Most Prestigious Private HS In US Suffers Elite College Matriculation Decline, Parents/Admins Reeling

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College admissions in this cycle are very different this year than they were for the class of 2024 across all DMV privates, so I think the OP has a point. At our Big 5 private, very few Ivy admits this year or even top 20. All Ivy admits were legacies that I know of or athletes. This seems to be the case everywhere- for example, GDS had 7 Harvard admits last year, and only a couple this year per those posting on Instagram. So yes, it would appear the tides are turning across the board for elite privates and college admissions this year. Top kids have to “settle” for UVA. With the economy taking a turn for the worse maybe next year will be better for these kids.

That’s not true for Sidwell. About 25% of the class is heading to an Ivy+ and all of them are not “hooked.” You should check out Sidwell’s IG account.

On a related note, the admissions tide is turning towards private school full pay families. Wealth has never/will never go out of style. Colleges are businesses and the current administration’s funding cuts will make them even more cautious about admitting too many students with too much financial need.

Your Sidwell insecurities are showing.

No, but your Sidwell jealousy is on full display. Cope.

Honey, you're the one blasting Sidwell all over, on a thread not about Sidwell.
The insecurity is strong with you and you just proved it.

Your projection is a confession. You should just keep scrolling whenever you see a Sidwell post. It clearly triggers your feelings of insecurity AND inferiority…honey. 🤣

Wow. You two should have coffee or couples therapy or something. You have a lot in common.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re underestimating the network you get from boarding school even if you don’t go to an Ivy. I went to Milton as a day student and I would 100% send my kid to a boarding school as a day student even if they ended up at BU or Tulane. My brother got his job at a hedge fund during the Great Recession in past because of a prep school connection.

Very true. A seriously outsized percentage of those 400-1200 kids at each of the top 25 or so boarding schools are very well connected. The concentration of wealth and influence is noteworthy. If, in addition to seeking an outstanding education, you would like your child to enter adulthood with friends in high places, you will do far better at Exeter or Deerfield than you will at Penn or Harvard.

Exeter and Deerfield now are at 50%+ of students on significant financial aid. Not sure if the connections are the same as they may have been even 5 or 10 years ago...but perhaps the other 50% are all billionaires (vs. just mostly full pay kids of doctors or lawyers without much in the way of connections).

Deerfield is currently at 39% and Exeter at 45% of students receiving aid. Interestingly, that is the group with children who are professionals. These schools are very well endowed and offer aid to families in the professional class. It is not unusual to earn $500k and receive substantial aid. And there are a few seriously high potential kids of very modest means mixed in as well. But fewer than one would imagine. The other 55-61% of attendees? Serious wealth/status, for the most part. The selection process to attend these and peer schools is intense. 8-15% acceptance rates. Very few high schools provide a similar milieu.

More importantly? They don’t have to “find their people”. Living together in a small, tight community during such formative years binds this small group in ways that last. The friendships are durable, born of a shared experience. That they are also useful down the road is a secondary benefit, not the main goal. But yes, that benefit is real.

To the point of the original post starting this thread, many grads will attend T10 or 20 schools. Many won’t, just like any other school. But they will all be well prepared upon arrival, and the network of people they now know well is spread across several prestigious universities and SLACs. This class of schools still retain impressive college matriculation, even if it has begun to reflect the modern reality that most institutions will only accept a small group from each feeder.

[Anonymous]

Good, rich kids aren't smarter than my kids, they're just richer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I send my kid to private because it’s the best fit for DC now, not for any supposed boost into elite colleges. Those admissions are always a crapshoot even for the tippy top students from any school.

nah do not believe you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I send my kid to private because it’s the best fit for DC now, not for any supposed boost into elite colleges. Those admissions are always a crapshoot even for the tippy top students from any school.

nah do not believe you

okay

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College admissions in this cycle are very different this year than they were for the class of 2024 across all DMV privates, so I think the OP has a point. At our Big 5 private, very few Ivy admits this year or even top 20. All Ivy admits were legacies that I know of or athletes. This seems to be the case everywhere- for example, GDS had 7 Harvard admits last year, and only a couple this year per those posting on Instagram. So yes, it would appear the tides are turning across the board for elite privates and college admissions this year. Top kids have to “settle” for UVA. With the economy taking a turn for the worse maybe next year will be better for these kids.

That’s not true for Sidwell. About 25% of the class is heading to an Ivy+ and all of them are not “hooked.” You should check out Sidwell’s IG account.

On a related note, the admissions tide is turning towards private school full pay families. Wealth has never/will never go out of style. Colleges are businesses and the current administration’s funding cuts will make them even more cautious about admitting too many students with too much financial need.

Your Sidwell insecurities are showing.

No, but your Sidwell jealousy is on full display. Cope.

Honey, you're the one blasting Sidwell all over, on a thread not about Sidwell.
The insecurity is strong with you and you just proved it.

Your projection is a confession. You should just keep scrolling whenever you see a Sidwell post. It clearly triggers your feelings of insecurity AND inferiority…honey. 🤣

DP, but you’re truly insecure as a Sidwell parent. This thread is not about Sidwell.
Thanks God most of us are not like you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College admissions in this cycle are very different this year than they were for the class of 2024 across all DMV privates, so I think the OP has a point. At our Big 5 private, very few Ivy admits this year or even top 20. All Ivy admits were legacies that I know of or athletes. This seems to be the case everywhere- for example, GDS had 7 Harvard admits last year, and only a couple this year per those posting on Instagram. So yes, it would appear the tides are turning across the board for elite privates and college admissions this year. Top kids have to “settle” for UVA. With the economy taking a turn for the worse maybe next year will be better for these kids.

That’s not true for Sidwell. About 25% of the class is heading to an Ivy+ and all of them are not “hooked.” You should check out Sidwell’s IG account.

On a related note, the admissions tide is turning towards private school full pay families. Wealth has never/will never go out of style. Colleges are businesses and the current administration’s funding cuts will make them even more cautious about admitting too many students with too much financial need.

Your Sidwell insecurities are showing.

No, but your Sidwell jealousy is on full display. Cope.

Honey, you're the one blasting Sidwell all over, on a thread not about Sidwell.
The insecurity is strong with you and you just proved it.

Your projection is a confession. You should just keep scrolling whenever you see a Sidwell post. It clearly triggers your feelings of insecurity AND inferiority…honey. 🤣

DP, but you’re truly insecure as a Sidwell parent. This thread is not about Sidwell.
Thanks God most of us are not like you.

DP. Thank God some of us know how to spell. The fact that you’re accusing someone you’ve never met of insecurity says much more about you than the other person. Stop this silly back and forth and move on with your life. Ugh!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rich people suck and are bad for civil first world societies. We should get rid of them.

Good lord. Maybe try to make our existing worls better instead of suggesting we "get rid of" segments of our society. Your comment is gross.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rich people suck and are bad for civil first world societies. We should get rid of them.

Good lord. Maybe try to make our existing worls better instead of suggesting we "get rid of" segments of our society. Your comment is gross.

This person periodically pops in with comments like this on all kinds of threads. Best to ignore the crazy person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College admissions in this cycle are very different this year than they were for the class of 2024 across all DMV privates, so I think the OP has a point. At our Big 5 private, very few Ivy admits this year or even top 20. All Ivy admits were legacies that I know of or athletes. This seems to be the case everywhere- for example, GDS had 7 Harvard admits last year, and only a couple this year per those posting on Instagram. So yes, it would appear the tides are turning across the board for elite privates and college admissions this year. Top kids have to “settle” for UVA. With the economy taking a turn for the worse maybe next year will be better for these kids.

That’s not true for Sidwell. About 25% of the class is heading to an Ivy+ and all of them are not “hooked.” You should check out Sidwell’s IG account.

On a related note, the admissions tide is turning towards private school full pay families. Wealth has never/will never go out of style. Colleges are businesses and the current administration’s funding cuts will make them even more cautious about admitting too many students with too much financial need.

Your Sidwell insecurities are showing.

No, but your Sidwell jealousy is on full display. Cope.

Honey, you're the one blasting Sidwell all over, on a thread not about Sidwell.
The insecurity is strong with you and you just proved it.

Your projection is a confession. You should just keep scrolling whenever you see a Sidwell post. It clearly triggers your feelings of insecurity AND inferiority…honey. 🤣

DP, but you’re truly insecure as a Sidwell parent. This thread is not about Sidwell.
Thanks God most of us are not like you.

DP. Thank God some of us know how to spell. The fact that you’re accusing someone you’ve never met of insecurity says much more about you than the other person. Stop this silly back and forth and move on with your life. Ugh!

DP. That's not what you call a spelling mistake. Which word was spelled wrong?

[Anonymous]

The division of wealth in America is nothing to be proud of. Are you richers proud that America can't even support with workers with proper health insurance or wages that allow food and shelter? Rich people are disgustingly morbid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The division of wealth in America is nothing to be proud of. Are you richers proud that America can't even support with workers with proper health insurance or wages that allow food and shelter? Rich people are disgustingly morbid.

Most private school parents are barely able to pay tuition.

Take your anti-rich rants elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Phillips Academy Andover, the most elite prep school in America only got 4 kids into Harvard in 2025. In the class of 2023 12 kids got into Harvard. Similar trends are at other top schools with only 6 getting into Yale in 2025 and 12 getting in 2023. Only 4 matriculated to Penn in 2025 compared to 7 in 2023. Only 13 got into UChicago, compared to 21 getting into UChicago in 2023. The trend holds across most elite schools such as Northwestern, Duke, etc.

There seems to be serious anti-elite trends in college admissions. They clearly see these kids as "privileged" and are holding it against them. In this new era, you might just be better off sending your kid to public school.

https://d2e3a5v56wj8r4.cloudfront.net/files/CCO_Profile_2024-2025.pdf

https://d2e3a5v56wj8r4.cloudfront.net/files/SchoolProfile2023-2024.pdf

Phillips was a school that got rid of AP. When schools get rid of AP and also has rules making advocacy calls it makes it difficult to elevate top students. It is not impossible but more difficult. This is a reality that many parents do not realize. Hopefully this important discussion will gain traction. Colleges have thousand and thousands of applicants and AP allows colleges to compare in an impartial manner. I have yet to understand how getting rid of AP has helped top students. I have heard the teaching to test is not ideal but if it hurts your placement then I would rather have AP.

[Anonymous]

Caveat the trend is to not make advocacy calls to keep things even. Also UCLA is a great school and most students would be thrilled with this school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Phillips Academy Andover, the most elite prep school in America only got 4 kids into Harvard in 2025. In the class of 2023 12 kids got into Harvard. Similar trends are at other top schools with only 6 getting into Yale in 2025 and 12 getting in 2023. Only 4 matriculated to Penn in 2025 compared to 7 in 2023. Only 13 got into UChicago, compared to 21 getting into UChicago in 2023. The trend holds across most elite schools such as Northwestern, Duke, etc.

There seems to be serious anti-elite trends in college admissions. They clearly see these kids as "privileged" and are holding it against them. In this new era, you might just be better off sending your kid to public school.

https://d2e3a5v56wj8r4.cloudfront.net/files/CCO_Profile_2024-2025.pdf

https://d2e3a5v56wj8r4.cloudfront.net/files/SchoolProfile2023-2024.pdf

Phillips was a school that got rid of AP. When schools get rid of AP and also has rules making advocacy calls it makes it difficult to elevate top students. It is not impossible but more difficult. This is a reality that many parents do not realize. Hopefully this important discussion will gain traction. Colleges have thousand and thousands of applicants and AP allows colleges to compare in an impartial manner. I have yet to understand how getting rid of AP has helped top students. I have heard the teaching to test is not ideal but if it hurts your placement then I would rather have AP.

To clarify, Andover banned advocacy calls from their own counselors? Or did colleges stop taking them?