Schools with largest Asian American representation in NW DC?

[Anonymous]

I'm Asian-American and OP, I totally get your concerns. FWIW, I'm not sure there are any independent schools in DC with an Asian population that's sizable enough to make a difference. (Among public schools, I think Thomson has the most Asian-American students, but the school isn't universally acclaimed.) Honestly, you're not going to find any school in the city - public or private - that comes even close to having enough Asian-American students for them to not feel like a minority. I struggle with the same conflict, between the desire to stay in the city and the pressure to move out into the suburbs to find an Asian community of any sort.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, you're not going to find any school in the city - public or private - that comes even close to having enough Asian-American students for them to not feel like a minority.

That's because they are a minority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm Asian-American and OP, I totally get your concerns. FWIW, I'm not sure there are any independent schools in DC with an Asian population that's sizable enough to make a difference. (Among public schools, I think Thomson has the most Asian-American students, but the school isn't universally acclaimed.) Honestly, you're not going to find any school in the city - public or private - that comes even close to having enough Asian-American students for them to not feel like a minority. I struggle with the same conflict, between the desire to stay in the city and the pressure to move out into the suburbs to find an Asian community of any sort.

Good luck.

Forgot to add that in my kid's class, there are 2 students who are Asian, 1 of whom is adopted, and 2 kids who are Hapa, for a total of 4 out of 24 kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Forgot to add that in my kid's class, there are 2 students who are Asian, 1 of whom is adopted, and 2 kids who are Hapa, for a total of 4 out of 24 kids.

1 out of 6, 16%--that's not enough to make you comfortable? DC is not California.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, you're not going to find any school in the city - public or private - that comes even close to having enough Asian-American students for them to not feel like a minority.

That's because they are a minority.

Exactly the same as blacks, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An Asian-American parent of a DC independent school student here - All of the upper NW independent schools are predominately white. If you prefer an ethnic mix more like the elite test-in publics -- Jefferson, Blair, Stuyvesant (NY), or Lowell (SF) -- you just won't find it in independent schools. I doubt there is much difference in the Asian-American population, percentage-wise, between any of the DC independent schools. But, there are probably enough Asian-American students that they don't feel particularly isolated. I think it is a bit tougher for moderate-income African-American and Latino students. My impression is that bi-racial children make up half or more of the Asian-Americans, plus a scattering of adoptees with white parents.

Considering the fact that 70%+ of Asian-Americans are foreign born, it will be a while before there are enough acculturated upper-middle class Asian-Americans who are eager to spend $40k/year on K-12 tuition. It is a lot easier for first-generation immigrants to relate to testing in to a magnet public school or buying a home in a good public school district than it is to navigate the slightly stuffy, very wealthy, liberal arts oriented world of expensive private schools.

This analysis doesnt hold water when NoVa privates are included - there are plenty of wealthy 1st generation asian-americans sending kids to privates - they just prefer to live in NoVa.

I was going to say FCPS AAP hands down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, you're not going to find any school in the city - public or private - that comes even close to having enough Asian-American students for them to not feel like a minority.

That's because they are a minority.

Exactly the same as blacks, right?

I don't know what point you're trying to make. My point is that they are a minority, and it is perfectly fine to realize that you are a minority group as long as you are not made to feel less than others. What's the alternative? That each ethnic group should represent more than 50% of the school population?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know the % Asian population of Sidwell and Beauvoir?

Also interested in this--plus Maret and GDS?

There are a few token Asians in each grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What would you consider critical mass?

More than 10%. Here's the thing, if I have my K child in a class of 20 at a school with 8% Asian Americans, then there is a very good chance that she will be the only Asian American kid in that class. There might be another Asian American kid, but maybe not. I don't want her to feel like the token Asian American kid when the class talks about "diversity" and then points to her.

It is only the %. There are only 80 kids in a grade, so 5% is 4 kids, 10% is 8 kids. Then you have girls and boys - not much of any mass!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - It would help to know why you are asking the question.

I am Asian American with Asian American children and am looking at independent schools in the NW DC area. I have observed that many schools here, while claiming to be committed to "diversity," seem to uphold a version of diversity that in practice is really a surprisingly antiquated version that focuses almost exclusively on black-white relations. I would like to find a school that fairly aggressively diversifies its student body (and faculty and staff) to include more Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and other kinds of ethicities. In other words, I would like to see a school that actually walks the walk of diversity, rather than simply talks the talk. FWIW, we are transplants from the West Coast.

I am Asian with kids in private. I called them token Asians. Of course schools are not as aggressive to recruit Asians as blacks or Hispanics, but you also have to consider the sizes of the schools and the population makeup in NW DC. Even with over representation, you are talking about a few kids in a grade. It is hard. I am sure it is just as hard for the black and Hispanic students as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, you're not going to find any school in the city - public or private - that comes even close to having enough Asian-American students for them to not feel like a minority.

That's because they are a minority.

Exactly the same as blacks, right?

I don't know what point you're trying to make. My point is that they are a minority, and it is perfectly fine to realize that you are a minority group as long as you are not made to feel less than others. What's the alternative? That each ethnic group should represent more than 50% of the school population?

15:06 here, and i should have said "marginalized," instead of "like a minority." Of course each ethnic group can't represent more than 50%, but each should feel that their backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives matter, and that doesn't always happen when you're the only or one of a few.

[Anonymous]

I don't know as much about the DC schools, but in VA and MD I've noticed that the attitude among my Asian American friends is that there is no reason to pay that much money for private schools when publics are so good. Usually it is the white families who choose to, because they went to private schools as children and feel it is necessary to send them there to secure their position in the social order.

[Anonymous]

NoVa is the place to be for wealthy asian americans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know as much about the DC schools, but in VA and MD I've noticed that the attitude among my Asian American friends is that there is no reason to pay that much money for private schools when publics are so good. Usually it is the white families who choose to, because they went to private schools as children and feel it is necessary to send them there to secure their position in the social order.

+1, same with my Asian American friends here in VA. And I do see their point: why pay for something when the public here is so strong. Save the money for college.

So to some of the PP about private schools do better job recruiting Asian Americans, I don't think there's anything school can do. Many of the Asian American families make too much to qualify for FA, but not wealthy enough to spend that extra $140+k to put one kid through just private HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NoVa is the place to be for wealthy asian americans.

Why? There seems to be plenty in MoCo, too.