This Admissions Season v. Past Admissions Seasons

[Anonymous]

In response to a post that I had in another thread, another poster thought the reason that the board might be a little quiet could be that "overall it was a much tougher admissions season with many fewer multiple offers of admission- that's what so much of the chatter would be about this time of the year in other years- I have offers from X and Y...which is better? But this year it seems most folks have one offer and a few WL's (much more WL chatter) so fewer threads."

Thoughts from parents who went through this season and others? Was it more difficult? What were the big changes?

[Anonymous]

At my kids school there were more connected applicants than spots for PK. I don't know how many unconnected kids ended up getting in, but with the high number of connected families I'd imagine there weren't a lot who turned down spots.

[Anonymous]

It seems like it was an extremely tough year. I feel for the parents.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps just for lower schools/K/Prek? This was our last HS application season and I think it went better than the prior two. DD got into her top three schools. No one at her K-8 was shut out.

[Anonymous]

It was a tough year at our private. More applications than ever before. More returning families. There were very few spots available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It was a tough year at our private. More applications than ever before. More returning families. There were very few spots available.

I think this is the situation now, and will be for several years to come.

Don't forget that 2007 saw the biggest baby boom in the US -- and in Washington area -- since 1957, the peak of the first baby boom. I really feel for those kids. That high school year will be the worst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was a tough year at our private. More applications than ever before. More returning families. There were very few spots available.

I think this is the situation now, and will be for several years to come.

Don't forget that 2007 saw the biggest baby boom in the US -- and in Washington area -- since 1957, the peak of the first baby boom. I really feel for those kids. That high school year will be the worst.

That's interesting and I didn't know that. Our younger daughter is class of 2021 and was born the year after 9-11. It has always been my observation that her class in particular is quite small while the class before and after are rather large and this has been the case from the beginning in multiple schools. This has held true in sports teams and other activities as well - overly full teams above and below but just enough for her year. But maybe after 2003 things went back to normal or accelerated in terms of birth rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was a tough year at our private. More applications than ever before. More returning families. There were very few spots available.

I think this is the situation now, and will be for several years to come.

Don't forget that 2007 saw the biggest baby boom in the US -- and in Washington area -- since 1957, the peak of the first baby boom. I really feel for those kids. That high school year will be the worst.

That's interesting and I didn't know that. Our younger daughter is class of 2021 and was born the year after 9-11. It has always been my observation that her class in particular is quite small while the class before and after are rather large and this has been the case from the beginning in multiple schools. This has held true in sports teams and other activities as well - overly full teams above and below but just enough for her year. But maybe after 2003 things went back to normal or accelerated in terms of birth rate.

That's fascinating. I have a class of 2021er and her elementary school class was always substantially smaller than her older sister's. Something to think about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was a tough year at our private. More applications than ever before. More returning families. There were very few spots available.

I think this is the situation now, and will be for several years to come.

Don't forget that 2007 saw the biggest baby boom in the US -- and in Washington area -- since 1957, the peak of the first baby boom. I really feel for those kids. That high school year will be the worst.

That's interesting and I didn't know that. Our younger daughter is class of 2021 and was born the year after 9-11. It has always been my observation that her class in particular is quite small while the class before and after are rather large and this has been the case from the beginning in multiple schools. This has held true in sports teams and other activities as well - overly full teams above and below but just enough for her year. But maybe after 2003 things went back to normal or accelerated in terms of birth rate.

That's fascinating. I have a class of 2021er and her elementary school class was always substantially smaller than her older sister's. Something to think about.

Complete opposite case for my 2021 DS. His class is the largest by a lot of all grades in K-8. Much more competition for team spots than what 2023 DS sees as well. I think second half of 2002-early 2003 was a big time for boys in this area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was a tough year at our private. More applications than ever before. More returning families. There were very few spots available.

I think this is the situation now, and will be for several years to come.

Don't forget that 2007 saw the biggest baby boom in the US -- and in Washington area -- since 1957, the peak of the first baby boom. I really feel for those kids. That high school year will be the worst.

That's interesting and I didn't know that. Our younger daughter is class of 2021 and was born the year after 9-11. It has always been my observation that her class in particular is quite small while the class before and after are rather large and this has been the case from the beginning in multiple schools. This has held true in sports teams and other activities as well - overly full teams above and below but just enough for her year. But maybe after 2003 things went back to normal or accelerated in terms of birth rate.

That's fascinating. I have a class of 2021er and her elementary school class was always substantially smaller than her older sister's. Something to think about.

Complete opposite case for my 2021 DS. His class is the largest by a lot of all grades in K-8. Much more competition for team spots than what 2023 DS sees as well. I think second half of 2002-early 2003 was a big time for boys in this area.

I wonder if it's a boy/girl thing? That would be strange but I have to say that it's something I've seen over and over again with DD in her year. It made me wonder if 9-11 had anything to do with it. Other parents have wondered the same thing but if you've seen a large number of boys then I'm not sure it's anything other than a fluke.

[Anonymous]

Heard this was a very bad year for K to 8. Multiple parents that different schools didn't get into 9th grade first choice. We were one of the lucky ones getting into top 2 choices.

[Anonymous]

I can say that what I heard from other moms Fairfax is that there was a massive move to private schools in the last year for HS. A lot of families scrambling to look that never planned on anything other than public schools. Maybe everything in the press about the budget problems in FCPS, but I was amazed as people I never thought would pull their kids out did. Some even with a older child already in public HS. I know two families that did that - oldest child a couple years ahead in PS, younger placed in private.

[Anonymous]

Also I think some MCPS parents are applying to private if their child does not make it into a magnet for 6th or 9th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Heard this was a very bad year for K to 8. Multiple parents that different schools didn't get into 9th grade first choice. We were one of the lucky ones getting into top 2 choices.

I heard the opposite at our K-8. There were a lot of first choice placements at our school and others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Heard this was a very bad year for K to 8. Multiple parents that different schools didn't get into 9th grade first choice. We were one of the lucky ones getting into top 2 choices.

I heard the opposite at our K-8. There were a lot of first choice placements at our school and others.

What school? Westminster? They did very well this year but that is about it. This was a parent that told me.