2016 Best DC Metro Area High Schools

[Anonymous]

RANK HIGH SCHOOL AVERAGE SAT NATIONAL MERIT SEMI-FINALISTS PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR CANDIDATES NUMBER ATTENDING 15 TOP COLLEGES TYPE CITY STATE
1 Thomas Jefferson Magnet 1466 31.90% 5.61% 9.18% Magnet Alexandria VA
2 Montgomery Blair Magnet 1488 25.69% 4.51% Not reported Magnet Silver Spring MD
3 Sidwell Friends School 1400 13.76% 9.70% 14.40% Private Washington DC
4 National Cathedral School (NCS) 1399 9.92% 9.76% 15.79% Private Washington DC
5 St. Albans School 1350 13.30% 7.79% 14.21% Private Washington DC
6 Maret School 1373 4.74% 8.07% 10.42% Private Washington DC
7 Georgetown Day School 1343 7.34% 4.72% 9.54% Private Washington DC
8 St. Anselm's School 1351 8.09% 2.94% 5.22% Private Washington DC
9 Holton-Arms School 1351 9.18% 2.49% 7.09% Private Bethesda MD
10 Potomac School 1324 7.23% 1.20% 6.63% Private McLean VA
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[Anonymous]

The link:

https://www.lotusprep.com/best-high-schools-dc/

[Anonymous]

This is silly and arbitrary. It relies purely on test scores - the SAT for Presidential Scholar candidates and the scores themselves, PSAT for National Merit - which isn't surprising for a test prep business.

Even worse, the data are unreliable. The privates do not report their SAT scores. The public schools claim different/higher scores than the College Board. The ranking table includes a percentage for the average number of students who go on to a top 15% college, but it doesn't include the number in the ranking. This number is not reported by any of the schools, so there is no reason to believe that it is particularly accurate. Even sillier, the top 15 college list doesn't include Stanford or Columbia.

Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is silly and arbitrary. It relies purely on test scores - the SAT for Presidential Scholar candidates and the scores themselves, PSAT for National Merit - which isn't surprising for a test prep business.

Even worse, the data are unreliable. The privates do not report their SAT scores. The public schools claim different/higher scores than the College Board. The ranking table includes a percentage for the average number of students who go on to a top 15% college, but it doesn't include the number in the ranking. This number is not reported by any of the schools, so there is no reason to believe that it is particularly accurate. Even sillier, the top 15 college list doesn't include Stanford or Columbia.

Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

Also missing UC Berkeley and Caltech as well from the top 15 colleges list.

[Anonymous]

LOL.

So hearsay from random parents that "Sidwell is a hippie school" or school visit propaganda about "heritage" and "distinction" = unimpeachable evidence.

But a list of which schools have the most National Merit scholars and highest SAT scores = "junk".

Duly noted.

Anonymous wrote:
Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

[Anonymous]

2 Montgomery Blair Magnet 1488 25.69% 4.51% Not reported Magnet Silver Spring MD

17 Richard Montgomery High School 1190 6.22% 1.07% 4.45% Public Rockville MD

I don't know if the table is any good but I can tell you two schools I am familiar with (Blair and RM) are, at best, misleading.

For Blair Magnet
- 1488 is for SMAC kids
- 25.69% is for SMAC and PAC program combined.

For RM

- 1190 is entire school
- if you count just magnet (RM/IB), it's close to Blair
- 6.22% is wrong. RM/IB NMSF is over 40%

I guess what I am saying is the table seems to contain a lot of errors.

[Anonymous]

Interesting about the magnet programs. I know nothing about them personally - are the magnet kids "segregated" from the mainstream population? I wonder if it's fairer to consider the school as a whole or to consider the program separately from the whole.

Anonymous wrote:2 Montgomery Blair Magnet 1488 25.69% 4.51% Not reported Magnet Silver Spring MD

17 Richard Montgomery High School 1190 6.22% 1.07% 4.45% Public Rockville MD

I don't know if the table is any good but I can tell you two schools I am familiar with (Blair and RM) are, at best, misleading.

For Blair Magnet
- 1488 is for SMAC kids
- 25.69% is for SMAC and PAC program combined.

For RM

- 1190 is entire school
- if you count just magnet (RM/IB), it's close to Blair
- 6.22% is wrong. RM/IB NMSF is over 40%

I guess what I am saying is the table seems to contain a lot of errors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LOL.

So hearsay from random parents that "Sidwell is a hippie school" or school visit propaganda about "heritage" and "distinction" = unimpeachable evidence.

But a list of which schools have the most National Merit scholars and highest SAT scores = "junk".

Duly noted.

Anonymous wrote:
Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

If you think any of the selective independent schools are about boosting your child's SAT scores or solely about where they go to college, don't bother. Send them to public school and spend your money on cram classes and test prep. If you disagree, please tell the admissions officers when you visit that your priority in determining where to send your child is the school's average SAT score and college admissions. They will solve your search dilemma by not admitting your child. If you think that lying about your rationale for a school is better, why do you think it will provide something it doesn't like to emphasize?

Smart, thoughtful, motivated student may have high test scores but not all high scorers are particularly smart, thoughtful, or motivated. In putting together a diverse class, a private school may make room for a student who might climb far from where they came from, but not necessarily to the top 1% of test takers. They might have experiences and viewpoints that add to the richness of a class. Your child's scores don't impact mine at all, but the your child's potential ability to deepen intellectual conversations does. When the standardized tests provide insight into a student's creative thinking and leadership skills, I'll be on your side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL.

So hearsay from random parents that "Sidwell is a hippie school" or school visit propaganda about "heritage" and "distinction" = unimpeachable evidence.

But a list of which schools have the most National Merit scholars and highest SAT scores = "junk".

Duly noted.

Anonymous wrote:
Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

If you think any of the selective independent schools are about boosting your child's SAT scores or solely about where they go to college, don't bother. Send them to public school and spend your money on cram classes and test prep. If you disagree, please tell the admissions officers when you visit that your priority in determining where to send your child is the school's average SAT score and college admissions. They will solve your search dilemma by not admitting your child. If you think that lying about your rationale for a school is better, why do you think it will provide something it doesn't like to emphasize?

Smart, thoughtful, motivated student may have high test scores but not all high scorers are particularly smart, thoughtful, or motivated. In putting together a diverse class, a private school may make room for a student who might climb far from where they came from, but not necessarily to the top 1% of test takers. They might have experiences and viewpoints that add to the richness of a class. Your child's scores don't impact mine at all, but the your child's potential ability to deepen intellectual conversations does. When the standardized tests provide insight into a student's creative thinking and leadership skills, I'll be on your side.

God, please no more. So tired of "privates are not about test scores" BS. Yeah, I get it. Your kid who scores 1100 on SAT is somehow doing better than kids who scored 1500 on SAT from public.

[Anonymous]

I'd say just the magnets since all the schools listed here have merit selection. It is a more accurate picture than trying to compare a giant public school, like DC schools, where all students are required to sit for the SAT (for free), even if all half the kids do is sign their names. That seriously dilutes the scores and sheds no light on how good the school is for a college prep student. So where a public school separates the top students purposefully, like MD and VA do, you can get a better picture of how well the top students in public schools perform relative to private selective schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL.

So hearsay from random parents that "Sidwell is a hippie school" or school visit propaganda about "heritage" and "distinction" = unimpeachable evidence.

But a list of which schools have the most National Merit scholars and highest SAT scores = "junk".

Duly noted.

Anonymous wrote:
Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

If you think any of the selective independent schools are about boosting your child's SAT scores or solely about where they go to college, don't bother. Send them to public school and spend your money on cram classes and test prep. If you disagree, please tell the admissions officers when you visit that your priority in determining where to send your child is the school's average SAT score and college admissions. They will solve your search dilemma by not admitting your child. If you think that lying about your rationale for a school is better, why do you think it will provide something it doesn't like to emphasize?

Smart, thoughtful, motivated student may have high test scores but not all high scorers are particularly smart, thoughtful, or motivated. In putting together a diverse class, a private school may make room for a student who might climb far from where they came from, but not necessarily to the top 1% of test takers. They might have experiences and viewpoints that add to the richness of a class. Your child's scores don't impact mine at all, but the your child's potential ability to deepen intellectual conversations does. When the standardized tests provide insight into a student's creative thinking and leadership skills, I'll be on your side.

God, please no more. So tired of "privates are not about test scores" BS. Yeah, I get it. Your kid who scores 1100 on SAT is somehow doing better than kids who scored 1500 on SAT from public.

+1 it makes sense for the primRy and middle years, but by high school score matter. My two children are in primary school and it is truly wonderful.
I will not be paying that kind of money in high school if there is no performance that is measurable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is silly and arbitrary. It relies purely on test scores - the SAT for Presidential Scholar candidates and the scores themselves, PSAT for National Merit - which isn't surprising for a test prep business.

Even worse, the data are unreliable. The privates do not report their SAT scores. The public schools claim different/higher scores than the College Board. The ranking table includes a percentage for the average number of students who go on to a top 15% college, but it doesn't include the number in the ranking. This number is not reported by any of the schools, so there is no reason to believe that it is particularly accurate. Even sillier, the top 15 college list doesn't include Stanford or Columbia.

Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

ok tell us what your scores your private school kid received.

Sound a bit bitter for alllllll that money you spent

[Anonymous]

I dunno. I am sure that there can be some misinterpretations (eg the Blair and RM magnet schools combining the whole school as opposed to separating out the magnet programs.) But overall, I thought the list and methodology was reasonably solid and gives you an idea about the peer groups of the respective schools. It is hard to argue about the veracity or validity of the average SAT scores, and yes you can get that information about the privates. Same with the NMSF or Presidential scholars. To me, it does not mean one school is better than the other. It tells me that there is a pecking order of academic strength of students.

[Anonymous]

at least my kids can wear a shirt of the football team they like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is silly and arbitrary. It relies purely on test scores - the SAT for Presidential Scholar candidates and the scores themselves, PSAT for National Merit - which isn't surprising for a test prep business.

Even worse, the data are unreliable. The privates do not report their SAT scores. The public schools claim different/higher scores than the College Board. The ranking table includes a percentage for the average number of students who go on to a top 15% college, but it doesn't include the number in the ranking. This number is not reported by any of the schools, so there is no reason to believe that it is particularly accurate. Even sillier, the top 15 college list doesn't include Stanford or Columbia.

Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

ok tell us what your scores your private school kid received.

Sound a bit bitter for alllllll that money you spent

It looks like the private schools dominate the list. The only public schools that show up are 2 excellent magnet schools.