Beauvoir or NPS?

[Anonymous]

Are there any perspectives on sending a child to Beauvoir vs. NPS for pre-K and beyond? Comparison of academics (especially math), extracurricular /enrichment opportunities, quality of teachers, school culture (including parent culture), and outplacement opportunities would be much appreciated!

[Anonymous]

Only about a gazillion past discussions on this topic, OP... did you search at all?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there any perspectives on sending a child to Beauvoir vs. NPS for pre-K and beyond? Comparison of academics (especially math), extracurricular /enrichment opportunities, quality of teachers, school culture (including parent culture), and outplacement opportunities would be much appreciated!

There are plenty of recent post on this. However, if you’re not pressed about cathedral schools, I’d go NPS. You’ll get a mix of responses. Some for BVR and some for NPS.

[Anonymous]

Go with BVR.
Most NPS grads still go to single-gender schools like cathedral schools or Landon/Holton. It is easier to get into these places from BVR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go with BVR.
Most NPS grads still go to single-gender schools like cathedral schools or Landon/Holton. It is easier to get into these places from BVR.

It’s easier to get in Cathedral schools from BVR. Everywhere else is equal. 2020 grads from NPS sent 5 to NCS, 7 to St. Albans, 7 to Holton and 6 to Landon.

[Anonymous]

But eventually if you have a good chance of getting into STA/NCS, you could save a lot of money by staying at NPS for another 3 years (from 4th to 6th grades).

I think the facility at BVR might be better. They have a beautiful campus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But eventually if you have a good chance of getting into STA/NCS, you could save a lot of money by staying at NPS for another 3 years (from 4th to 6th grades).

I think the facility at BVR might be better. They have a beautiful campus.

+1 NPS facilities aren’t as fancy but the academics are pretty equal.

[Anonymous]

In my opinion, this is not a close call. Pick bvr. Also, as a pp said, there are so many threads on this, just this week.

[Anonymous]

My children went to Beauvoir, so I can’t comment on NPS.

Beauvoir was an amazing experience for three children with different personalities. Strong, developmentally appropriate curriculum without pressure or excessive and unnecessary homework. Good math curriculum that has been adapted from Singapore Math and other math-teaching approaches, but is tied to Commom Core curriculum. Fun science classes, emphasis on music, art, PE. 1:10 teacher ratio, with two teachers in every classroom.

Plenty of play time, creativity, and a joyful learning environment. The best playground of any NW private school. Sunlit classrooms. Olmstead Woods right next door. The current HOS is kind and competent.

My kids still talk about how much they loved Beauvoir. It was a great way to start their education. Beauvoir made learning fun, setting up a positive relationship to learning. Worth every penny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My children went to Beauvoir, so I can’t comment on NPS.

Beauvoir was an amazing experience for three children with different personalities. Strong, developmentally appropriate curriculum without pressure or excessive and unnecessary homework. Good math curriculum that has been adapted from Singapore Math and other math-teaching approaches, but is tied to Commom Core curriculum. Fun science classes, emphasis on music, art, PE. 1:10 teacher ratio, with two teachers in every classroom.

Plenty of play time, creativity, and a joyful learning environment. The best playground of any NW private school. Sunlit classrooms. Olmstead Woods right next door. The current HOS is kind and competent.

My kids still talk about how much they loved Beauvoir. It was a great way to start their education. Beauvoir made learning fun, setting up a positive relationship to learning. Worth every penny.

+1000

[Anonymous]

I love NPS, but if you are very into the Cathedral Schools it would be a no brainer for me to start the experience early and pick Beauvoir. My only concern would be if your child wasn't picked up to continue on, could be a little rough. Though some re-apply later and are re-admitted.

[Anonymous]

We had two kids at NPS- one graduate and one still there. Our graduate is now at STA/NCS. NPS was and still is an amazing experience for our two kids (and us as a family). Both have a love of learning that I recall disappearing from my own school experience when I was in upper elementary. One of the best things abt NPS is their 6th grade outplacement process. The HOS and Upper Division Director maintain close relationships with the admissions teams and HOS for all DC area schools. They also help you look at which school is the best fit for both your child and your whole family. The smaller grade size (usually 30-40 kids) means that your child is really known by the teachers and HOS writing their recommendations. NPS has sent kids to all of the local schools (NCS/STA, Landon, Holton, Sidwell, Maret, St Andrews, GDS, Potomac etc). Also when we interviewed with different schools when our child was in 6th grade, all of the admissions teams spoke about how well NPS kids do at their school.

[Anonymous]

Are the academics equal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love NPS, but if you are very into the Cathedral Schools it would be a no brainer for me to start the experience early and pick Beauvoir. My only concern would be if your child wasn't picked up to continue on, could be a little rough. Though some re-apply later and are re-admitted.

However, it is not a guarantee that you will get into the Cathedral schools. I know two families who didn't know this and had "assumed". They were told their child had reading problems, etc., but it was late in the year so they had to scamble to find another private school (they lived in DC). I think they wound up at Bullis. Just ask questions and keep on top of it and don't assume anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also when we interviewed with different schools when our child was in 6th grade, all of the admissions teams spoke about how well NPS kids do at their school.

I’m sure this is true, but we also heard this about our kids’ K-8, and it finally dawned on me — of course they do! The schools only admit the kids who are most likely to succeed. And that’s a lot easier to predict in 6th or 8th grade. So they’re telling everyone the truth, and we’re all feeling good. Win win. 😃