applying to private school from DCPS isn't easy; my advice: if you want to move, do it early on

[Anonymous]

thank you OP. that is the reality check I needed. My kid is in PK4 at a title one school and her teacher already told me she has my kid paired up with slower kids to work on letters, sounds, colors etc. Thats not her responsibility and it starts young and only gets worse. Unfortunately in DC classrooms just being at grade level puts you ahead of most kids. We probably wouldn't go for a big three but Lowell is looking like an option now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:thank you OP. that is the reality check I needed. My kid is in PK4 at a title one school and her teacher already told me she has my kid paired up with slower kids to work on letters, sounds, colors etc. Thats not her responsibility and it starts young and only gets worse. Unfortunately in DC classrooms just being at grade level puts you ahead of most kids. We probably wouldn't go for a big three but Lowell is looking like an option now.

You realize that that strategy is going to be found in private school as well as public school, particularly at a progressive school such as Lowell. Your dc's "teaching" helps to reinforce the concepts for your dc. It's not detrimental.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have not had the perception from this forum that it's "easy" to get into a private school.

There are regularly posts about DCPS that insinuate that switching to private is easy:

"well, if XX school quality decreases, upper middle class families will leave for private".
"if my kid doesn't get advanced math instruction we'll switch to private".

I do think it's said pretty routinely and cavalierly.

As a long-time dcum participant, I completely agree. And I smh too, because as a private school parent (for 10 years now) I know the odds are much more difficult than the cavalier posters realize. Note that's very true of elementary school, too. A variation on the theme is the parent who assumes they can simply switch their rising 2nd grader from Watkins / noyes / seaton to a non-parochial private if the mood overtakes them. I see them on tours at my kids'' school every year. There just isn't space, especially in those non-expansion years when it seems the "fine for ECE" dcps and dcpcs are no longer working.

Honestly, it's not that hard to get into most private schools. There are a handful of "top" schools where admissions is challenging but if you're willing to look beyond those, there is lots of room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:thank you OP. that is the reality check I needed. My kid is in PK4 at a title one school and her teacher already told me she has my kid paired up with slower kids to work on letters, sounds, colors etc. Thats not her responsibility and it starts young and only gets worse. Unfortunately in DC classrooms just being at grade level puts you ahead of most kids. We probably wouldn't go for a big three but Lowell is looking like an option now.

You realize that that strategy is going to be found in private school as well as public school, particularly at a progressive school such as Lowell. Your dc's "teaching" helps to reinforce the concepts for your dc. It's not detrimental.

NP: Yes, but when an expensive private school does it, PP will tout it as "best practices." At DCPS it means her brilliant 4-year-old isn't being academically challenged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our experience was similar to OP's when applying to 6th last year.

DC with 5 on PARCC got 30% on SSAT and had to go to a tutor.

Shut out of everywhere except school where sibling is. We had moved sibling in an earlier grade when it was easier.

Feedback from private this year is that DC is very weak on grammar and punctuation rules, does not know how to take notes, and does not know how to study.

We are dreading the process for our youngest DC next year.

Most 6th graders have no clue on notes or study skills....

You'd better believe that 6th graders at the 2 DC independent schools I know do have study skills. Because these 2 schools have been teaching them routinely and pointedly for years. I think that may be OP's point. Education is not some fungible good that you can just switch out and a dcps (or mcps or Arl or ...) isn't interchangeable with each other or with 6 years in elementary at an independent where they explicitly teach note taking and study skills.

My DCPS kids also have been taught study skills routinely and pointedly, including note taking and study skills. Please stop listening the the bitter parent who is angry the day after getting rejections.

[Anonymous]

Not unhappy with DCPS, but my sixth grader has not learned to take notes. No textbooks, so study skills aren't applicable.

[Anonymous]

OP here again.

-I've since heard from more of the parents at our JKLM and the results are the same. It was a really hard year for admissions. No one I know got in from our JKLM (this is for middle school). I do know some Deal kids who got
accepted at St. Johns and Gonzaga and GDS. I know many others from Deal who were rejected or waitlisted everywhere they applied. All are "good students"--A's, good testing, top athletes, etc.

-I'm not saying this to trash DCPS (we actually love our kids' schools) but just as an FYI for other parents because my eyes were opened.

-I'm talking about admissions for the top DC privates: Sidwell, GDS, the Cathedral schools, WIS, Potomac, Maret. There are other schools that are easier to get accepted at. Even at the top
schools there are those who have 20 spots and those who have 5 for some of the middle school entry years making some far more competitive. We did apply to top schools. I figured, "if we're going to leave DCPS where we're
happy, and start paying a lot of money it's only going to be for a top school". I also naively thought that a "top" student at DCPS would get in to one of these top schools. Some of the parents
saying they (or friends) got accepted at private schools from DCPS are not talking about the top schools. They're applying to places like Burke or Field or Lowell or Sheridan, or the Catholic high schools. All great
schools but easier to get accepted to.

-I wonder if it's easier to get accepted to private school from an EOTP public than from a JKLM. I bet this is the case for good students. The independent schools probably figure if they're going to
fill a "public school applicant" spot, they will take a top kid from less polished public (or a kid who doesn't have Deal as the next option). This total sense to me and is a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here again.

-I've since heard from more of the parents at our JKLM and the results are the same. It was a really hard year for admissions. No one I know got in from our JKLM (this is for middle school). I do know some Deal kids who got
accepted at St. Johns and Gonzaga and GDS. I know many others from Deal who were rejected or waitlisted everywhere they applied. All are "good students"--A's, good testing, top athletes, etc.

-I'm not saying this to trash DCPS (we actually love our kids' schools) but just as an FYI for other parents because my eyes were opened.

-I'm talking about admissions for the top DC privates: Sidwell, GDS, the Cathedral schools, WIS, Potomac, Maret. There are other schools that are easier to get accepted at. Even at the top
schools there are those who have 20 spots and those who have 5 for some of the middle school entry years making some far more competitive. We did apply to top schools. I figured, "if we're going to leave DCPS where we're
happy, and start paying a lot of money it's only going to be for a top school". I also naively thought that a "top" student at DCPS would get in to one of these top schools. Some of the parents
saying they (or friends) got accepted at private schools from DCPS are not talking about the top schools. They're applying to places like Burke or Field or Lowell or Sheridan, or the Catholic high schools. All great
schools but easier to get accepted to.

-I wonder if it's easier to get accepted to private school from an EOTP public than from a JKLM. I bet this is the case for good students. The independent schools probably figure if they're going to
fill a "public school applicant" spot, they will take a top kid from less polished public (or a kid who doesn't have Deal as the next option). This total sense to me and is a good thing.

Polished? Please.

You are forgetting you are also competing against children from Brent, Maury, and charter schools. I know 5 children from those sorts of schools that did get into Sidwell / NCS / Maret for middle school.

The city is bigger than JKLM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have not had the perception from this forum that it's "easy" to get into a private school.

There are regularly posts about DCPS that insinuate that switching to private is easy:

"well, if XX school quality decreases, upper middle class families will leave for private".
"if my kid doesn't get advanced math instruction we'll switch to private".

I do think it's said pretty routinely and cavalierly.

As a long-time dcum participant, I completely agree. And I smh too, because as a private school parent (for 10 years now) I know the odds are much more difficult than the cavalier posters realize. Note that's very true of elementary school, too. A variation on the theme is the parent who assumes they can simply switch their rising 2nd grader from Watkins / noyes / seaton to a non-parochial private if the mood overtakes them. I see them on tours at my kids'' school every year. There just isn't space, especially in those non-expansion years when it seems the "fine for ECE" dcps and dcpcs are no longer working.

Honestly, it's not that hard to get into most private schools. There are a handful of "top" schools where admissions is challenging but if you're willing to look beyond those, there is lots of room.

Honestly, it actually is difficult to get an offer from a high quality independent school.

If you're simply fleeing dcps and will give your tuition check to any old non-public school that will take it, then I agree with you. Query whether that's actually an improvement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again.

-I've since heard from more of the parents at our JKLM and the results are the same. It was a really hard year for admissions. No one I know got in from our JKLM (this is for middle school). I do know some Deal kids who got
accepted at St. Johns and Gonzaga and GDS. I know many others from Deal who were rejected or waitlisted everywhere they applied. All are "good students"--A's, good testing, top athletes, etc.

-I'm not saying this to trash DCPS (we actually love our kids' schools) but just as an FYI for other parents because my eyes were opened.

-I'm talking about admissions for the top DC privates: Sidwell, GDS, the Cathedral schools, WIS, Potomac, Maret. There are other schools that are easier to get accepted at. Even at the top
schools there are those who have 20 spots and those who have 5 for some of the middle school entry years making some far more competitive. We did apply to top schools. I figured, "if we're going to leave DCPS where we're
happy, and start paying a lot of money it's only going to be for a top school". I also naively thought that a "top" student at DCPS would get in to one of these top schools. Some of the parents
saying they (or friends) got accepted at private schools from DCPS are not talking about the top schools. They're applying to places like Burke or Field or Lowell or Sheridan, or the Catholic high schools. All great
schools but easier to get accepted to.

-I wonder if it's easier to get accepted to private school from an EOTP public than from a JKLM. I bet this is the case for good students. The independent schools probably figure if they're going to
fill a "public school applicant" spot, they will take a top kid from less polished public (or a kid who doesn't have Deal as the next option). This total sense to me and is a good thing.

Polished? Please.

You are forgetting you are also competing against children from Brent, Maury, and charter schools. I know 5 children from those sorts of schools that did get into Sidwell / NCS / Maret for middle school.

The city is bigger than JKLM.

+1. Thank you, PP. agreed. I think I know what OP was inferring when she talks about EOTP. OP, thanks for sharing but stop licking your wounds here. You’re on the verge of insulting everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again.

-I've since heard from more of the parents at our JKLM and the results are the same. It was a really hard year for admissions. No one I know got in from our JKLM (this is for middle school). I do know some Deal kids who got
accepted at St. Johns and Gonzaga and GDS. I know many others from Deal who were rejected or waitlisted everywhere they applied. All are "good students"--A's, good testing, top athletes, etc.

-I'm not saying this to trash DCPS (we actually love our kids' schools) but just as an FYI for other parents because my eyes were opened.

-I'm talking about admissions for the top DC privates: Sidwell, GDS, the Cathedral schools, WIS, Potomac, Maret. There are other schools that are easier to get accepted at. Even at the top
schools there are those who have 20 spots and those who have 5 for some of the middle school entry years making some far more competitive. We did apply to top schools. I figured, "if we're going to leave DCPS where we're
happy, and start paying a lot of money it's only going to be for a top school". I also naively thought that a "top" student at DCPS would get in to one of these top schools. Some of the parents
saying they (or friends) got accepted at private schools from DCPS are not talking about the top schools. They're applying to places like Burke or Field or Lowell or Sheridan, or the Catholic high schools. All great
schools but easier to get accepted to.

-I wonder if it's easier to get accepted to private school from an EOTP public than from a JKLM. I bet this is the case for good students. The independent schools probably figure if they're going to
fill a "public school applicant" spot, they will take a top kid from less polished public (or a kid who doesn't have Deal as the next option). This total sense to me and is a good thing.

Polished? Please.

You are forgetting you are also competing against children from Brent, Maury, and charter schools. I know 5 children from those sorts of schools that did get into Sidwell / NCS / Maret for middle school.

The city is bigger than JKLM.

Lol. Maury

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here again.

-I've since heard from more of the parents at our JKLM and the results are the same. It was a really hard year for admissions. No one I know got in from our JKLM (this is for middle school). I do know some Deal kids who got
accepted at St. Johns and Gonzaga and GDS. I know many others from Deal who were rejected or waitlisted everywhere they applied. All are "good students"--A's, good testing, top athletes, etc.

-I'm not saying this to trash DCPS (we actually love our kids' schools) but just as an FYI for other parents because my eyes were opened.

-I'm talking about admissions for the top DC privates: Sidwell, GDS, the Cathedral schools, WIS, Potomac, Maret. There are other schools that are easier to get accepted at. Even at the top
schools there are those who have 20 spots and those who have 5 for some of the middle school entry years making some far more competitive. We did apply to top schools. I figured, "if we're going to leave DCPS where we're
happy, and start paying a lot of money it's only going to be for a top school". I also naively thought that a "top" student at DCPS would get in to one of these top schools. Some of the parents
saying they (or friends) got accepted at private schools from DCPS are not talking about the top schools. They're applying to places like Burke or Field or Lowell or Sheridan, or the Catholic high schools. All great
schools but easier to get accepted to.

-I wonder if it's easier to get accepted to private school from an EOTP public than from a JKLM. I bet this is the case for good students. The independent schools probably figure if they're going to
fill a "public school applicant" spot, they will take a top kid from less polished public (or a kid who doesn't have Deal as the next option). This total sense to me and is a good thing.

How do you know that your child is a "top" student at a DCPS elementary school? They don't even give grades and they don't rank. Our kids moved from a DCPS elementary school to a private school on your list, but we never represented them as "top" students or "top" athletes. You sound very concerned with rankings. Now that we are at one of these schools, we can see that there are many, many children who are incredibly accomplished at a young age. There are plenty of kids from DCPS schools who are doing very well. It is a numbers game and it is not the fault of your DCPS school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again.

-I've since heard from more of the parents at our JKLM and the results are the same. It was a really hard year for admissions. No one I know got in from our JKLM (this is for middle school). I do know some Deal kids who got
accepted at St. Johns and Gonzaga and GDS. I know many others from Deal who were rejected or waitlisted everywhere they applied. All are "good students"--A's, good testing, top athletes, etc.

-I'm not saying this to trash DCPS (we actually love our kids' schools) but just as an FYI for other parents because my eyes were opened.

-I'm talking about admissions for the top DC privates: Sidwell, GDS, the Cathedral schools, WIS, Potomac, Maret. There are other schools that are easier to get accepted at. Even at the top
schools there are those who have 20 spots and those who have 5 for some of the middle school entry years making some far more competitive. We did apply to top schools. I figured, "if we're going to leave DCPS where we're
happy, and start paying a lot of money it's only going to be for a top school". I also naively thought that a "top" student at DCPS would get in to one of these top schools. Some of the parents
saying they (or friends) got accepted at private schools from DCPS are not talking about the top schools. They're applying to places like Burke or Field or Lowell or Sheridan, or the Catholic high schools. All great
schools but easier to get accepted to.

-I wonder if it's easier to get accepted to private school from an EOTP public than from a JKLM. I bet this is the case for good students. The independent schools probably figure if they're going to
fill a "public school applicant" spot, they will take a top kid from less polished public (or a kid who doesn't have Deal as the next option). This total sense to me and is a good thing.

Polished? Please.

You are forgetting you are also competing against children from Brent, Maury, and charter schools. I know 5 children from those sorts of schools that did get into Sidwell / NCS / Maret for middle school.

The city is bigger than JKLM.

+1. Thank you, PP. agreed. I think I know what OP was inferring when she talks about EOTP. OP, thanks for sharing but stop licking your wounds here. You’re on the verge of insulting everyone.

I’m a PP that mentioned my child and a few classmates were accepted from an EOTP school, including one to a Big 3. I’d note that not all of these children were POC, and that this is actually a Deal feeder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have not had the perception from this forum that it's "easy" to get into a private school.

There are regularly posts about DCPS that insinuate that switching to private is easy:

"well, if XX school quality decreases, upper middle class families will leave for private".
"if my kid doesn't get advanced math instruction we'll switch to private".

I do think it's said pretty routinely and cavalierly.

As a long-time dcum participant, I completely agree. And I smh too, because as a private school parent (for 10 years now) I know the odds are much more difficult than the cavalier posters realize. Note that's very true of elementary school, too. A variation on the theme is the parent who assumes they can simply switch their rising 2nd grader from Watkins / noyes / seaton to a non-parochial private if the mood overtakes them. I see them on tours at my kids'' school every year. There just isn't space, especially in those non-expansion years when it seems the "fine for ECE" dcps and dcpcs are no longer working.

Honestly, it's not that hard to get into most private schools. There are a handful of "top" schools where admissions is challenging but if you're willing to look beyond those, there is lots of room.

I don't know which schools you think are not that hard to get into. The last two years have seen huge increases in applications at most area schools. The AD from Potomac, Landon, and Bullis last year mentioned it to me in separate conversations. At the MS level, which isn't a huge entry year, you're looking at 10 applicants per slot or more for some of these schools. They're not going to increase class sizes, they just admit enough to fill slots. It's hard to know what they want, too. Some kids with lower stats get in, others get WL, others get a no. It's just dependent on the schools needs in terms of rounding out their classes.

[Anonymous]

There will be an increase when the economy is doing well. I suspect the results may be the same until the economy does not grow