GDS and Sidwell comparison?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the thoughtful responses. I do not at this moment have a favorite, but one thing that I liked about GDS is the small class size and teacher ratio. Doesn’t that mean more individual attention? Sidwell has up to 20 kids in a class in elementary with one teacher (this was said twice during admissions process). I don’t know how many kids are in the GDS classrooms, but the website says the teacher student ratio is 6:1.

Nope, when there are 20 kids, there are always two experienced teachers in the classroom at Sidwell.

This wasn’t said in admissions sessions, do you know this for a fact to be true? The website says student teacher ratio is 12:1, but I thought that included science, art, PE teachers as well.

Yes, there ate two teachers in every home room in lower school at Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were going to apply for 9th to GDS and the admission officer pretty much told us there are 7 spots for new 9th grade boys. We crossed it off our list...

Hmm. 9th grade has always been a major expansion year with ~ 25 spots for new boys in 9th grade.

Yes. GDS generally takes 40-45 new 9th graders each year, with about half boys. No one would have told you only 7 boys. 9th is a bigger admit year at GDS than iy is for Sidwell, STA, or NCS.

[Anonymous]

Sidwell takes around 35 in 9th grade, but it can be more if there is 8th grade attrition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were going to apply for 9th to GDS and the admission officer pretty much told us there are 7 spots for new 9th grade boys. We crossed it off our list...

Are you serious? How is this possible? Don't they accept roughly 35 new students for 9th grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the thoughtful responses. I do not at this moment have a favorite, but one thing that I liked about GDS is the small class size and teacher ratio. Doesn’t that mean more individual attention? Sidwell has up to 20 kids in a class in elementary with one teacher (this was said twice during admissions process). I don’t know how many kids are in the GDS classrooms, but the website says the teacher student ratio is 6:1.

Did something change? When my child was in lower school at Sidwell, there were 2 teachers per class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the thoughtful responses. I do not at this moment have a favorite, but one thing that I liked about GDS is the small class size and teacher ratio. Doesn’t that mean more individual attention? Sidwell has up to 20 kids in a class in elementary with one teacher (this was said twice during admissions process). I don’t know how many kids are in the GDS classrooms, but the website says the teacher student ratio is 6:1.

Did something change? When my child was in lower school at Sidwell, there were 2 teachers per class.

Same. I've put four kids through SFS lower school and it has always been 2 teachers per class. Only exception is for music class, I think, maybe PE. But the general rule is two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we toured both pre-covid, Sidwell seemed more competitive, in that there was a set goal that they expected each child to get to. GDS wanted to see growth from each child, but recognized that since each child started in a different place, they'd end in a different place too. We are very happy at GDS.

Your perceptions about Sidwell here are just off. Every kid is met where they are and achieve whatever goals they set for themselves.

Maybe at the LS. The MS is quite another story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were going to apply for 9th to GDS and the admission officer pretty much told us there are 7 spots for new 9th grade boys. We crossed it off our list...

Are you serious? How is this possible? Don't they accept roughly 35 new students for 9th grade?

The only explanation is that 20 of those admits were athletic recruits or something, which is possible. I don’t think GDS has strong sibling preference though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were going to apply for 9th to GDS and the admission officer pretty much told us there are 7 spots for new 9th grade boys. We crossed it off our list...

Are you serious? How is this possible? Don't they accept roughly 35 new students for 9th grade?

The only explanation is that 20 of those admits were athletic recruits or something, which is possible. I don’t think GDS has strong sibling preference though.

GDS has crazy strong sibling preference. They have a separate application for siblings. It's due in December.
Last year something like all but five 9th grade boy spots went to siblings. You can ask admissions about it--they were quite forthcoming.
I'm not sure if the poster above (the one saying there are 7 spots) is talking about this year or not.
If it's this year, it's a repeat of last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were going to apply for 9th to GDS and the admission officer pretty much told us there are 7 spots for new 9th grade boys. We crossed it off our list...

Are you serious? How is this possible? Don't they accept roughly 35 new students for 9th grade?

The only explanation is that 20 of those admits were athletic recruits or something, which is possible. I don’t think GDS has strong sibling preference though.

GDS has crazy strong sibling preference. They have a separate application for siblings. It's due in December.
Last year something like all but five 9th grade boy spots went to siblings. You can ask admissions about it--they were quite forthcoming.
I'm not sure if the poster above (the one saying there are 7 spots) is talking about this year or not.
If it's this year, it's a repeat of last year.

Aha. Well that explains it. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sfs more academic lower school with more student feedback, skills taught and structure. Didn’t feel as if my kid was missing things or context. Librarian helped kids try out a variety of genres and writing styles.

GDS quite play based, no homework until 3rd grade (not graded or corrections made then anyhow), no language until grade 3, very lengthy social justice social studies/ reading units. Was worried my kid wasn’t taught phonics or math well: did a ton of whole language approach (aka teach yourself to read by reading to yourself). Librarian lets kids do whatever they want pk onward, no guidance unless student asks.

We consolidated the three kids over time to the school we felt most confident in.

FWIW, our DS started at GDS in K till we moved out of state. The whole language approach probably integral in him crushing every standardized test he took for college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Toured both schools a few years ago for 4th grade and saw what many friends had said: that GDS elementary school classrooms, to a one, were doing pretty much nothing. In each one--a transition, a special day, kids supposedly working in the hall but goofing off (I am in education and know the difference between productive and unmoored goofing.) I asked a former GDS HS teacher about my impression and they said it was accurate. I also gathered that in the HS, they pretty much start from scratch to get the kids into high-octane mode (which, from what I've seen, is impressive.) Sidwell seemed much more thoughtful all the way through. What a PP said about no phonics at GDS seems true, too, and if you're following education, you know that the whole language approach to reading leaves many kids behind. Strong parent education and work habits probably make for strong GDS grads, but I did not apply my child there because I didn't want to tear my hair out for 9 years watching them not make enough of their time. I'm sure someone will disagree vehemently, so have at it, but I do feel like I got some confirmation from that former GDS teacher.

This would definitely be concerning, if true. Other’s impression or experience on elementary academics there?

Both DCs attended GDS till we moved to an independent in another metro region. Their foreign language foundation was nearly two years ahead of their new peers. The whole language approach created super strong readers, now very successful HS students. DD one of the top math students at her school.

Progressive education is not for everyone.

[Anonymous]

What entry grade? Gds is changing all the time, every which way. Maybe that’s their definition of progressive - always changing to new untested things, then maybe back again, or buy something off the shelf, or do whatever. Very progressive. Teachers have A LOT of autonomy even in the lower school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Previous poster here, and yes DC was accepted to both for middle school. We found GDS and Sidwell to be more comparable in terms of academics for MS. Not sure if there is a big transition at GDS from lower school to middle school?

I would certainly hope so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the thoughtful responses. I do not at this moment have a favorite, but one thing that I liked about GDS is the small class size and teacher ratio. Doesn’t that mean more individual attention? Sidwell has up to 20 kids in a class in elementary with one teacher (this was said twice during admissions process). I don’t know how many kids are in the GDS classrooms, but the website says the teacher student ratio is 6:1.

This aggregate stat of 6:1 is Bs.

With the new building they went from 20-22 kids and 2 teachers to 16-22 students and 1 teacher and maybe bring in one subject specialists to help those very behind in math or reading. Some classes early on maybe half to Special A and half go to Special B, but that split class stuff may have ended as well.