Racial/Socioeconomic diversity at Sidwell versus Beauvoir?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure what the OP is seeking in regards to economic diversity. There are hardly any families at either who receive substantial FA.

Are you just trolling for controversy? See below analysis from page 2 of this thread. Average assistance award of over $21,000 for 23% of students.

Anonymous wrote:

Sidwell wrote:For the 2009-2010 school year, 1,109 students (560 boys and 549 girls) are enrolled. Forty percent of the student body are students of color. Twenty-three percent of the student body receive $5.4 million of need-based financial assistance.

Wow, if you do the math, this is pretty amazing. This means that 255 students are receiving an average need-based assistance award of over $21,000. But for fundraising by the school, that means for the other 854 students not receiving aid, $6,300 (21%) of each student's tuition is going toward financial aid. Pretty amazing.

No, I am not trolling! There are a very limited number of families who receive grants that cover virtually full tuition per grade. They pay under $2500 per year as their contribution. I was further replying to OP's query concerning economic diversity.

Let me guess, you're a Sidwell parent? Sheesh.

[Anonymous]

I'm not understanding you. First you say "hardly any families receive substantial FA," so I show you data indicating that (at least at Sidwell) nearly 1 in 4 students receives an average grant of over $21,000 (which should cover about 69% of tuition). Now you're saying your real complaint is that not enough of those families receive grants that cover "virtually full" tuition? You're complaining that 69% coverage is "not substantial"?

No one has posted similar data about the percentage of Beauvoir students that receives aid. All I know about Beauvoir is that the school's website indicates it gives about $1 million per year in financial aid. I'd imagine the percentage of students getting financial aid is similar there.

I'm really not trying to be difficult. I'm just surprised and confused by your complaint. It seems both of these schools are pretty generous in terms of financial aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure what the OP is seeking in regards to economic diversity. There are hardly any families at either who receive substantial FA.

I'm the OP. I asked about that because we wanted DC to be surrounded not just by kids who were from affluent families. My understanding from the comments here is that Sidwell is giving a lot of financial aid, which broadly suggests more kids coming from less affluent homes. We want that mix. We have not applied for FA. We are white. This kind of racial and socioeconmic diversity is very important to us. We don't want our child to mingle purely with kids from one strata of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not understanding you. First you say "hardly any families receive substantial FA," so I show you data indicating that (at least at Sidwell) nearly 1 in 4 students receives an average grant of over $21,000 (which should cover about 69% of tuition). Now you're saying your real complaint is that not enough of those families receive grants that cover "virtually full" tuition? You're complaining that 69% coverage is "not substantial"?

No one has posted similar data about the percentage of Beauvoir students that receives aid. All I know about Beauvoir is that the school's website indicates it gives about $1 million per year in financial aid. I'd imagine the percentage of students getting financial aid is similar there.

I'm really not trying to be difficult. I'm just surprised and confused by your complaint. It seems both of these schools are pretty generous in terms of financial aid.

What are you talking about? If this is a reply to my post stating that there are only a small number of families who receive substantial FA, how the heck am I complaining? I am simply replying to OP's question regarding economic diversity at both schools. Families who are of much lower HHIs and receive 85% + in FA are in the minority at these schools. It's a fact and an additional response to OP's question concerning economic diversity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:


What are you talking about? If this is a reply to my post stating that there are only a small number of families who receive substantial FA, how the heck am I complaining? I am simply replying to OP's question regarding economic diversity at both schools. Families who are of much lower HHIs and receive 85% + in FA are in the minority at these schools. It's a fact and an additional response to OP's question concerning economic diversity.

And if I want to send my DC to an excellent private school where students with much lower HHI's are in the majority, where should I be looking?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


What are you talking about? If this is a reply to my post stating that there are only a small number of families who receive substantial FA, how the heck am I complaining? I am simply replying to OP's question regarding economic diversity at both schools. Families who are of much lower HHIs and receive 85% + in FA are in the minority at these schools. It's a fact and an additional response to OP's question concerning economic diversity.

And if I want to send my DC to an excellent private school where students with much lower HHI's are in the majority, where should I be looking?

It doesn't exist. My reply was not a complaint, just an observation and response to OP's question regarding economic diversity at these particular schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Sidwell wrote:For the 2009-2010 school year, 1,109 students (560 boys and 549 girls) are enrolled. Forty percent of the student body are students of color. Twenty-three percent of the student body receive $5.4 million of need-based financial assistance.

Wow, if you do the math, this is pretty amazing. This means that 255 students are receiving an average need-based assistance award of over $21,000. But for fundraising by the school, that means for the other 854 students not receiving aid, $6,300 (21%) of each student's tuition is going toward financial aid. Pretty amazing.

Wow, they offer this much financial aid AND they finished a top-of-the-line middle school AND they are investing heavily in the phys-ed plant? No wonder they also take a lot of big donors. Is there a barbell effect, with extremes at either end of the income scale, and fewer in the middle?

Also, the $1M at Beauvoir is spent on K-3, about 4 grades, with a total of 386 kids (source: http://www.beauvoirschool.org/podium/default.aspx?t=22425). Versus $5.4M spent at Sidwell on K-12, or 13 grades, with 1,109 kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Sidwell wrote:For the 2009-2010 school year, 1,109 students (560 boys and 549 girls) are enrolled. Forty percent of the student body are students of color. Twenty-three percent of the student body receive $5.4 million of need-based financial assistance.

Wow, if you do the math, this is pretty amazing. This means that 255 students are receiving an average need-based assistance award of over $21,000. But for fundraising by the school, that means for the other 854 students not receiving aid, $6,300 (21%) of each student's tuition is going toward financial aid. Pretty amazing.

Wow, they offer this much financial aid AND they finished a top-of-the-line middle school AND they are investing heavily in the phys-ed plant? No wonder they also take a lot of big donors. Is there a barbell effect, with extremes at either end of the income scale, and fewer in the middle?

Also, the $1M at Beauvoir is spent on K-3, about 4 grades, with a total of 386 kids (source: http://www.beauvoirschool.org/podium/default.aspx?t=22425). Versus $5.4M spent at Sidwell on K-12, or 13 grades, with 1,109 kids.

So what is this about 10-15 kids receiving FA per grade at Sidwell? Sounds real diverse to me. How many kids per grade lower through upper school?

[Anonymous]

The numbers can be deceiving at Sidwell because the school's overall composite changes/evolves significantly between LS/MS/US. For example the per capita budget is disproportionately distributed to Middle and Upper School students over the Lower School. I believe the same holds true for the LS in terms of FA.

If this is truly important to you, and I believe it is... call the admissions offices (hopefully someone is on duty during Spring Break) and get the real facts comparing FA / Minority (break it down) between Beauvoir and Sidwell Lower School. Be specific about it. Try to make it an apples to apples comparison.

2 thoughts

1) What matters most is not the race/economic diversity (which both schools have) - because in some cases these can actually divide a community as opposed to hold it together. What matters is how the school handles these issues, how all the students regardless of race/wealth are treated and how the school makes each family feel like an equal part of the school community - level playing field.

2) In my honest opinion (and I'm from DC and went to one of them), both schools will do a terrific job in terms of instilling your child with a sense of being color(race)blind & protect your child from even falling into the judging their classmates by their family's economic status or coming from a different background. Both schools philosophies will instill your child with a sense of empathy and caring for those who are suffering. All children are treated equally at both schools - and this is something your child will carry with them as they grow up. Both schools' communities are exceptionally strong and your child will have friends of all races and economic backgrounds. I hope you are happy wherever your child lands!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: the per capita budget is disproportionately distributed to Middle and Upper School students over the Lower School. I believe the same holds true for the LS in terms of FA.

/quote]

Do you have any facts from which to base this statement, or is this more unsubstantiated BS from parents of other schools who do not know any better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: the per capita budget is disproportionately distributed to Middle and Upper School students over the Lower School. I believe the same holds true for the LS in terms of FA.

/quote]

Do you have any facts from which to base this statement, or is this more unsubstantiated BS from parents of other schools who do not know any better?

Wow. Well, first of all if you read my comments - I honestly said that both schools are outstanding in terms of handling diversity both racially & economically. I gave preference to neither.

And while I haven't studied the school budgets personally... in terms of per capita budgeting a perfect example would be the the amount teachers are paid. Athletic budgets. Faculty student/ratio, number of courses offered there just is more invested and more offerings for older children. This makes sense many reasons. When children are young they need foundation and enrichment. But, when these kids are on the brink of college - these schools (and here I refer to Sidwell & NCS/STA - as Beauvoir cannot be compared) are practically colleges in their ownright. The depth & number of high level of academic courses offered are truly phenomenal. There are different needs at different ages that require different investments. This is why Beauvoir & Sidwell's lower school cost less than NCS & Sidwell's upper/middle schools. I would be very surprised at the top end of schools, if any lower school invests the same in per student as their upper school. As for diversity. The schools do a terrific job at making this a non-issue for the students. From my experience and from what I see in my own child and hear from friends with older kids who attended Sidwell's LS & Beauvoir at both schools, friendships are made need & color blind. This carries over through their MS/US years. One could argue that 8 students out of 20 (40%) does not hold the same weight as 48 out of 120. That said, my friends who went to Sidwell loved & cherish the Quaker values that guided them from nursery school as it was called back then. [FYI. random fact of the day: Back in the day SFS did not have "Kindergarten" but called that year "transition."] And friendships had nothing to do with race/wealth. As a Beauvoir graduate, I truly believe I was raised in a colorblind environment. One thing Beauvoir does that may or may not appeal to outsiders (but as an insider - I felt the positive effects first hand) is in different years grouping different minorities so they are not the minority in their class. There is one class in each grade where white children are the minority. If your child is not white they will be in a class 2 or 3 years out of 5 at the school where there will be more minorities than white children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the per capita budget is disproportionately distributed to Middle and Upper School students over the Lower School. I believe the same holds true for the LS in terms of FA.

Do you have any facts from which to base this statement, or is this more unsubstantiated BS from parents of other schools who do not know any better?


And while I haven't studied the school budgets personally...

So the answer is , no, you do not have any basis of fact from which you made the statement.

[Anonymous]

What is this the spanish inquisition? I am going to refrain from being rude like you. i don't see how the same per capita could be spent on students in the LS as the MS/US. DO THE MATH. It COSTS more to send your child to Sidwell MS and US than it is does to send them to the lower school. Tuition is higher in the MS and US than the LS because it costs MORE to educate them. It would be completely illogical and honestly wreckless to deduct the same amount is spent per student. I would think/hope that the amount of FA given out would be equally proportionate to the amount of tuition. So why on earth would the school provide the amount dollar wise in FA to the LS students than the US when it costs more to educate the Upper Schoolers. This is basic algebra.

One final comment, I honestly don't believe you are in anyway associated with Sidwell, and I hope that anyone that happens to read your posts associates you with Sidwell because it is a lovely school that encourage students to listen and not attack.

[Anonymous]

PP. (23:41) Please excuse my typo - it is late - I meant to write...

One final comment, I honestly don't believe you are in anyway associated with Sidwell, and I hope that anyone that happens to read your posts DOES NOT associate you with Sidwell because it is a lovely school that encourages students to listen and not attack.

[Anonymous]

Sidwell by far is more diverse. Both are affluent although financial aid is provided.