Which school best supports children who are advanced academically?

[Anonymous]

I would like to hear only from parents whose children have gone through or are currently going through elementary school in Beauvoir, Maret, GDS, and Sidwell. I am also interested in hearing specifically from parents whose children are fairly advanced academically (above grade level in one or more areas), and how the school in question dealt with this. Did you feel your child was sufficiently supported, engaged, and accelerated? How much advocacy did you need to undertake versus the teachers "getting" it and acting proactively to provide enrichment and acceleration to your child? Did you find that things got better in terms of school support for your child as the child got older - or did it get more difficult? Conversely, if you had a particularly poor experience with one of these schools on this count, I want to hear that too. Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

Public school. Seriously.

[Anonymous]

Actually, Virginia gifted and magnet programs or MoCo magnets. Not any public school. But these ones equal or surpass the privates you've mentioned.

[Anonymous]

OP, I don't have a response to your question. However, based on responses to similar questions on this board, you might get more helpful responses if you provide more information, such as your DC's age, information about how advaced s/he is, etc. Otherwise I'm afraid you'll just get a bunch of snarky responses about everyone's DCs being advanced. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

OP: I have heard from others that we should look at MoCO magnets. Thanks to people who've suggested that. I understand that that is an option. In the meantime, we want to explore which of the schools that I've mentioned may do the best job with advanced children. Please respond only if you've dealt with this issue with one of these schools. They may not come close to the magnets, but on this thread, I want to explore only these four schools. I would like to hear from you if YOUR child is advanced above grade level in one or more subject areas, and attends one of these schools. How engaged is the school with your child's learning needs? It would be helpful to me if you told me how old your child is, what the area(s) of advancement is, how the school is dealing with him or her, and whether it gets better as the child ages. Are you pleased with what your child is getting or do you dream of finding the school that will meet his or her needs better?

[Anonymous]

My child attended the MontCo Magnet, Cold Spring, which goes for 4th and 5th grade. It was astoundingly good, despite fairly large class size. The teachers were amazing, especially in 5th. But the main thing I'd say is that to be around other kids, all of whom were similarly academic and working above grade level, was a wonderful thing. Of course, it only is for 2 years, and then you have to decide if you want to continue in the GT track, at Takoma Park MS. The transition back to regular public school and private is tough.

[Anonymous]

In privates, a lot depends on the other kids in the class. If your kid is a stand-alone smart one, you're SOL. If they can create a group of a few kids, much better. But of course you can't know that if you're applying for K.

[Anonymous]

I agree that VA GT centers and MoCo Magnets handle the truly gifted students better than any private in the metro DC area. If your child is 2 - 3 grade levels ahead in subject(s), this subset of public does a superior job vs. private. Pulled my DC out of one of the schools you mentioned specifically because of this and now he's at TJ and thriving. Not the answer you wanted...

[Anonymous]

I think the reason we keep going back to public schools is because they have the resources to offer different programs while the privates you mention have less flexibility. My guess is that you would be unhappy with all of them, would always think your child is somehow being held back.

My child at Mclean (not a school you mention) was pulled out for special reading tutoring in 1st grade because he had already been a fluent reader for several years. You probably won't get that at any of the schools you mention. And I've got to say it was the least important aspect of his fabulous education at McLean.

[Anonymous]

OP here again: Its fine to tell me that the magnets are better but I have heard that already. I repeat again that ON THIS THREAD I am looking for different information. For the PP who mentioned that her child used to be at one of the schools I mentioned and is now at TJ. What I want to hear from you is which school and exactly how did they tackle your child's needs. I am looking for specificity in how far the school went to meet your child's needs and exactly where they failed and the process by which you decided to transfer the kid to TJ. Thank you in advance for this information.

[Anonymous]

Prior poster here, I think TJ is singularly the most challenging high school in the metro area (if not nation) and filled with some fantastic kids who generally perform way beyond grade level. Admittedly, it's not for everyone and has its flaws, but seems to me it may make sense for your child down the road based on implied description of your child.

[Anonymous]

I apologise for my incapacity to answer your excellent and pointed question. I similarly got no answers when we toured and applied to top D.C. area private schools; declined admission offers for a place at Cold Spring ES in Montgomery County. Son is working above level (4 grades) in mathematics.

[Anonymous]

PP here. Need to be intentionally cryptic here to remain anonymous. DC was generally at least 2 grades ahead in most subjects but extremely ahead in math and even the school admitted it simply could not meet his needs by the time he got to early middle school level. If you've got a kid who's really out there in math/science you simply need to go public or, I believe, you're doing DC a real disservice. Hesitant to elaborate more than that. I struggled over this but feel very good about our decision.

[Anonymous]

PP here again. To clarify, transferred to public in early middle school and then got into TJ for HS via the usual route, namely the exam.

[Anonymous]

OP - I don't have an answer to your question, but wanted to point out that your question addresses only half of the needs of the advanced child.
While teacher and school support is very important, I found that the intellectual environment in the child's peer group is just as critical.