Indulge my fantasy - top private vs. Walls

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are people on here really saying that the academics at Walls is just as good as Sidwell or GDS?? Sorry but rose colored glasses are not going to help you.

Walls is a like mediocre suburb school at best, not even great but with all the headaches of DCPS.

Your top performing kid will most likely reach their full potential by going to the top privates where there are really high performing motivated kids in an environment of teachers with very high expectations and standards. It’s not going to be easy. They are going to have to work really hard but they will be very well prepared for college and beyond. In addition, they will get small class sizes, more individualized support, and more offerings in curriculum, EC, sports, and facilities, etc…

In contrast, sure your kid will do fine in DCPS at Walls but it is because it is easier, standards are lower, and they will not be pushed to their full potential. You will have to supplement for that. Course offerings are limited and some teachers are checked out and just going thru the motions. Leadership is not good.

If you can’t afford private, then Walls is what you can get. But if you have the funds for private, this should not even be a question to go. If you don’t want to send your kid, just admit OP that you value your vacations or whatever over a better education for your kid. That is fine if that is your priority but let’s be real here.

What is your experience with Walls? Sounds like you are talking based on presumptions, not first-hand knowledge.

People who pay for private are often truly delusional about the quality of public high schools and in denial that the smartest and most ambitious kids generally go to publics. Private schools exist to give privileged kids additional advantages (in terms of grades, connections to college, etc) but absolutely do not have the smartest and best kids. The very top schools like Sidwell are more academic but not “privates” in general.

People who pay for private are buying a luxury education - the experience. Sure an economy version can get you to the same place, but it’s not as enjoyable. This isn’t about your fictional education arms race. I went public and was summa cum laude in undergrad. Went on to get MS and PhD - and I’m 1% income and wealth, etc. I grew up with parents who could never have dreamed of sending me private. My kids are gifted like me. I put them in private. Do I think the are kids like me in public? Absolutely! Do I want my kids to have to fight for opportunities as much as I did? Not a chance. Our private has the funds to differentiate and supplement in a way public school can never. The student body is engineered in a way where everyone shines in their unique way. Kids learn social skills that will propel their careers and personal life. It’s a luxury good. We didn’t do it for the ‘academics’. If I could choose between a Bentley and a Ford Pinto - both will get me from point A to B - I’ll take the Bentley if I can afford it. If I can’t, I’ll take the one that gets the job done. It’s not rocket science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are people on here really saying that the academics at Walls is just as good as Sidwell or GDS?? Sorry but rose colored glasses are not going to help you.

Walls is a like mediocre suburb school at best, not even great but with all the headaches of DCPS.

Your top performing kid will most likely reach their full potential by going to the top privates where there are really high performing motivated kids in an environment of teachers with very high expectations and standards. It’s not going to be easy. They are going to have to work really hard but they will be very well prepared for college and beyond. In addition, they will get small class sizes, more individualized support, and more offerings in curriculum, EC, sports, and facilities, etc…

In contrast, sure your kid will do fine in DCPS at Walls but it is because it is easier, standards are lower, and they will not be pushed to their full potential. You will have to supplement for that. Course offerings are limited and some teachers are checked out and just going thru the motions. Leadership is not good.

If you can’t afford private, then Walls is what you can get. But if you have the funds for private, this should not even be a question to go. If you don’t want to send your kid, just admit OP that you value your vacations or whatever over a better education for your kid. That is fine if that is your priority but let’s be real here.

What is your experience with Walls? Sounds like you are talking based on presumptions, not first-hand knowledge.

People who pay for private are often truly delusional about the quality of public high schools and in denial that the smartest and most ambitious kids generally go to publics. Private schools exist to give privileged kids additional advantages (in terms of grades, connections to college, etc) but absolutely do not have the smartest and best kids. The very top schools like Sidwell are more academic but not “privates” in general.

You are in denial. Sidwell and GDS does have the smartest and best kids. They can come in elementary, middle, or high school. Of course not every kid there is the smartest and best but if you compare the top kids coming out of Sidwell and GDS and what they have gained from their experience in critical thinking, analysis, writing, etc… it is much better than Walls.

Maybe not TJ but for sure Walls.

No it doesn’t. The smartest kids are in the selective public schools which most private school kids don’t stand a chance of getting into.

I don’t think this is true in DC. Maybe in VA (TJ) and NYC (Stuyvesant, Bronx Science etc) but the best test in public schools in DC don’t compare to the best private schools in DC. Also I’m sure most kids who are high performers at Sidwell etc could meet the standard to get into Walls.

And most of the high performers at Walls could get into Sidwell.

No they couldn’t. If nothing else, it’s a numbers game. Sidwell only has space for 35-40 new 9th graders. Walls takes ~175 9th graders. In addition, most Walls families can’t afford Sidwell’s tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are people on here really saying that the academics at Walls is just as good as Sidwell or GDS?? Sorry but rose colored glasses are not going to help you.

Walls is a like mediocre suburb school at best, not even great but with all the headaches of DCPS.

Your top performing kid will most likely reach their full potential by going to the top privates where there are really high performing motivated kids in an environment of teachers with very high expectations and standards. It’s not going to be easy. They are going to have to work really hard but they will be very well prepared for college and beyond. In addition, they will get small class sizes, more individualized support, and more offerings in curriculum, EC, sports, and facilities, etc…

In contrast, sure your kid will do fine in DCPS at Walls but it is because it is easier, standards are lower, and they will not be pushed to their full potential. You will have to supplement for that. Course offerings are limited and some teachers are checked out and just going thru the motions. Leadership is not good.

If you can’t afford private, then Walls is what you can get. But if you have the funds for private, this should not even be a question to go. If you don’t want to send your kid, just admit OP that you value your vacations or whatever over a better education for your kid. That is fine if that is your priority but let’s be real here.

What is your experience with Walls? Sounds like you are talking based on presumptions, not first-hand knowledge.

People who pay for private are often truly delusional about the quality of public high schools and in denial that the smartest and most ambitious kids generally go to publics. Private schools exist to give privileged kids additional advantages (in terms of grades, connections to college, etc) but absolutely do not have the smartest and best kids. The very top schools like Sidwell are more academic but not “privates” in general.

You are in denial. Sidwell and GDS does have the smartest and best kids. They can come in elementary, middle, or high school. Of course not every kid there is the smartest and best but if you compare the top kids coming out of Sidwell and GDS and what they have gained from their experience in critical thinking, analysis, writing, etc… it is much better than Walls.

Maybe not TJ but for sure Walls.

No it doesn’t. The smartest kids are in the selective public schools which most private school kids don’t stand a chance of getting into.

I don’t think this is true in DC. Maybe in VA (TJ) and NYC (Stuyvesant, Bronx Science etc) but the best test in public schools in DC don’t compare to the best private schools in DC. Also I’m sure most kids who are high performers at Sidwell etc could meet the standard to get into Walls.

And most of the high performers at Walls could get into Sidwell.

No they couldn’t. If nothing else, it’s a numbers game. Sidwell only has space for 35-40 new 9th graders. Walls takes ~175 9th graders. In addition, most Walls families can’t afford Sidwell’s tuition.

Hope your level of reading comprehension isn’t representative of sidwell. She didn’t say all 175 were high performers and she didn’t say all of the high performers could get in simultaneously. Just on the margin, which may or may not be true but it doesn’t help your position to obviously misstate hers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see the trolls have arrived. Yes, yes, Sidwell and GDS are full of kids from trailer parks whose families just really happen to value education. Sure.

This. Private school family here. There’s literally one single parent in my kid’s grade and it’s a mom whose husband died a few years ago (and they are like legit billionaires).

The story that there are multiple kids at a GDS or Sidwell who are super poor is such a myth. Very few kids are on full FA and the average FA award is like 25% of tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see the trolls have arrived. Yes, yes, Sidwell and GDS are full of kids from trailer parks whose families just really happen to value education. Sure.

This. Private school family here. There’s literally one single parent in my kid’s grade and it’s a mom whose husband died a few years ago (and they are like legit billionaires).

The story that there are multiple kids at a GDS or Sidwell who are super poor is such a myth. Very few kids are on full FA and the average FA award is like 25% of tuition.

Sidwell HS alum parent here. A divorced one, with a middle class job such as a social worker (ex does well tho)

There are plenty of parents of **incoming 9th graders** who aren’t top 10%, like me. That is probably not true in K, but in 9th the admissions team is looking for the very best candidates who have built their own portfolios in academics or sports - and sometimes those kids have parents who work for nonprofits, the Washington Post, WMATA or Kaiser Permanente. There was also a gig musician parent and a contract documentary film writer I recall. Plenty of smart, interesting and definitely not wealthy parents among us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had kids at Alice Deal and most of the brightest kids in the grade left for private in 9th grade. Sidwell took about 5, the Cathedral schools took a handful, GDS took another half dozen.

These are all kids who took Algebra 2 in 8th, were active in debate, were on the Principal's honor roll for all 12 quarters, etc.

Walls has kids who took Algebra 2 in 8th grade, excel in school, score perfect or near perfect SAT scores as well. I’d wager there are just as many of those kids at Walls from Deal as Sidwell.

These kids are at JR, as well. A bunch of them. I raise this not to suggest OP send their kid to JR (I don’t think that would be a good match) but to correct the delusion that somehow all of the high-performing kids bail on JR. It’s just not true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are people on here really saying that the academics at Walls is just as good as Sidwell or GDS?? Sorry but rose colored glasses are not going to help you.

Walls is a like mediocre suburb school at best, not even great but with all the headaches of DCPS.

Your top performing kid will most likely reach their full potential by going to the top privates where there are really high performing motivated kids in an environment of teachers with very high expectations and standards. It’s not going to be easy. They are going to have to work really hard but they will be very well prepared for college and beyond. In addition, they will get small class sizes, more individualized support, and more offerings in curriculum, EC, sports, and facilities, etc…

In contrast, sure your kid will do fine in DCPS at Walls but it is because it is easier, standards are lower, and they will not be pushed to their full potential. You will have to supplement for that. Course offerings are limited and some teachers are checked out and just going thru the motions. Leadership is not good.

If you can’t afford private, then Walls is what you can get. But if you have the funds for private, this should not even be a question to go. If you don’t want to send your kid, just admit OP that you value your vacations or whatever over a better education for your kid. That is fine if that is your priority but let’s be real here.

What is your experience with Walls? Sounds like you are talking based on presumptions, not first-hand knowledge.

People who pay for private are often truly delusional about the quality of public high schools and in denial that the smartest and most ambitious kids generally go to publics. Private schools exist to give privileged kids additional advantages (in terms of grades, connections to college, etc) but absolutely do not have the smartest and best kids. The very top schools like Sidwell are more academic but not “privates” in general.

You are in denial. Sidwell and GDS does have the smartest and best kids. They can come in elementary, middle, or high school. Of course not every kid there is the smartest and best but if you compare the top kids coming out of Sidwell and GDS and what they have gained from their experience in critical thinking, analysis, writing, etc… it is much better than Walls.

Maybe not TJ but for sure Walls.

No it doesn’t. The smartest kids are in the selective public schools which most private school kids don’t stand a chance of getting into.

I don’t think this is true in DC. Maybe in VA (TJ) and NYC (Stuyvesant, Bronx Science etc) but the best test in public schools in DC don’t compare to the best private schools in DC. Also I’m sure most kids who are high performers at Sidwell etc could meet the standard to get into Walls.

They actually do compare in that the best kids at Walls will do just the same if not better as the best kids at Sidwell. And they will have a $500k downpayment gift from their parents when they are ready to buy a house in their 30s, since that money would not have been wasted on private school tuition.

If OP said she had a $100 mil trust fund who cares. But she is putting money into a luxury instead of into savings if she chooses this route.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are people on here really saying that the academics at Walls is just as good as Sidwell or GDS?? Sorry but rose colored glasses are not going to help you.

Walls is a like mediocre suburb school at best, not even great but with all the headaches of DCPS.

Your top performing kid will most likely reach their full potential by going to the top privates where there are really high performing motivated kids in an environment of teachers with very high expectations and standards. It’s not going to be easy. They are going to have to work really hard but they will be very well prepared for college and beyond. In addition, they will get small class sizes, more individualized support, and more offerings in curriculum, EC, sports, and facilities, etc…

In contrast, sure your kid will do fine in DCPS at Walls but it is because it is easier, standards are lower, and they will not be pushed to their full potential. You will have to supplement for that. Course offerings are limited and some teachers are checked out and just going thru the motions. Leadership is not good.

If you can’t afford private, then Walls is what you can get. But if you have the funds for private, this should not even be a question to go. If you don’t want to send your kid, just admit OP that you value your vacations or whatever over a better education for your kid. That is fine if that is your priority but let’s be real here.

What is your experience with Walls? Sounds like you are talking based on presumptions, not first-hand knowledge.

People who pay for private are often truly delusional about the quality of public high schools and in denial that the smartest and most ambitious kids generally go to publics. Private schools exist to give privileged kids additional advantages (in terms of grades, connections to college, etc) but absolutely do not have the smartest and best kids. The very top schools like Sidwell are more academic but not “privates” in general.

People who pay for private are buying a luxury education - the experience. Sure an economy version can get you to the same place, but it’s not as enjoyable. This isn’t about your fictional education arms race. I went public and was summa cum laude in undergrad. Went on to get MS and PhD - and I’m 1% income and wealth, etc. I grew up with parents who could never have dreamed of sending me private. My kids are gifted like me. I put them in private. Do I think the are kids like me in public? Absolutely! Do I want my kids to have to fight for opportunities as much as I did? Not a chance. Our private has the funds to differentiate and supplement in a way public school can never. The student body is engineered in a way where everyone shines in their unique way. Kids learn social skills that will propel their careers and personal life. It’s a luxury good. We didn’t do it for the ‘academics’. If I could choose between a Bentley and a Ford Pinto - both will get me from point A to B - I’ll take the Bentley if I can afford it. If I can’t, I’ll take the one that gets the job done. It’s not rocket science.

Right. It’s a luxury that doesn’t make your kid any smarter or better. Just like buying them $500 shoes doesn’t actually make them walk any better than my kid in DSW sneakers.

And I wouldn’t assume that handing everything to your kid will actually make their life outcomes better. There’s a real reason the stereotype of the rich messed up kid exists. I’ve seen it! As well, your kid will be surrounded by other rich kids with the according high valuation of consumption and wealth vs other personal qualities.

The kids for whom private could actually make a big difference are the bright motivated kids without parental resources - the school can do that for them. Or kids with learning disabilities who get access to better services. Or frankly - and I believe this is the majority of private school kids - mediocre kids whose parents buy them the service of getting them buffed up and connected to enrollment in a passable college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are people on here really saying that the academics at Walls is just as good as Sidwell or GDS?? Sorry but rose colored glasses are not going to help you.

Walls is a like mediocre suburb school at best, not even great but with all the headaches of DCPS.

Your top performing kid will most likely reach their full potential by going to the top privates where there are really high performing motivated kids in an environment of teachers with very high expectations and standards. It’s not going to be easy. They are going to have to work really hard but they will be very well prepared for college and beyond. In addition, they will get small class sizes, more individualized support, and more offerings in curriculum, EC, sports, and facilities, etc…

In contrast, sure your kid will do fine in DCPS at Walls but it is because it is easier, standards are lower, and they will not be pushed to their full potential. You will have to supplement for that. Course offerings are limited and some teachers are checked out and just going thru the motions. Leadership is not good.

If you can’t afford private, then Walls is what you can get. But if you have the funds for private, this should not even be a question to go. If you don’t want to send your kid, just admit OP that you value your vacations or whatever over a better education for your kid. That is fine if that is your priority but let’s be real here.

What is your experience with Walls? Sounds like you are talking based on presumptions, not first-hand knowledge.

People who pay for private are often truly delusional about the quality of public high schools and in denial that the smartest and most ambitious kids generally go to publics. Private schools exist to give privileged kids additional advantages (in terms of grades, connections to college, etc) but absolutely do not have the smartest and best kids. The very top schools like Sidwell are more academic but not “privates” in general.

You are in denial. Sidwell and GDS does have the smartest and best kids. They can come in elementary, middle, or high school. Of course not every kid there is the smartest and best but if you compare the top kids coming out of Sidwell and GDS and what they have gained from their experience in critical thinking, analysis, writing, etc… it is much better than Walls.

Maybe not TJ but for sure Walls.

No it doesn’t. The smartest kids are in the selective public schools which most private school kids don’t stand a chance of getting into.

I don’t think this is true in DC. Maybe in VA (TJ) and NYC (Stuyvesant, Bronx Science etc) but the best test in public schools in DC don’t compare to the best private schools in DC. Also I’m sure most kids who are high performers at Sidwell etc could meet the standard to get into Walls.

And most of the high performers at Walls could get into Sidwell.

No they couldn’t. If nothing else, it’s a numbers game. Sidwell only has space for 35-40 new 9th graders. Walls takes ~175 9th graders. In addition, most Walls families can’t afford Sidwell’s tuition.

That’s the whole point - there is no market for more Sidwells because the sensible parents with kids like OP’s make the reasonable economic choice and use the free education!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see the trolls have arrived. Yes, yes, Sidwell and GDS are full of kids from trailer parks whose families just really happen to value education. Sure.

This. Private school family here. There’s literally one single parent in my kid’s grade and it’s a mom whose husband died a few years ago (and they are like legit billionaires).

The story that there are multiple kids at a GDS or Sidwell who are super poor is such a myth. Very few kids are on full FA and the average FA award is like 25% of tuition.

Sidwell HS alum parent here. A divorced one, with a middle class job such as a social worker (ex does well tho)

There are plenty of parents of **incoming 9th graders** who aren’t top 10%, like me. That is probably not true in K, but in 9th the admissions team is looking for the very best candidates who have built their own portfolios in academics or sports - and sometimes those kids have parents who work for nonprofits, the Washington Post, WMATA or Kaiser Permanente. There was also a gig musician parent and a contract documentary film writer I recall. Plenty of smart, interesting and definitely not wealthy parents among us.

Of course. Sidwell and other private schools will happily take all the money you can give them. They don’t care that you could get a similar education for free. They don’t care that the money would be better saved for grad school or a house.

Also … don’t be fooled, most of those “gig musicoans” are not on FA - they have trust funds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see the trolls have arrived. Yes, yes, Sidwell and GDS are full of kids from trailer parks whose families just really happen to value education. Sure.

This. Private school family here. There’s literally one single parent in my kid’s grade and it’s a mom whose husband died a few years ago (and they are like legit billionaires).

The story that there are multiple kids at a GDS or Sidwell who are super poor is such a myth. Very few kids are on full FA and the average FA award is like 25% of tuition.

Sidwell HS alum parent here. A divorced one, with a middle class job such as a social worker (ex does well tho)

There are plenty of parents of **incoming 9th graders** who aren’t top 10%, like me. That is probably not true in K, but in 9th the admissions team is looking for the very best candidates who have built their own portfolios in academics or sports - and sometimes those kids have parents who work for nonprofits, the Washington Post, WMATA or Kaiser Permanente. There was also a gig musician parent and a contract documentary film writer I recall. Plenty of smart, interesting and definitely not wealthy parents among us.

Of course. Sidwell and other private schools will happily take all the money you can give them. They don’t care that you could get a similar education for free. They don’t care that the money would be better saved for grad school or a house.

Also … don’t be fooled, most of those “gig musicoans” are not on FA - they have trust funds.

Or generous parents.

[Anonymous]

kid got into GDS and Walls....chose Walls on their own and its been a really good fit for them - were lucky to have both choices and wish your kid the best!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are people on here really saying that the academics at Walls is just as good as Sidwell or GDS?? Sorry but rose colored glasses are not going to help you.

Walls is a like mediocre suburb school at best, not even great but with all the headaches of DCPS.

Your top performing kid will most likely reach their full potential by going to the top privates where there are really high performing motivated kids in an environment of teachers with very high expectations and standards. It’s not going to be easy. They are going to have to work really hard but they will be very well prepared for college and beyond. In addition, they will get small class sizes, more individualized support, and more offerings in curriculum, EC, sports, and facilities, etc…

In contrast, sure your kid will do fine in DCPS at Walls but it is because it is easier, standards are lower, and they will not be pushed to their full potential. You will have to supplement for that. Course offerings are limited and some teachers are checked out and just going thru the motions. Leadership is not good.

If you can’t afford private, then Walls is what you can get. But if you have the funds for private, this should not even be a question to go. If you don’t want to send your kid, just admit OP that you value your vacations or whatever over a better education for your kid. That is fine if that is your priority but let’s be real here.

What is your experience with Walls? Sounds like you are talking based on presumptions, not first-hand knowledge.

People who pay for private are often truly delusional about the quality of public high schools and in denial that the smartest and most ambitious kids generally go to publics. Private schools exist to give privileged kids additional advantages (in terms of grades, connections to college, etc) but absolutely do not have the smartest and best kids. The very top schools like Sidwell are more academic but not “privates” in general.

People who pay for private are buying a luxury education - the experience. Sure an economy version can get you to the same place, but it’s not as enjoyable. This isn’t about your fictional education arms race. I went public and was summa cum laude in undergrad. Went on to get MS and PhD - and I’m 1% income and wealth, etc. I grew up with parents who could never have dreamed of sending me private. My kids are gifted like me. I put them in private. Do I think the are kids like me in public? Absolutely! Do I want my kids to have to fight for opportunities as much as I did? Not a chance. Our private has the funds to differentiate and supplement in a way public school can never. The student body is engineered in a way where everyone shines in their unique way. Kids learn social skills that will propel their careers and personal life. It’s a luxury good. We didn’t do it for the ‘academics’. If I could choose between a Bentley and a Ford Pinto - both will get me from point A to B - I’ll take the Bentley if I can afford it. If I can’t, I’ll take the one that gets the job done. It’s not rocket science.

Yeah, we get it, you want life easier for your kids than it was for you. Congratulations on discovering literally every parent’s instinct since the dawn of time. But dressing up ‘I don’t want my kids to struggle like I did’ as some kind of educational philosophy is wild.

You fought your way to summa cum laude, got multiple graduate degrees, and landed in the 1%. That struggle clearly didn’t break you, it arguably made you formidable. But now you’re convinced your kids are too fragile for the same journey? That’s not confidence in their giftedness, that’s buying them a cushion because you’re scared they can’t hack what you did.
The ‘luxury experience’ framing is at least honest, I’ll give you that. But calling it a luxury good means admitting it’s about comfort and status, not necessity. Which fine, spend your money how you want. But trying to justify it by saying public school kids have to ‘fight for opportunities’ like that’s a bad thing is pretty rich coming from someone whose entire success story is fighting for opportunities and winning.

Your kids might be ‘gifted,’ but wrapping them in bubble wrap and calling it ‘differentiation’ isn’t preparing them for anything except the shock of discovering that most of the world didn’t get the Bentley treatment, nor will they be more prepared for college or the world. You survived the Ford Pinto education just fine. Maybe have a little faith that your supposedly gifted kids could too, instead of pre-emptively deciding they need to be protected from the thing that made you successful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are people on here really saying that the academics at Walls is just as good as Sidwell or GDS?? Sorry but rose colored glasses are not going to help you.

Walls is a like mediocre suburb school at best, not even great but with all the headaches of DCPS.

Your top performing kid will most likely reach their full potential by going to the top privates where there are really high performing motivated kids in an environment of teachers with very high expectations and standards. It’s not going to be easy. They are going to have to work really hard but they will be very well prepared for college and beyond. In addition, they will get small class sizes, more individualized support, and more offerings in curriculum, EC, sports, and facilities, etc…

In contrast, sure your kid will do fine in DCPS at Walls but it is because it is easier, standards are lower, and they will not be pushed to their full potential. You will have to supplement for that. Course offerings are limited and some teachers are checked out and just going thru the motions. Leadership is not good.

If you can’t afford private, then Walls is what you can get. But if you have the funds for private, this should not even be a question to go. If you don’t want to send your kid, just admit OP that you value your vacations or whatever over a better education for your kid. That is fine if that is your priority but let’s be real here.

What is your experience with Walls? Sounds like you are talking based on presumptions, not first-hand knowledge.

People who pay for private are often truly delusional about the quality of public high schools and in denial that the smartest and most ambitious kids generally go to publics. Private schools exist to give privileged kids additional advantages (in terms of grades, connections to college, etc) but absolutely do not have the smartest and best kids. The very top schools like Sidwell are more academic but not “privates” in general.

People who pay for private are buying a luxury education - the experience. Sure an economy version can get you to the same place, but it’s not as enjoyable. This isn’t about your fictional education arms race. I went public and was summa cum laude in undergrad. Went on to get MS and PhD - and I’m 1% income and wealth, etc. I grew up with parents who could never have dreamed of sending me private. My kids are gifted like me. I put them in private. Do I think the are kids like me in public? Absolutely! Do I want my kids to have to fight for opportunities as much as I did? Not a chance. Our private has the funds to differentiate and supplement in a way public school can never. The student body is engineered in a way where everyone shines in their unique way. Kids learn social skills that will propel their careers and personal life. It’s a luxury good. We didn’t do it for the ‘academics’. If I could choose between a Bentley and a Ford Pinto - both will get me from point A to B - I’ll take the Bentley if I can afford it. If I can’t, I’ll take the one that gets the job done. It’s not rocket science.

Yeah, we get it, you want life easier for your kids than it was for you. Congratulations on discovering literally every parent’s instinct since the dawn of time. But dressing up ‘I don’t want my kids to struggle like I did’ as some kind of educational philosophy is wild.

You fought your way to summa cum laude, got multiple graduate degrees, and landed in the 1%. That struggle clearly didn’t break you, it arguably made you formidable. But now you’re convinced your kids are too fragile for the same journey? That’s not confidence in their giftedness, that’s buying them a cushion because you’re scared they can’t hack what you did.
The ‘luxury experience’ framing is at least honest, I’ll give you that. But calling it a luxury good means admitting it’s about comfort and status, not necessity. Which fine, spend your money how you want. But trying to justify it by saying public school kids have to ‘fight for opportunities’ like that’s a bad thing is pretty rich coming from someone whose entire success story is fighting for opportunities and winning.

Your kids might be ‘gifted,’ but wrapping them in bubble wrap and calling it ‘differentiation’ isn’t preparing them for anything except the shock of discovering that most of the world didn’t get the Bentley treatment, nor will they be more prepared for college or the world. You survived the Ford Pinto education just fine. Maybe have a little faith that your supposedly gifted kids could too, instead of pre-emptively deciding they need to be protected from the thing that made you successful.

NP. Damn, this is the kindest and most eloquent takedown. PP should heed it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see the trolls have arrived. Yes, yes, Sidwell and GDS are full of kids from trailer parks whose families just really happen to value education. Sure.

This. Private school family here. There’s literally one single parent in my kid’s grade and it’s a mom whose husband died a few years ago (and they are like legit billionaires).

The story that there are multiple kids at a GDS or Sidwell who are super poor is such a myth. Very few kids are on full FA and the average FA award is like 25% of tuition.

Sidwell HS alum parent here. A divorced one, with a middle class job such as a social worker (ex does well tho)

There are plenty of parents of **incoming 9th graders** who aren’t top 10%, like me. That is probably not true in K, but in 9th the admissions team is looking for the very best candidates who have built their own portfolios in academics or sports - and sometimes those kids have parents who work for nonprofits, the Washington Post, WMATA or Kaiser Permanente. There was also a gig musician parent and a contract documentary film writer I recall. Plenty of smart, interesting and definitely not wealthy parents among us.

Of course. Sidwell and other private schools will happily take all the money you can give them. They don’t care that you could get a similar education for free. They don’t care that the money would be better saved for grad school or a house.

Also … don’t be fooled, most of those “gig musicoans” are not on FA - they have trust funds.

You are a public school parent or student, so I will never convince you that the 9-12 education offered at Sidwell is similar in any way to the 9-12 education offered at either Walls or JR. It has nothing to do with country clubs, wealth or whatever else my DCPS neighbors and DCUM seem to think is the Only Difference between the two environments. English class = English class. No.