How did K-8s do this year?

[Anonymous]

Which schools have good outplacements? I understand these are St Pat’s, NPS, WES and Sheridan. Is that right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which schools have good outplacements? I understand these are St Pat’s, NPS, WES and Sheridan. Is that right?

NPS ends at 6th grade so it is not a K-8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lowell has had bad results this year so far. Just objectively bad. One kid got in everywhere so the school will say they got kids into Sidwell, Maret, GDS but it’s all one kid. There were maybe 2 more in at GDS, 1 more in at Sidwell, and the rest of the class on the waitlist or just rejected. Some kids got in literally nowhere. Not good.

That is so unfortunate. Do you think that this was a fluke year? Lots of students/families with unreasonable expectations?

We are at another k-8 and from what I am hearing (I'm not an 8th grade parent), most 8th grade families seem pleased. The 2 families that I have heard that are not happy are ones who were aiming for schools that were definitely out of reach for their child's capabilities based on what I know of the students (ex. a child with dyslexia that is not getting appropriate supports bc of parent denial of how bad it is, despite pressure from school to get child support. - no shock that child did not get in to St Alban's)

How are Lowell's math offerings? I understand that some schools require that students complete Algebra 1 before entering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lowell has had bad results this year so far. Just objectively bad. One kid got in everywhere so the school will say they got kids into Sidwell, Maret, GDS but it’s all one kid. There were maybe 2 more in at GDS, 1 more in at Sidwell, and the rest of the class on the waitlist or just rejected. Some kids got in literally nowhere. Not good.

Three kids in at GDS, 2 at Sidwell, and 1 at Maret is pretty standard for a small grade. A couple more would be a great year. Kids who applied to those three and didn’t get in anywhere is not surprising. Not getting in anywhere and also throwing in a few more schools (Burke, Field, SAES, St. John’s) without any red flags or the need of large amounts of financial aid would be strange. I think one of the issues is that so many kids from Lowell want the same schools (GDS, Maret) and have less interest in a wider schools like Holton but also Burke which used to be a bigger draw for Lowell and now Sandy Spring seems risky.

Sheridan getting 10 kids into GDS last year is a lot. If that kept up it may say more about how confident GDS feels about how the kids from Sheridan are prepared and that they are more likely to come to the school due to proximity and fit. Otherwise, it may have just been a strong class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which schools have good outplacements? I understand these are St Pat’s, NPS, WES and Sheridan. Is that right?

NPS ends at 6th grade so it is not a K-8.

I would include any school that ends before 12th grade in the spirit of the question. There is also Langley in Virginia and several catholic K-8s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lowell has had bad results this year so far. Just objectively bad. One kid got in everywhere so the school will say they got kids into Sidwell, Maret, GDS but it’s all one kid. There were maybe 2 more in at GDS, 1 more in at Sidwell, and the rest of the class on the waitlist or just rejected. Some kids got in literally nowhere. Not good.

Three kids in at GDS, 2 at Sidwell, and 1 at Maret is pretty standard for a small grade. A couple more would be a great year. Kids who applied to those three and didn’t get in anywhere is not surprising. Not getting in anywhere and also throwing in a few more schools (Burke, Field, SAES, St. John’s) without any red flags or the need of large amounts of financial aid would be strange. I think one of the issues is that so many kids from Lowell want the same schools (GDS, Maret) and have less interest in a wider schools like Holton but also Burke which used to be a bigger draw for Lowell and now Sandy Spring seems risky.

Sheridan getting 10 kids into GDS last year is a lot. If that kept up it may say more about how confident GDS feels about how the kids from Sheridan are prepared and that they are more likely to come to the school due to proximity and fit. Otherwise, it may have just been a strong class.

Lipstick, meet the lips of a pig

[Anonymous]

Sheridan’s outplacement is great and has been for many (recent) years, as far as I am aware of. Also last year, 12 were accepted to GDS (of 31 so closer to 40% of the class).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sheridan’s outplacement is great and has been for many (recent) years, as far as I am aware of. Also last year, 12 were accepted to GDS (of 31 so closer to 40% of the class).

Yes, it is great. And, yes, it was indeed a total of 12 admitted to GDS last year. There was a patch where there were some hiccups maybe six or so years ago, but the last three years (at least) have been very strong. They now have a dedicated outplacement director who is extremely experienced. This year several kids have four or five choices. I've heard of multiple (at least five, could be more) admits to GDS and multiple admits to Maret (with some overlap, of course). Heard Haven't heard much about other schools yet, but I haven't been actively seeking info. I assume it's along the lines of previous years. Heard the class is very happy overall. This is the first year where they have a dedicated outplacement director (same person who has been leading for years, but now it's a full time job). She's amazing. And the whole outplacement team just rocks.

[Anonymous]

Lowell has no staff member dedicated to outplacement. It’s the head of middle school, plus the head of school, and weirdly, the head of school’s executive assistant. All have other responsibilities, obviously.

[Anonymous]

Are they good at it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which schools have good outplacements? I understand these are St Pat’s, NPS, WES and Sheridan. Is that right?

Norwood outplacement is consistently good.

[Anonymous]

Does it matter if a school has a specific outplacement person? Can the head of school do the job or does it need to be someone else full-time? Our DC has been accepted to two K-8 schools (one with and one without) and now I’m wondering if we should be considering this as a factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does it matter if a school has a specific outplacement person? Can the head of school do the job or does it need to be someone else full-time? Our DC has been accepted to two K-8 schools (one with and one without) and now I’m wondering if we should be considering this as a factor.

A dedicated outplacement specialist can make or break admission. Heads of schools have so many responsibilities, they can’t possibly give every case the necessary time and oversight they need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does it matter if a school has a specific outplacement person? Can the head of school do the job or does it need to be someone else full-time? Our DC has been accepted to two K-8 schools (one with and one without) and now I’m wondering if we should be considering this as a factor.

It completely depends on the school and the individuals who are part of the outplacement team. I don’t think most have a dedicated person to handle outplacement and it’s more likely the head of school/head of middle school who handles this.

[Anonymous]

The results speak for themselves.