Jumping Ship From DCPS For Private HS

[Anonymous]

Is it possible to get into a decent private after 8th grade, directly from DCPS MS? Wondering if we need to make the switch sooner.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Plenty of kids switch for 9th. What schools are you looking at for HS?

[Anonymous]

yes, we know about 8-10 kids personally who left (graduated) Deal for GDS and Sidwell this past year.

[Anonymous]

They go to all the usual suspects in DC and some even head on to top boarding schools. This year there seem to be a lot of 8th graders applying to local privates, seemingly more than a few years ago when my older DC was applying out.

[Anonymous]

Stuart-Hobson parent here: Yes, very common to put a couple private schools into the mix along with SWW and Bannekar, for example, or only private schools. Some might put private schools as a safety option, others do the reverse.

[Anonymous]

My son is a freshman at Wilson. They all went to Deal. His friends at Sidwell and Maret are dying. I saw one at the basketball game and asked what he was doing there. He said the kids were weird and he missed his friends. I don't think he's going to make it. Others are having the same issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is a freshman at Wilson. They all went to Deal. His friends at Sidwell and Maret are dying. I saw one at the basketball game and asked what he was doing there. He said the kids were weird and he missed his friends. I don't think he's going to make it. Others are having the same issues.

Dying? Not going to make it?

Are they having adjustment issues? Are they unprepared for the academics? Your language suggests they are suicidal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is a freshman at Wilson. They all went to Deal. His friends at Sidwell and Maret are dying. I saw one at the basketball game and asked what he was doing there. He said the kids were weird and he missed his friends. I don't think he's going to make it. Others are having the same issues.

Dying? Not going to make it?

Are they having adjustment issues? Are they unprepared for the academics? Your language suggests they are suicidal.

Yes, please follow-up PP. Are you saying those students weren't prepared, meaning DCPS is producing kids who can't cut it? If so, how does it make you feel that your child is still in the DCPS machine? Or are you projecting because you hate that your kids' friends left and it makes you feel better that they are having a difficult adjustment? That's what I suspect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is a freshman at Wilson. They all went to Deal. His friends at Sidwell and Maret are dying. I saw one at the basketball game and asked what he was doing there. He said the kids were weird and he missed his friends. I don't think he's going to make it. Others are having the same issues.

This hasn't been the experience for my DD and her Deal friends who moved to private schools. My DD is at a "big 3" FWIW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is a freshman at Wilson. They all went to Deal. His friends at Sidwell and Maret are dying. I saw one at the basketball game and asked what he was doing there. He said the kids were weird and he missed his friends. I don't think he's going to make it. Others are having the same issues.

This hasn't been the experience for my DD and her Deal friends who moved to private schools. My DD is at a "big 3" FWIW.

Yes. DCPS 8th graders go to private for high school. Make sure your DC takes advantage of every opportunity to visit/shadow to make sure the school is a good fit. The Maret/Sidwell caliber of schools have their pick of applicants and don't take students that are going to "die" at the school.

[Anonymous]

Plenty of DCPS kids and kids from Latin and Basis at SJC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of DCPS kids and kids from Latin and Basis at SJC.

Is it tough to for a kid to transition into a catholic education that late in the game?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of DCPS kids and kids from Latin and Basis at SJC.

Is it tough to for a kid to transition into a catholic education that late in the game?

If the kids are Catholic, they've been going to SOR/CCD/Sunday school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is a freshman at Wilson. They all went to Deal. His friends at Sidwell and Maret are dying. I saw one at the basketball game and asked what he was doing there. He said the kids were weird and he missed his friends. I don't think he's going to make it. Others are having the same issues.

Dying? Not going to make it?

Are they having adjustment issues? Are they unprepared for the academics? Your language suggests they are suicidal.

Yes, please follow-up PP. Are you saying those students weren't prepared, meaning DCPS is producing kids who can't cut it? If so, how does it make you feel that your child is still in the DCPS machine? Or are you projecting because you hate that your kids' friends left and it makes you feel better that they are having a difficult adjustment? That's what I suspect.

Wow. Project much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is a freshman at Wilson. They all went to Deal. His friends at Sidwell and Maret are dying. I saw one at the basketball game and asked what he was doing there. He said the kids were weird and he missed his friends. I don't think he's going to make it. Others are having the same issues.

This hasn't been the experience for my DD and her Deal friends who moved to private schools. My DD is at a "big 3" FWIW.

May be a difference b/t the boys and girls. I don't really know any girls honestly.