What would be a decent GPA for a freshman at TJ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Low grades in Freshman year ( 1-2 C, majority Bs ) are a sign.

Move back to base school.

The counselors main goal is to keep u at TJ - attrition looks bad for them.

They think going to GMU is just as good as going to UVa.

This was true under Bonitatibus. I have heard that Mukai does not want to go to extraordinary effort to retain kids that are not well prepared for TJ and would rather pick up kids in the froshmore process. This is just hearsay upon hearsay but it is consistent with what I have seen of Mukai.

I applaud Mukai, if so.

While the admissions downgrade was social-engineering driven by DEI radicals, such as SB chair Karl Frisch and the prior SB, Bonitatibus was an enthusiastic cheerleader the whole way through.

The damage to the prestige and value of the TJ experience cannot be disputed: there a fewer than half as many merit scholars and test scores are down, while those returning to base has gone way up.

Mukai is simply implementing some damage control in the wake of DEIA-driven admissions changes.

Fwiw, the "half as many merit scholars" isn't a reflection of TJ or the changed admissions. Instead, the prior year had an extra large number. That was the fluke.

The other high schools combined gained almost exactly the same amount of merit scholars as the year before that TJ lost. Those are kids who should have gotten into TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Low grades in Freshman year ( 1-2 C, majority Bs ) are a sign.

Move back to base school.

The counselors main goal is to keep u at TJ - attrition looks bad for them.

They think going to GMU is just as good as going to UVa.

This was true under Bonitatibus. I have heard that Mukai does not want to go to extraordinary effort to retain kids that are not well prepared for TJ and would rather pick up kids in the froshmore process. This is just hearsay upon hearsay but it is consistent with what I have seen of Mukai.

I applaud Mukai, if so.

While the admissions downgrade was social-engineering driven by DEI radicals, such as SB chair Karl Frisch and the prior SB, Bonitatibus was an enthusiastic cheerleader the whole way through.

The damage to the prestige and value of the TJ experience cannot be disputed: there a fewer than half as many merit scholars and test scores are down, while those returning to base has gone way up.

Mukai is simply implementing some damage control in the wake of DEIA-driven admissions changes.

Fwiw, the "half as many merit scholars" isn't a reflection of TJ or the changed admissions. Instead, the prior year had an extra large number. That was the fluke.

The other high schools combined gained almost exactly the same amount of merit scholars as the year before that TJ lost. Those are kids who should have gotten into TJ.

No they didn't.

[Anonymous]

The woke troll is bending over backward to push froshmore applications, just to cover up the freshman exodus and not attract criticism of the non-merit, essay-based admissions that contribute to freshmen exodus.

But not having the chance of experiencing freshmen puts froshmores at a disadvantage compared to sophomores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The woke troll is bending over backward to push froshmore applications, just to cover up the freshman exodus and not attract criticism of the non-merit, essay-based admissions that contribute to freshmen exodus.

But not having the chance of experiencing freshmen puts froshmores at a disadvantage compared to sophomores.

So how large is the freshmen exodus this year if you know?
I ask my son he said sofar he never heard anyone going back to base school, maybe just his circle (his ibest and his EC groups of friends).

[Anonymous]

I’m still unclear—what would be considered a decent GPA? I haven’t seen a clear answer yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m still unclear—what would be considered a decent GPA? I haven’t seen a clear answer yet.

3.75

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an incoming freshman (he’s a merit kid from a feeder, not lottery), if he came home with a C on his report card freshman year he would be headed straight back to our base school. I wouldn’t wait for the end of the year. Our family has high educational expectations. C’s might “earn degrees”, but not in this house.

I’m not worried about his grades and expect him to have all As or close to it freshman year. It gets harder each year, so C’s freshman year is a horrible start. As a parent, you should be able to see very early on if your child is thriving or just surviving at the school. If the year starts out with lower grades on the first few tests/quizzes/assignments, that is the time to make adjustments to study habits and extracurricular time commitments (don’t wait until the kids GPA is already ruined).

Funny. This is clearly a troll post, with obvious giveaway clues that make it easy to spot as fake.

Not a troll, I have high standards for education for my children. It would also be super concerning for a child who has scored all As in middle school advanced classes to suddenly have a C on his report card. I know not all parents are as concerned with GPA, but most parents of TJ students are concerned. TJ isn’t an average high school, a C would be a 2.0, students get kicked out of they don’t have a 3.0 GPA, so clearly C’s are not what the school is expecting of the students.

Do you even have a TJ student?

Do YOU have a TJ student? Way to drive them to craziness.

My original post stated that I have an incoming freshman. He’s extremely intelligent and I have high expectations. Having a C would mean he wasn’t trying at all in the class. I’m sure he will have to work harder in some classes at TJ, but that’s why he wanted to go. Elementary/middle has been extremely boring and too easy, he needs a challenge.

I don’t know why any parent of an intelligent high achieving child who got into TJ would be ok with C’s when their child could have much higher grades at the base school, thus having better options for colleges.

I have a kid at TJ and a C does NOT mean they are not trying. Especially in math. It might mean they are unprepared for TJ.

Every kid there was bored in elementary and middle school and a lot of them still get C's despite trying their best.

My kid had Cs in the first half of Algebra 2 and I got him some tutoring and he pulled A's the second half and managed to end up with a B but he was definitely heading for a C and not for a lack of trying. A lot of kids are getting Cs in that class.

The woke crowd is going to burn me for saying this but if you have an incoming freshman, have them watch (with intent) some videos on statistics and algebra 2 or get them tutoring. If they aren't into math and doing math counts and AMC 8/10 in middle school, this stuff is going to be a bit of a leap from what they are used to.

I was talking about my particular kid. If he gets C’s it is only for lack of doing homework or trying. He already had As in Honors Algebra I, Honors Geometry, and Honors Algebra II with very minimal effort. I wouldn’t expect him to all the sudden have a hard time grasping concepts at TJ.

Pretty much all the kids at TJ got As in math before going to TJ. Kids taking calculus as freshmen that got easy As in math their entire life suddenly get their first C. A bunch of freshman in pure calc get Cs. There is a famous email blast from the math department to all the freshmen math 4 pre-calc students expressing disappointment in their final grades. The average grade was a 70% for kids that took algebra 2 as 8th graders. A substantial minority of them got a 50 or less. That's an F.

I hope your kid does great in math and maybe he's a natural, but I'm just saying a bit of caution might be appropriate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Low grades in Freshman year ( 1-2 C, majority Bs ) are a sign.

Move back to base school.

The counselors main goal is to keep u at TJ - attrition looks bad for them.

They think going to GMU is just as good as going to UVa.

This was true under Bonitatibus. I have heard that Mukai does not want to go to extraordinary effort to retain kids that are not well prepared for TJ and would rather pick up kids in the froshmore process. This is just hearsay upon hearsay but it is consistent with what I have seen of Mukai.

I applaud Mukai, if so.

While the admissions downgrade was social-engineering driven by DEI radicals, such as SB chair Karl Frisch and the prior SB, Bonitatibus was an enthusiastic cheerleader the whole way through.

The damage to the prestige and value of the TJ experience cannot be disputed: there a fewer than half as many merit scholars and test scores are down, while those returning to base has gone way up.

Mukai is simply implementing some damage control in the wake of DEIA-driven admissions changes.

Fwiw, the "half as many merit scholars" isn't a reflection of TJ or the changed admissions. Instead, the prior year had an extra large number. That was the fluke.

This was the first time it was below 100 ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Low grades in Freshman year ( 1-2 C, majority Bs ) are a sign.

Move back to base school.

The counselors main goal is to keep u at TJ - attrition looks bad for them.

They think going to GMU is just as good as going to UVa.

This was true under Bonitatibus. I have heard that Mukai does not want to go to extraordinary effort to retain kids that are not well prepared for TJ and would rather pick up kids in the froshmore process. This is just hearsay upon hearsay but it is consistent with what I have seen of Mukai.

I applaud Mukai, if so.

While the admissions downgrade was social-engineering driven by DEI radicals, such as SB chair Karl Frisch and the prior SB, Bonitatibus was an enthusiastic cheerleader the whole way through.

The damage to the prestige and value of the TJ experience cannot be disputed: there a fewer than half as many merit scholars and test scores are down, while those returning to base has gone way up.

Mukai is simply implementing some damage control in the wake of DEIA-driven admissions changes.

Fwiw, the "half as many merit scholars" isn't a reflection of TJ or the changed admissions. Instead, the prior year had an extra large number. That was the fluke.

This was the first time it was below 100 ever.

Number of TJHSST National Merit Semifinalists Since 2016

2025: 81
(1st yr new admission system - 100 more students than in prior years)

2024: 165
2023: 132
2022: 144
2021: 132
2020: 157
2019: 159
2018: 145
2017: 119
2016: 163

The woke crowd has an excuse for everything. They even try to blame COVID. How does covid affect the class of 2025 but not the class of 2024? How does Covid affect TJ but no other school in FCPS or any of the other magnet schools across the country?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The woke troll is bending over backward to push froshmore applications, just to cover up the freshman exodus and not attract criticism of the non-merit, essay-based admissions that contribute to freshmen exodus.

But not having the chance of experiencing freshmen puts froshmores at a disadvantage compared to sophomores.

I am very much against the new admissions process but that is a political decision made by FCPS board. Mukai is trying to salvage what he can and I think it is better than nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m still unclear—what would be considered a decent GPA? I haven’t seen a clear answer yet.

Decent 3.7+
Very Good 3.9+
Excellent 4.0

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Middle part of the bell curve

Depending on number of transferred HS courses from middle school,
assuming freshman grades of three A, two A-, one B+, and one B:

unweighted GPA 3.67 to 3.77
weighted GPA 3.87 to 4.03

Disagree.

At least years parent orientation (I assume you were there), we were all specifically informed by TJ administrators to no be alarmed by grades of B, or even C, on our children’s report cards.

Many students do their very best, and receive an excellent, free, education at TJ, while earning C grades.

Remember: a grade of C denotes “average.”

+1

C’s earn degrees.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Middle part of the bell curve

Depending on number of transferred HS courses from middle school,
assuming freshman grades of three A, two A-, one B+, and one B:

unweighted GPA 3.67 to 3.77
weighted GPA 3.87 to 4.03

Disagree.

At least years parent orientation (I assume you were there), we were all specifically informed by TJ administrators to no be alarmed by grades of B, or even C, on our children’s report cards.

Many students do their very best, and receive an excellent, free, education at TJ, while earning C grades.

Remember: a grade of C denotes “average.”

That is BS. They have to say that because of the weird lottery that is taking kids based on their skin color and not merit. The standards have been lowered. If you are getting a C, stay at your home school.

Ridiculous. Then no one will get Cs at TJ.
What about people who get Cs at base school what should they do

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have an incoming freshman (he’s a merit kid from a feeder, not lottery), if he came home with a C on his report card freshman year he would be headed straight back to our base school. I wouldn’t wait for the end of the year. Our family has high educational expectations. C’s might “earn degrees”, but not in this house.

I’m not worried about his grades and expect him to have all As or close to it freshman year. It gets harder each year, so C’s freshman year is a horrible start. As a parent, you should be able to see very early on if your child is thriving or just surviving at the school. If the year starts out with lower grades on the first few tests/quizzes/assignments, that is the time to make adjustments to study habits and extracurricular time commitments (don’t wait until the kids GPA is already ruined).

I love a confident queen. 😂 Good luck to your kid next year. And may you create some space for him to be less than perfect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an incoming freshman (he’s a merit kid from a feeder, not lottery), if he came home with a C on his report card freshman year he would be headed straight back to our base school. I wouldn’t wait for the end of the year. Our family has high educational expectations. C’s might “earn degrees”, but not in this house.

I’m not worried about his grades and expect him to have all As or close to it freshman year. It gets harder each year, so C’s freshman year is a horrible start. As a parent, you should be able to see very early on if your child is thriving or just surviving at the school. If the year starts out with lower grades on the first few tests/quizzes/assignments, that is the time to make adjustments to study habits and extracurricular time commitments (don’t wait until the kids GPA is already ruined).

Funny. This is clearly a troll post, with obvious giveaway clues that make it easy to spot as fake.

Not a troll, I have high standards for education for my children. It would also be super concerning for a child who has scored all As in middle school advanced classes to suddenly have a C on his report card. I know not all parents are as concerned with GPA, but most parents of TJ students are concerned. TJ isn’t an average high school, a C would be a 2.0, students get kicked out of they don’t have a 3.0 GPA, so clearly C’s are not what the school is expecting of the students.

Do you even have a TJ student?

Do YOU have a TJ student? Way to drive them to craziness.

My original post stated that I have an incoming freshman. He’s extremely intelligent and I have high expectations. Having a C would mean he wasn’t trying at all in the class. I’m sure he will have to work harder in some classes at TJ, but that’s why he wanted to go. Elementary/middle has been extremely boring and too easy, he needs a challenge.

I don’t know why any parent of an intelligent high achieving child who got into TJ would be ok with C’s when their child could have much higher grades at the base school, thus having better options for colleges.

I have a kid at TJ and a C does NOT mean they are not trying. Especially in math. It might mean they are unprepared for TJ.

Every kid there was bored in elementary and middle school and a lot of them still get C's despite trying their best.

My kid had Cs in the first half of Algebra 2 and I got him some tutoring and he pulled A's the second half and managed to end up with a B but he was definitely heading for a C and not for a lack of trying. A lot of kids are getting Cs in that class.

The woke crowd is going to burn me for saying this but if you have an incoming freshman, have them watch (with intent) some videos on statistics and algebra 2 or get them tutoring. If they aren't into math and doing math counts and AMC 8/10 in middle school, this stuff is going to be a bit of a leap from what they are used to.

DD found TJ math 3 easy. Has had a straight A. Some tests the red ones are really hard. She has no extracurriculars though sleeps 9 hrs.
Their seniors told them that math 3 is harder than math 4. It seems it will get easier. Yes many kids are unprepared for the math rigor considering my kid is above average as per my judgment. I’m a SAHM
and not from mathematical background but both my elder siblings are STEM background.
It’s possible they can blow one subject just by bombing one single test. All As throughout the year D+ in final exam.
It happens. All the kids have worked very very hard. Kid was getting a B+ in English tried a bit harder but can’t just take a subject for granted ended up with the D+ in finals in a subject she finds easy.