More competitive year than usual?

[Anonymous]

This year was a true nightmare. Parents are scattered everywhere looking for schools and waitlisted at the safeties. They are shocked and horrified at their children are getting rejected and waitlisted everywhere. This was a very difficult year.

It’s hard to fathom how any child got into a big three this year and what those parents are doing right?!?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This year was a true nightmare. Parents are scattered everywhere looking for schools and waitlisted at the safeties. They are shocked and horrified at their children are getting rejected and waitlisted everywhere. This was a very difficult year.

It’s hard to fathom how any child got into a big three this year and what those parents are doing right?!?!

What they are doing right is getting the right people to campaign on their behalf. It’s about connections.

[Anonymous]

We were told in those words by a school that this year it was almost all kids with "connections."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would this cause a ripple effect?

Because other schools become more competitive as a result of GDS having less spaces available.

[Anonymous]

To the responders and public schools are imploding. This simply is not true. We have one in private and one in public. Our public kid is actually doing better and less stressed then our private. He got into a top 20 university and is it out going, funny, smart and has a great group of friends. He played ultimate frisbee, school newspaper,participated in a Jackson Reed a Academy. There was one semester that he really had to get support from his counselor to get the classes organized the way he wanted them to be. He took APs off the and is awesome.He couldn’t be more happy from his experience.
Also this year’s Princeton Pine award went to a Jackson Reed graduate who graduated four years ago. My private school kid is also doing fine and well the experience is different there’s ways to feel successful in both. You all act like public schools are horrible. Have you ever stepped foot in one? Or sat in the classroom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the responders and public schools are imploding. This simply is not true. We have one in private and one in public. Our public kid is actually doing better and less stressed then our private. He got into a top 20 university and is it out going, funny, smart and has a great group of friends. He played ultimate frisbee, school newspaper,participated in a Jackson Reed a Academy. There was one semester that he really had to get support from his counselor to get the classes organized the way he wanted them to be. He took APs off the and is awesome.He couldn’t be more happy from his experience.
Also this year’s Princeton Pine award went to a Jackson Reed graduate who graduated four years ago. My private school kid is also doing fine and well the experience is different there’s ways to feel successful in both. You all act like public schools are horrible. Have you ever stepped foot in one? Or sat in the classroom?

Some people just have better experiences than others

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the responders and public schools are imploding. This simply is not true. We have one in private and one in public. Our public kid is actually doing better and less stressed then our private. He got into a top 20 university and is it out going, funny, smart and has a great group of friends. He played ultimate frisbee, school newspaper,participated in a Jackson Reed a Academy. There was one semester that he really had to get support from his counselor to get the classes organized the way he wanted them to be. He took APs off the and is awesome.He couldn’t be more happy from his experience.
Also this year’s Princeton Pine award went to a Jackson Reed graduate who graduated four years ago. My private school kid is also doing fine and well the experience is different there’s ways to feel successful in both. You all act like public schools are horrible. Have you ever stepped foot in one? Or sat in the classroom?

Did he have teachers in all his classes or months without some? I'm a long-term DCPS parent (15 years) with a high schooler now in private and honestly, this is my big fear of JR. Months (if not an entire year) of sitting in a core subject without a teacher. I know a half dozen kids this happened to over the past 2 years.

[Anonymous]

2020/2021 was when things hit the fan in terms of admissions in privates here. I think it has not righted itself since then. Likely will be much more competitive for a few more years to come. This year was nothing like 2021.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the responders and public schools are imploding. This simply is not true. We have one in private and one in public. Our public kid is actually doing better and less stressed then our private. He got into a top 20 university and is it out going, funny, smart and has a great group of friends. He played ultimate frisbee, school newspaper,participated in a Jackson Reed a Academy. There was one semester that he really had to get support from his counselor to get the classes organized the way he wanted them to be. He took APs off the and is awesome.He couldn’t be more happy from his experience.
Also this year’s Princeton Pine award went to a Jackson Reed graduate who graduated four years ago. My private school kid is also doing fine and well the experience is different there’s ways to feel successful in both. You all act like public schools are horrible. Have you ever stepped foot in one? Or sat in the classroom?

Did he have teachers in all his classes or months without some? I'm a long-term DCPS parent (15 years) with a high schooler now in private and honestly, this is my big fear of JR. Months (if not an entire year) of sitting in a core subject without a teacher. I know a half dozen kids this happened to over the past 2 years.

Another parent with one in public and one in a coveted private. Size of the grade is a huge difference but there are positives to both. Depends on the kid and what sort of classes interest them, how independent they are, what ECs they want to do, etc. We have been so pleasantly surprised by how excellent the teachers are at the MCPS my HS child is at. No gaps in instruction at all as mentioned in concern by PP above. No place is perfect and all teens need guidance dealing with what is happening with kids these days, but the good publics in this area should not be avoided as if they are the plague. Lots of kids are doing well at these schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the responders and public schools are imploding. This simply is not true. We have one in private and one in public. Our public kid is actually doing better and less stressed then our private. He got into a top 20 university and is it out going, funny, smart and has a great group of friends. He played ultimate frisbee, school newspaper,participated in a Jackson Reed a Academy. There was one semester that he really had to get support from his counselor to get the classes organized the way he wanted them to be. He took APs off the and is awesome.He couldn’t be more happy from his experience.
Also this year’s Princeton Pine award went to a Jackson Reed graduate who graduated four years ago. My private school kid is also doing fine and well the experience is different there’s ways to feel successful in both. You all act like public schools are horrible. Have you ever stepped foot in one? Or sat in the classroom?

I'm so happy public has worked out well for your child. But please remember that most people here are talking about general trends and it's hard to quantify behavior issues, but the data about test scores dropping and teacher shortages don't lie. There are obviously differences between schools. Unfortunately we had a very disappointing experience with public schools, which is why we are switching along with so many other parents who were once happy with public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the responders and public schools are imploding. This simply is not true. We have one in private and one in public. Our public kid is actually doing better and less stressed then our private. He got into a top 20 university and is it out going, funny, smart and has a great group of friends. He played ultimate frisbee, school newspaper,participated in a Jackson Reed a Academy. There was one semester that he really had to get support from his counselor to get the classes organized the way he wanted them to be. He took APs off the and is awesome.He couldn’t be more happy from his experience.
Also this year’s Princeton Pine award went to a Jackson Reed graduate who graduated four years ago. My private school kid is also doing fine and well the experience is different there’s ways to feel successful in both. You all act like public schools are horrible. Have you ever stepped foot in one? Or sat in the classroom?

Last year's (2022) went to a St Albans grad. It's wild how well DC does on the national stage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the responders and public schools are imploding. This simply is not true. We have one in private and one in public. Our public kid is actually doing better and less stressed then our private. He got into a top 20 university and is it out going, funny, smart and has a great group of friends. He played ultimate frisbee, school newspaper,participated in a Jackson Reed a Academy. There was one semester that he really had to get support from his counselor to get the classes organized the way he wanted them to be. He took APs off the and is awesome.He couldn’t be more happy from his experience.
Also this year’s Princeton Pine award went to a Jackson Reed graduate who graduated four years ago. My private school kid is also doing fine and well the experience is different there’s ways to feel successful in both. You all act like public schools are horrible. Have you ever stepped foot in one? Or sat in the classroom?

I'm so happy public has worked out well for your child. But please remember that most people here are talking about general trends and it's hard to quantify behavior issues, but the data about test scores dropping and teacher shortages don't lie. There are obviously differences between schools. Unfortunately we had a very disappointing experience with public schools, which is why we are switching along with so many other parents who were once happy with public.

NP. I really hope that private works out for you but go in with your eyes open to reality that there are a lot of issues at many privates too. Different issues, but issues none the less. Best of luck to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I think the flight from public school has ramped up another level. It happened in the 21 and 22 cycles, related to the pandemic and we all thought some kids would leave private when things went “back to normal” (which some did). But this feels like a new wave of people leaving public school and trying for private spots.

This year's 6th and 9th applicant pool got hammered by the pandemic. It'll be bad again next year but should return to normal after that.

Last year’s results were great. This years’s were awful. Please explain why this isn’t the new normal?

The rising 9th graders missed almost their entire middle school experience and got a really bad first impression from 6th and 7th. They also had a lot of learning loss and would be the cohort of kids that might have switched to private k-8 for middle school during the pandemic. Last year's class would have had a mostly normal 6th grade. That impression might have given them enough hope to try another year at public for high school.

The rising 6th graders had a bad 3th and 4th grade with the learning loss from that showing up in 5th as academics get started for real. Last year's class would have had a similar profile but the hope of a clean post-pandemic start for 6th. They also would have heard all the pandemic mishaps about their middle shool.



Speaking as the parent of a current freshman - i couldn't agree with you more.

There probably is a new wave and a new normal forming but this year has some anomolies that make it unique.

What was wrong with 7th grade? In Arlington, we were back full time by then. Only missed 6th grade doing virtual. I feel like we've basically recovered from that already.

Agree. I’d argue the current 9th graders had worse middle school experience. They only had 8th grade for full year which was an awkward and chaotic year to then get thrown in high school. Rising 9th graders had all of 7th and all of 8th in person (non unlike my Jr High that was only 7th/8th).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This year was a true nightmare. Parents are scattered everywhere looking for schools and waitlisted at the safeties. They are shocked and horrified at their children are getting rejected and waitlisted everywhere. This was a very difficult year.

It’s hard to fathom how any child got into a big three this year and what those parents are doing right?!?!

What they are doing right is getting the right people to campaign on their behalf. It’s about connections.

I understand that is how the world works but it somehow just feels very wrong and even repugnant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would this cause a ripple effect?

Because other schools become more competitive as a result of GDS having less spaces available.

I agree. Definitely. had an effect across the board. Also, a message was sent to all schools to keep enrollment numbers in check..