So "win in the lottery or go private" isn't a real thing? Shocking. |
I think the OP made a choice by not applying to any K-8 schools for the middle school. They do have much better chances to get into the private high schools than the public middle school students. It is just reality. Take it or leave it.
But, I have a feeling once the sting wears off the OP will feel good about their public choices again. Good luck OP, I know that all of these decisions are tough and we are all just trying to do our best for our children. |
You can make it work if you are willing to go to a 'lesser' K-8 or middle, and then apply to your Big 3 school in high school. Then you have the advantage of the outplacement office of the K-8 pushing for your child. |
I am a different poster, but was making the same point in another post. Agreed!! |
But DCPS straight to Big 3 (or 4 or 5) -- it does happen but there's an element of randomness to who gets in and who doesn't. Rather like trying to lottery into Deal or Washington Latin for 5th. |
OP again.
Thanks to the last 10 or so kind posters. You have all taken my post as it was intended: an FYI. At our JKLM a very common conversation (since K almost) is "what are you guys doing for middle and high school". And most people reply, "we're not sure. Perhaps private, perhaps public". I think many of us had (have) this vague thought that all options were reasonably obtainable if our kids were doing well in school, etc. Turns out it's not the case. C'est la vie. If a "top" private is your goal, do what others have said: apply early in PK/K or perhaps apply first to a K-8 private and transfer from there (because they do have relationships with the top privates and it's much easier to get into a big 3 than from DPCS). Applying directly to a "big 3" from DCPS is a numbers game and not a good one lately (in the experience of those from our school). Maybe it's different from other schools. Who knows. I'm sure it varies by year, by school, as the wind shifts, etc. In my own case, I hadn't spent more than 6 months thinking about any of this. I certainly didn't have a 3 year plan to apply to a K-8 and then on to a Big 3. Quite frankly, I'm (we're) happy with DCPS options for middle and high. We dipped our toe into other options and at this point, they didn't work out. If I was in a situation where I had to move my kid from DCPS at middle or high school (either based on the kid or the school) or had a life-long plan to send my kid to a top private I would have done well to "set up" my private options earlier. |
And now you are well prepared for the college admissions process, which is even nuttier and more random than what you've just been through. |
I'm not sure the bolded has been established. If it is easier to apply from a private K-8, I'm not sure whether that's more than just a slight advantage. I haven't seen data on this. I'm somewhat surprised from your child's stats that she wasn't accepted at anywhere, but then again I'm not sure what "top" privates you applied to, or whether there were other specific factors in play with respect to your child's application (Did your child not seem very enthusiastic during the interview? Did you or spouse say something that rubbed the interviewer the wrong way, to the extent they didn't feel the school was a good fit? Did they already have several applicants similar to your kid's specific profile?). I'm an earlier poster who had a child recently accepted to private from DCPS. While I feel for your plight, I do take exception to your characterization of EOTP applicants or their schools as "less polished," whatever that means, as a way to explain why these children may have gotten accepted when yours did not. There are a ton of highly educated, middle/upper middle class families at our IB school. I think it just shows your ignorance, quite frankly, about schools and neighborhoods outside of your WOTP bubble. It may have rubbed others the wrong way as well. |
OP has reflected a question that is likely plaguing every DCPS parent with kids who seek to receive a strong education: what do you do when the school system is enmeshed in scandals which make it seem very incompetent? It is a crisis in confidence more than anything else, imo, as the solid-performing schools are going to keep doing what they do, at least in the short term. But it could very well have long-term effects if the Mayor and D.C. Council don't do something to encourage confidence that the whole thing isn't going to fall apart. |
"really earned the spot" -- please, get over yourself. |
What about applying to privates from DCPS PreK4 programs? Should we stay in our preschool for another year and apply to private K from there, or should we go to DCPS for a year and then apply to private K? If we get into DCPS for PreK debating whether to send our son for a year. |
It depends on the school and whether they care about siblings or not. Sometimes the Pk4 class is all younger siblings, not unlike DCPS. Go to the private school board; this is discussed all the time there. |
SSAT is SO not hard. I've done quant sample with my 5th grade non-JKLM DCPS student who finished it without errors and 6 minutes to spare. You people are absurd. |
OP, unfortunately, when you advise me to get my kids into privates at PK instead of 5th, you're telling me to do something that is completely beyond my means. Yes, and I should also buy the more expensive car with better safety ratings, and the 25-year roof rather than the 15-year one, and outsource the house cleaning, and get some of that light plastic surgery too for those sun spots and crow's feet, oh, and a tutor for the kids. I cannot afford whatever would be left of the tuition after FA, or to pay someone to shuttle my kids across town for six years longer than absolutely necessary, or the time to be in the car with them 90 minutes a day longer than a closer free school would require. Maybe the top privates take that into consideration. You could have, and maybe should have moved over sooner. I can't. |
huh. My JKLM student and classmates had never been taught a lot of what was on the test. In the fall of 5th they hadn't done any work with negative numbers, fractions, etc. |