What private schools for high school are the hardest to get into?

[Anonymous]

Once again, the "talent" of the applicant pool does not necessarily translate into most difficult school to get into. Maret accepts a wide range of learners and is probably the most difficult DC school to get into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I am familiar with St Anselms. I know someone who works there and several families with sons there. The boys who attend are all, except one, exceptionally smart but also quirky, and all but two display some attributes of neu-differences. All are very high functioning and capable of operating in the normal world. They just would not get in to, say Sidwell or STA, because their behavioral quirks are too outside the "norm" from those completely mainstream and rigorous schools.

My DS goes there. Most of the kids do not have neu-differences. Some do, including my DS, but most do not. Many kids go there not because they couldn't get into Sidwell but because they come from families that are Catholic and value the religious aspect of the school.

Agreed that most are not quirky and with neu-differences. There are some quirky kids for sure, but my DS goes there and I've been around lots of his friends and I think saying they are all quirky etc. is just inaccurate.

With regards to acceptance rates at St. Anselm's, some people are not going to apply because they know it's not the right fit for their son given the academic rigor, some are not going to apply because it's single-sex, some are not going to apply because it's Benedictine, and some are not going to apply because it's location is less convenient than some of the other top schools. So it may be that they take a higher percent of their applicants, but it's entirely possible that a lot of people are opting not to apply here for some of these reasons while they are applying to the other top schools.

There's no way to answer the original question in this thread because there are so many variables that influence the number of applicants and the number of available spaces.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You are viewing it incorrectly. Field is not so much displacing GDS as GDS is displacing Sidwell.

LOL, whut?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
There's no way to answer the original question in this thread because there are so many variables that influence the number of applicants and the number of available spaces.

Actually, most people would agree that the hardest to get into is the one that accepts the lowest percentage applicants. That's how the term is generally used in the real world.

It's only a few people from St. Anselm's who have tried to claim that their admissions standards are harder. I disagree 1) because there is no cut-off GPA or test score, according to the St. Anselm's admissions office; 2) because GPA and test scores are not the only factors by which competitive schools admit, thank goodness. Some kids may not test well or have superb GPAs, but still be very bright.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree. I think Holton has a better academic pull, especially for STEM.

and I disagree with you.

Good. At least we're all in agreement now!

ha! I should have been more clear. I disagree with your second sentence. Just my opinion based on...well...opinions. I think we can agree they are both great schools.

[Anonymous]

I would argue that while STA and NCS are among the most prestigious, they may not actually be as hard to get into as Sidwell or Maret. There is a subset of people who self-select out of STA/NCS because they don't want single-sex, or they don't want the religion piece, or they prefer a more-liberal parent body. So the applicant pool may not be quite as large. (Kids still have to clear a pretty high bar on grades and test scores, though.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There's no way to answer the original question in this thread because there are so many variables that influence the number of applicants and the number of available spaces.

Actually, most people would agree that the hardest to get into is the one that accepts the lowest percentage applicants. That's how the term is generally used in the real world.

It's only a few people from St. Anselm's who have tried to claim that their admissions standards are harder. I disagree 1) because there is no cut-off GPA or test score, according to the St. Anselm's admissions office; 2) because GPA and test scores are not the only factors by which competitive schools admit, thank goodness. Some kids may not test well or have superb GPAs, but still be very bright.

I would agree that most people view hardest to get into with lowest acceptance rate, but I also agree that acceptance rates will not always provide a completely accurate picture of the relative difficulty of admissions. On the subject of St. Anselm's, for those applying at the middle school grades (where the majority of the HS spots are filled), I have heard from a reliable source at the school that there is indeed a minimum required test score: 95% or higher on the school administered OLSAT and SCAT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would argue that while STA and NCS are among the most prestigious, they may not actually be as hard to get into as Sidwell or Maret. There is a subset of people who self-select out of STA/NCS because they don't want single-sex, or they don't want the religion piece, or they prefer a more-liberal parent body. So the applicant pool may not be quite as large. (Kids still have to clear a pretty high bar on grades and test scores, though.)

You're right, PP. STA admits around 30%, Maret about 10%, and Sidwell about 20% of applicants. That's 2009 data, I believe, so of course the numbers could have changed somewhat.

That doesn't mean that Maret is the best school, just the hardest to get into. In terms of quality of education, most independent reporters rank STA first, Sidwell second, and Maret last. That said, STA does have the disadvantage of being all-boys; Sidwell has the disadvantage of being high-pressure; and Maret has the disadvantage of being a smaller school with fewer offerings.

The best school for any child depends on a complex set of factors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There's no way to answer the original question in this thread because there are so many variables that influence the number of applicants and the number of available spaces.

Actually, most people would agree that the hardest to get into is the one that accepts the lowest percentage applicants. That's how the term is generally used in the real world.

It's only a few people from St. Anselm's who have tried to claim that their admissions standards are harder. I disagree 1) because there is no cut-off GPA or test score, according to the St. Anselm's admissions office; 2) because GPA and test scores are not the only factors by which competitive schools admit, thank goodness. Some kids may not test well or have superb GPAs, but still be very bright.

I would agree that most people view hardest to get into with lowest acceptance rate, but I also agree that acceptance rates will not always provide a completely accurate picture of the relative difficulty of admissions. On the subject of St. Anselm's, for those applying at the middle school grades (where the majority of the HS spots are filled), I have heard from a reliable source at the school that there is indeed a minimum required test score: 95% or higher on the school administered OLSAT and SCAT.

Well, despite what your "reliable source" says, the admissions office seems to disagree. Call them up and ask.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There's no way to answer the original question in this thread because there are so many variables that influence the number of applicants and the number of available spaces.

Actually, most people would agree that the hardest to get into is the one that accepts the lowest percentage applicants. That's how the term is generally used in the real world.

It's only a few people from St. Anselm's who have tried to claim that their admissions standards are harder. I disagree 1) because there is no cut-off GPA or test score, according to the St. Anselm's admissions office; 2) because GPA and test scores are not the only factors by which competitive schools admit, thank goodness. Some kids may not test well or have superb GPAs, but still be very bright.

I would agree that most people view hardest to get into with lowest acceptance rate, but I also agree that acceptance rates will not always provide a completely accurate picture of the relative difficulty of admissions. On the subject of St. Anselm's, for those applying at the middle school grades (where the majority of the HS spots are filled), I have heard from a reliable source at the school that there is indeed a minimum required test score: 95% or higher on the school administered OLSAT and SCAT.

Same poster here .... I should have been more precise in my terminology. I was told by someone (who would clearly know) that 95th percentile is the informal minimum OLSAT and SCAT score the school is looking for to be confident that the applicant can handle the academic rigor. It is not a cut off that is advertised by the admissions office. Of course there may be some excpetions for sibilings, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There's no way to answer the original question in this thread because there are so many variables that influence the number of applicants and the number of available spaces.

Actually, most people would agree that the hardest to get into is the one that accepts the lowest percentage applicants. That's how the term is generally used in the real world.

It's only a few people from St. Anselm's who have tried to claim that their admissions standards are harder. I disagree 1) because there is no cut-off GPA or test score, according to the St. Anselm's admissions office; 2) because GPA and test scores are not the only factors by which competitive schools admit, thank goodness. Some kids may not test well or have superb GPAs, but still be very bright.

I would agree that most people view hardest to get into with lowest acceptance rate, but I also agree that acceptance rates will not always provide a completely accurate picture of the relative difficulty of admissions. On the subject of St. Anselm's, for those applying at the middle school grades (where the majority of the HS spots are filled), I have heard from a reliable source at the school that there is indeed a minimum required test score: 95% or higher on the school administered OLSAT and SCAT.

Same poster here .... I should have been more precise in my terminology. I was told by someone (who would clearly know) that 95th percentile is the informal minimum OLSAT and SCAT score the school is looking for to be confident that the applicant can handle the academic rigor. It is not a cut off that is advertised by the admissions office. Of course there may be some excpetions for sibilings, etc.

Regardless of what the formal or informal cut-off is, 50% of the applicants meet the criteria. That means it's not "hard to get into." Sorry.

You're trying to argue that it's harder because the entrance standards are somehow higher. You have no comparative data to base that on, since you have no idea what the cut-off is for comparable schools.

Most kids who apply to the top tier schools do very well on standardized tests.

[Anonymous]

Which school is hardest to get into depends on what they're looking for and what the applicant has to offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There's no way to answer the original question in this thread because there are so many variables that influence the number of applicants and the number of available spaces.

Actually, most people would agree that the hardest to get into is the one that accepts the lowest percentage applicants. That's how the term is generally used in the real world.

It's only a few people from St. Anselm's who have tried to claim that their admissions standards are harder. I disagree 1) because there is no cut-off GPA or test score, according to the St. Anselm's admissions office; 2) because GPA and test scores are not the only factors by which competitive schools admit, thank goodness. Some kids may not test well or have superb GPAs, but still be very bright.

I would agree that most people view hardest to get into with lowest acceptance rate, but I also agree that acceptance rates will not always provide a completely accurate picture of the relative difficulty of admissions. On the subject of St. Anselm's, for those applying at the middle school grades (where the majority of the HS spots are filled), I have heard from a reliable source at the school that there is indeed a minimum required test score: 95% or higher on the school administered OLSAT and SCAT.

Same poster here .... I should have been more precise in my terminology. I was told by someone (who would clearly know) that 95th percentile is the informal minimum OLSAT and SCAT score the school is looking for to be confident that the applicant can handle the academic rigor. It is not a cut off that is advertised by the admissions office. Of course there may be some excpetions for sibilings, etc.

Regardless of what the formal or informal cut-off is, 50% of the applicants meet the criteria. That means it's not "hard to get into." Sorry.

You're trying to argue that it's harder because the entrance standards are somehow higher. You have no comparative data to base that on, since you have no idea what the cut-off is for comparable schools.

Most kids who apply to the top tier schools do very well on standardized tests.


Relax PP, If you actually read what I wrote I do NOT argue that St. Anselm's standards are higher than any other schools. I am merely providing information about the test scores I have heard the school is looking for. Have a very nice day!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS isn't that hard to get into for HS anyway.

I might say Visitation is the hardest to get into actually.

I'm curious about this. Why is Visi so hard to get into?

The average Visi freshman class draws its 125 girls from 50 or so different area Catholic parish schools. At my DDs parish school, every one of the top performing academic girls applied to Visi. Many excellent students did not receive offers. I suspect it is similar situation at the 50 plus other parish schools represented in the Visi freshman class.

Visi accepts around 25% of applicants. But that number would be lower if the Catholic school system did not limit applications. It's not the hardest DC private to get into, but it is among the hardest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There's no way to answer the original question in this thread because there are so many variables that influence the number of applicants and the number of available spaces.

Actually, most people would agree that the hardest to get into is the one that accepts the lowest percentage applicants. That's how the term is generally used in the real world.

It's only a few people from St. Anselm's who have tried to claim that their admissions standards are harder. I disagree 1) because there is no cut-off GPA or test score, according to the St. Anselm's admissions office; 2) because GPA and test scores are not the only factors by which competitive schools admit, thank goodness. Some kids may not test well or have superb GPAs, but still be very bright.

I would agree that most people view hardest to get into with lowest acceptance rate, but I also agree that acceptance rates will not always provide a completely accurate picture of the relative difficulty of admissions. On the subject of St. Anselm's, for those applying at the middle school grades (where the majority of the HS spots are filled), I have heard from a reliable source at the school that there is indeed a minimum required test score: 95% or higher on the school administered OLSAT and SCAT.

Same poster here .... I should have been more precise in my terminology. I was told by someone (who would clearly know) that 95th percentile is the informal minimum OLSAT and SCAT score the school is looking for to be confident that the applicant can handle the academic rigor. It is not a cut off that is advertised by the admissions office. Of course there may be some excpetions for sibilings, etc.

Regardless of what the formal or informal cut-off is, 50% of the applicants meet the criteria. That means it's not "hard to get into." Sorry.

You're trying to argue that it's harder because the entrance standards are somehow higher. You have no comparative data to base that on, since you have no idea what the cut-off is for comparable schools.

Most kids who apply to the top tier schools do very well on standardized tests.


Relax PP, If you actually read what I wrote I do NOT argue that St. Anselm's standards are higher than any other schools. I am merely providing information about the test scores I have heard the school is looking for. Have a very nice day!

Actually, I'm quite relaxed. Thanks for your concern.

Since you've posted three times to argue that St. Anselm's may be harder to get into than its admissions rates (50%) suggests, your last post is rather disingenuous. I did not state that you were claiming that St. Anselm's standards were higher than any other schools', merely that you are trying to claim that it is higher than suggested by the admissions rate. You claimed that the school had a 95% cut-off for the school-administered OLSAT, and when I called you on it (admissions office claims no cut-off score), you said it was an "informal" cut-off.

You were dancing on pins trying to prove that St. Anselm's is "harder" to get into than a 50% admissions rate suggests. I have no dog in the fight, merely called you out on your faulty logic and arguments.