College Acceptances for Washington Latin High School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP-you sound like you want 'guarantees' for what's after HS (a "lottery that equates to success for my child"). Most Latin families, ours included, value the HS experience itself where our child got a great education in a great community, and did not fall of the map as we feel might have happened in a different environment. If you want guarantees send your child to Deal/Wilson or Walls--with a proven track record of big ticket schools. Do know however, that you'd better have confidence that your child is a big fish there since I'm guessing that the Wilson students who do go to big ticket schools have outstanding grades, sports, testing etc. In many ways, it's easier to be THAT kid at Latin--but again, is your kid THAT kid or are you projecting? You do understand Latin has only graduated about 4 classes, has sixty kids in the graduating class, and that it is not in any way, shape or form, an application HS? Our child is graduating Latin this year. I can confidently say that colleges seemed to 'get' that Latin is a special, unique place--not just checking off a box on your way to somewhere else. Our child got into many 'reach' schools as did many of our child's classmates. When kids are getting into their 'reaches', and getting gobs of aid, that speaks well to the college application process. We are very happy OP. However, I am a little worried as a departing family that so many incoming families are looking for 'guarantees', not the experience the school clearly says it offers: a classics education drawing from all four corners of the city, educating children who will serve --humbly and ethically, embracing meaningful futures. And OP, just so you know, in the last few weeks of HS--now that application madness and APs are over - our kid is still learning, discussing, enjoying the community and having fun. There is no peeling off. It's "good to the last drop". Graduation is going to be a multi-tissue affair.

Thanks for posting this. I am a neighbor of the school and must confess that I had the typical older person's wariness of a having a HS move into the neighborhood. I was 100% mistaken to feel that way. The students are great and we love having the school as a neighbor.

Wow! What great comments! My children are in MoCo, but if I had the chance I would jump at something like this for my child, notwithstanding the lack of the type of schools on some list that OP seems to want. Go Latin, and congrats Seniors. Congrats parents for getting your kids to this stage, and congrats incoming freshers for embarking on such a wonderful opportunity!

[Anonymous]

I went to a top NE public urban high school and the range of college acceptance ran from Ivies to community college, not to mention those who were not college bound at all. Honestly, I'm more impressed with more kids continuing their education than the few trophies who claim top admission spots. Congratulations to the graduating Latin seniors!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a top NE public urban high school and the range of college acceptance ran from Ivies to community college, not to mention those who were not college bound at all. Honestly, I'm more impressed with more kids continuing their education than the few trophies who claim top admission spots. Congratulations to the graduating Latin seniors!

PP here ^^ NE = Northeastern United States, not Northeast DC

[Anonymous]

Which brings me to ... fully 1 in 4 Latin HS kids are poor. I'd wager another 25% come from "not middle class" households. Those families (and remember, I'm one of them) absolutely ARE eligible for grants and complete tuition waivers at places like, say, Ivy league schools. Williiams and Ponoma. While it's true that a family of $175K HHI will need to cough up $35,000 a year for college, a family of $43,000 will not. They'd get a free ride, IF they could get in.

So back to the original question: why don't they apply? Or do they, and they don't get in?



IF that is true, you are talking about 15 kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, 08:45.

It would be nice if some of the previous posters would sheepishly come back and acknowledge how out of touch and yes, ignorant, their comments made them sound.

I'm a PP and I'll come back and apologize if what I wrote seemed like it was meant to denigrate the kids and their achievements. It was not. However, my context is as a graduate of an urban public high school in another state, not much larger than Latin. Surrounding school districts looked down their nose at us. Yet, my classmates attended and graduated from schools like Duke, Dartmouth, Georgia Tech, Uva, VT, NC State, Rutgers, Indiana, plus a host of regional and state public schools.

I know exactly one family (college graduates) at Latin and I know they will not be happy if their DC's acceptance list looks like what was posted in the OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a completely new poster, but even after reading all of these posts (meaning, including the explanations as to why the college admissions process is so different than it was 25-30 years ago), I still think what OP is asking is a valid point. Yes, admissions is different nowadays, much more "random" to some extent, and many colleges have risen in competitiveness to entry and quality of instruction/education (which is wonderful), but there are still kids who get into top 50 colleges, incl plenty from the public high schools in this area and I don't just mean Langley and Whitman. I think there are a number of reasons why Latin's list is not comparable (even on a relative basis since it is such a smaller school), many of which are cited on this thread, but many of which are not, and I think are the ones that possibly concern OP. I'm not going to speculate in specifics since I do think that Latin is a great high school with a great mission and hits an important niche in the DC system.

OP here. I agree with this poster. I think there have been some valid points made in this thread. I'm still excited to send my kid to Latin. And I accept that I still have some learning to do about today's college application process - and perhaps I will get my comeuppance when my kid applies to colleges. But still, I'd like to see a stronger list of college acceptances out of Latin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a completely new poster, but even after reading all of these posts (meaning, including the explanations as to why the college admissions process is so different than it was 25-30 years ago), I still think what OP is asking is a valid point. Yes, admissions is different nowadays, much more "random" to some extent, and many colleges have risen in competitiveness to entry and quality of instruction/education (which is wonderful), but there are still kids who get into top 50 colleges, incl plenty from the public high schools in this area and I don't just mean Langley and Whitman. I think there are a number of reasons why Latin's list is not comparable (even on a relative basis since it is such a smaller school), many of which are cited on this thread, but many of which are not, and I think are the ones that possibly concern OP. I'm not going to speculate in specifics since I do think that Latin is a great high school with a great mission and hits an important niche in the DC system.

OP here. I agree with this poster. I think there have been some valid points made in this thread. I'm still excited to send my kid to Latin. And I accept that I still have some learning to do about today's college application process - and perhaps I will get my comeuppance when my kid applies to colleges. But still, I'd like to see a stronger list of college acceptances out of Latin.

I may have missed this somewhere - are you a new family sending your child to Latin next year? If so, why don't you call the school and ask them the same questions you are posing here?

[Anonymous]

NP here. I cut out the page to show DH last night and we we're both surprised that there weren't higher level schools, since it was just acceptances and a lot of the students are minority or lower income, which a lot of schools want for diversity. After reading this thread, I stand by my skepticism and disappointment. Maybe Latin needs more creative college counsellors?

BTW, we applied and ended up turning down our space due to many factors, though academic rigor was not one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, 08:45.

It would be nice if some of the previous posters would sheepishly come back and acknowledge how out of touch and yes, ignorant, their comments made them sound.

I'm a PP and I'll come back and apologize if what I wrote seemed like it was meant to denigrate the kids and their achievements. It was not. However, my context is as a graduate of an urban public high school in another state, not much larger than Latin. Surrounding school districts looked down their nose at us. Yet, my classmates attended and graduated from schools like Duke, Dartmouth, Georgia Tech, Uva, VT, NC State, Rutgers, Indiana, plus a host of regional and state public schools.

I know exactly one family (college graduates) at Latin and I know they will not be happy if their DC's acceptance list looks like what was posted in the OP.

They will probably be that year's version of the student at Oberlin or U of R and won't really care where other students went beyond wishing them the best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jesus, how obtuse are you people? Consider what most kids in DC do.

FWIW, I had terrific scores and grades and I went to a school in that same range as those listed above because it is where I got the best scholarship. In my HS, which was probably similar to Latin, my acceptance into that school and scholarships (as well as those of others like me) was a source of pride for the teachers.

Maybe it seems unsophisticated now, but for the first person in a family going to college it is a big deal.

A valid point. But for those of us in a different demographic (ie, high income, not the first in our family to attend college), this is a disappointing list.

+1000 Would never consider a high school for DC whose college admissions is so mediocre compared to my local public high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jesus, how obtuse are you people? Consider what most kids in DC do.

FWIW, I had terrific scores and grades and I went to a school in that same range as those listed above because it is where I got the best scholarship. In my HS, which was probably similar to Latin, my acceptance into that school and scholarships (as well as those of others like me) was a source of pride for the teachers.

Maybe it seems unsophisticated now, but for the first person in a family going to college it is a big deal.

A valid point. But for those of us in a different demographic (ie, high income, not the first in our family to attend college), this is a disappointing list.

+1000 Would never consider a high school for DC whose college admissions is so mediocre compared to my local public high school.

What is your local public high school? How large is the graduating class and what are demographics? Also, how old is you kid?

[Anonymous]

Isn't the issue that DC has a lottery system, this is a charter school, so that this school is miles better than the school that a child could be going to in a different part of the district? And that child going to a different school in a different part of the district is in high danger of not finishing high school, forget attending college? I think numbers like that for this demo, is astounding. Now, whether your child who has the opportunity to pay for a Sidwell, or has parents who can afford to live in a suburb with great public schools or area in DC with good public schools can do better - that's not really the issue, is it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't the issue that DC has a lottery system, this is a charter school, so that this school is miles better than the school that a child could be going to in a different part of the district? And that child going to a different school in a different part of the district is in high danger of not finishing high school, forget attending college? I think numbers like that for this demo, is astounding. Now, whether your child who has the opportunity to pay for a Sidwell, or has parents who can afford to live in a suburb with great public schools or area in DC with good public schools can do better - that's not really the issue, is it?

Of course that is the issue. If you are a family that is trying to decide between moving to the suburbs and attending Latin (or attending private), then the question of "Does Latin get its students into good colleges considering the average demographic of its students" is not relevant. You are more interested in the question of "What kind of college will my kid get into if they go to Latin?"

[Anonymous]

....this school is miles better than the school that a child could be going to in a different part of the district? And that child going to a different school in a different part of the district is in high danger of not finishing high school, forget attending college? I think numbers like that for this demo, is astounding.

I suspect that the difference between Latin HS and Ballou is probably pretty great, in terms of day to day experience. So, to be headed to Towson next year after 4 yrs of Latin is an improvement over the typical outcome for kids who start out at Ballou and eventually drop out, enter the penal system, have a baby, or graduate illiterate.

But I have a sneaking suspicion that OP and others like OP 1) aren't faced with the choice between a Dunbar and Latin and 2) wonder why kids like OP's aren't better positioned to gain entrance to UVA coming from Latin HS. That's all.

[Anonymous]

I can't speak to the quality of education at Latin, but the list of acceptances looks similar to what I saw in my graduating class at Yorktown 20 years ago. In my HS class, there were a few (like maybe 3) kids who went to ivies or Stanford, and a lot who went to UVA or William and Mary, but most other college bound kids went to the schools listed above. So I don't see this listing of schools as unimpressive, especially since DC has no decent in state options.