc.
1. Sidwell
2. NCS and STA
3. GDS
4. Maret
5. Potomac
6. Holton and Landon
7. Bullis
8. Maderia
9. WIS
10. SR and GP
11. SJC
12. Episcopal
13. St Andrews
14. St Stephens St Agnes
15. Visi and Gonzaga
This is the list of 15! Some rearranging could be made with the actual ranking numbers but these are the top 15.
1. STA
2. Sidwell
3. NCS
4. GDS
5. Maret
6. Holton
7. Madiera
8. Potomac
9. Landon
10. Gonzaga
11. Prep
12. St. Johns
13. Bullis
14. St. Anselms
15. St Stephens St Agnes
next 3 would be:
16. Episcopal
17. WIS
18. Field
If Sidwell isn’t #1, then the list is incorrect. I’m not a Sidwell parent (my children attend Catholic independents), but I live in DC and I’m very familiar with how these institutions are perceived.
Prestige depends on the circle you are in. For the old money establishment types STA/NCS for sure are the top.
For more progressive types and less establishment club types - Sidwell or Maret
Newer money more progressive would consider GDS the top
NP. I heard about Sidwell, before moving to DC, when I still lived in LA. If you’re immersed in the world of elite private school education, you’ve probably heard of Sidwell and know it’s considered to be a great school. New money, old money, progressive, regressive—if they care about private school education, they’ve probably heard of Sidwell. That’s much less true of the Cathedral schools.
If we’re basing this on name recognition, you have to put Dematha back on the list. If it’s name recognition outside of DC, the big 3 are Dematha, Sidwell and Gonzaga (in no particular order). If we’re basing this debate on academics, all of the privates in dc have stellar academics and trade teachers so comparing on that alone is silly.
I had never heard of Dematha or Gonzaga before moving to DC because I don’t follow sports closely. Even now, I have no idea where in Maryland the school is located (I know it’s PG, though). I don’t hear much about Gonzaga, unless it’s sports related (specifically, the recent grad who will be drafted by the NFL soon). The reputation ranking of academic institutions, whether it’s high school or college, is based on the ACADEMIC reputation of the school.
Dematha and Gonzaga are not known as academic or intellectual powerhouses. And you’re definitely overstating their national recognition in sports.
People only know about Sidwell b/c of presidents kids tbh. Similarly, St Andrews would’ve never been on any of these lists pre Trump. If we want to look at college acceptances, TJ is the best school in VA and Blair is the best school in MD. I guess Sidwell can be the best school in DC (I’m not as familiar with their public’s) but it wouldn’t hold a candle to TJ or Blair, or even Poolesville for that matter.
What is a Poolesville? Get out of here PP.
Google it. You sound like a fool.
You are the fool. Just the fact that I had to look up the school says enough. "Sidwell wouldn't hold a candle to Poolesville." Do you have their senior insta page or prior year matriculation results ? I would like to see how Sidwell students compare to the Poolesville scholars you speak of!
Once again—Google it. You’ll find lots of information and national rankings to answer all of your questions. Goes to show that people on this forum are incapable of ranking schools based on academics.
We are ranking PRIVATE schools. Did you read the title of this forum?
I did, and it’s a pity that the fan favorite Sidwell is less well known and worse at sports than Dematha, has less notable alumni than Gonzaga, and worse college outcomes than public schools. But hey, whatever you have to tell yourself to make the 60k feel worth it…
Who are Gonzaga’s notable alumni?
Who are Sidwell’s?
First Gonzaga vs Potomac now Gonzaga vs Sidwell. These Gonzaga parents have lost it. You need a reality check ASAP.
This forum needs a reality check. No one is using any real objective metrics to rank any of these schools and it’s full of bias. There is no objective metric that makes Sidwell #1 but for some reason we’re all supposed to accept it as gospel. It doesn’t have the best campus/facilities, price, college outcomes, alumni or sports. People throw these rankings around with no real rigor.
Which DC Private school has better facilities, college outcomes, alumni or sports than Sidwell? I’ll give you price, though.
And I mean name one DC Metro school that is better than Sidwell in all areas listed above? Gonzaga is already out based on its facilities/location (practically a homeless shelter), academics, college outcomes, and alumni.
Although Gonzaga does host homeless men on their campus for lunch, the campus is quite lovely.
Ehh its ok. STA, Potomac and Bullis look way better by far.
Debatable but do they look three times better?! b/c they’re like triple the price…And before you say price doesn’t matter, everyone cares about value even billionaires. No one is paying $500 for a Big Mac after all, so the price does need to reflect what you’re getting.
Yea...the price reflects great academics, sports and college results(merit and athletic). Price doesn't matter, there are so many people on FA.
People were just laying into OP on that financial aid thread the other day for asking about aid despite high income. So which one is it, is financial aid abundantly available or not b/c you can send 2 or 3 kids to Gonzaga for the price of one at these other schools. Gonzaga is very clearly a better value b/c nothing anyone here has posted shows that STA/Potomac/Bullis is leaps and bounds above Gonzaga to justify the premium. Not in terms of campus, sports, academics or alumni
Yes!! Such a good value Gonzaga is even with its recent high tuition increases. I think we paid about $20K a year to send our son there...such a good good value at $80K for all four years AND he got into a top 20. A few friends went to ivies! It was such a amazing experience for him. The boys have such a strong brotherhood bond and he got to experience so much more than those boring sprawling campuses in suburbia. Upon graduation, he was not only book smart, but street smart. His essays for college were chuck full of his experiences interacting directly with homeless people and learning their stories up close. No Potomac kid is doing anything like that.
Do you want a cookie?
I guess the Potomac booster has run out of constructive counter arguments.
I’m not a booster and I don’t have a kid there but I find your relentless delusional posting annoying. Gonzaga, with 250 kids graduating, has 6 elite school acceptances (with every student playing a sport/URM). Potomac, with 120 students, has 13. That’s not to mention how many kids they got into Duke and other great schools like Middlebury and Colgate. I’m posting Gonzaga’s page as you conveniently have forgotten to - https://www.instagram.com/gonzagaseniors_2024?igsh=aHB2bGFhenFqbDJo
There is no comparison. Gonzaga is a great school. It’s just not equal to any of the schools you keep trying to disparage.
You are right. GZ is not equal. In many ways it is much better.
You’re confused. Please stop comparing apples and oranges. Regardless if you are a Potomac parent, you know it’s a great school and most definitely perceived higher than Gonzaga.
And perception is all it is. I am glad you finally figured it out! I was in the marketing field for many years, and we used to boost prices based on "perceived" value, even though they weren't necessarily more useful or better than similar products.
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